A CHRONOLOGY OF PROTESTANT BEGINNINGS:  PARAGUAY

by Clifton L. Holland, Director of PROLADES

(last revised on May 27, 2003)

Historical Overview of Paraguay:

Independence from Spain declared:                                                                                       1811

Independent Republic established:                                                                                        1814

Independence recognized by Argentina:                                                                                1852

War of the Triple Alliance:                                                                                            1865-1876

Chaco War with Bolivia:                                                                                               1932-1935

Constitutional religious freedom established:                                                                         1967


Number of North American agencies in 1989:                                                                            33
Number of North American agencies in 1996:                                                                            38

Indicates European society*

Significant Protestant Beginnings:

     1817       -    *British and Foreign Bible Society colporteur work

 

     1870       -    Methodist Episcopal Church invited to begin work

 

     1886       -    Methodist Episcopal Church, Foreign Mission Board

 

     1888       -    *South American Missionary Society

 

     1892       -    Seventh Day Adventist, General Conference (1900)

 

     1902       -    Inland-South-American Missionary Union

 

     1909       -    Christian Missions in Many Lands (Plymouth Brethren)

 

     1910       -    The Salvation Army

 

     1917       -    United Christian Missionary Society (Disciples of Christ)

 

     1919       -    Argentine Baptist Convention

 

     1927       -    Mennonite colony established

 

     1930       -    Mennonite Central Committee (settlement of Russian immigrants)

 

     1931       -    New Testament Missionary Union

 

     1935       -    Mennonite Brethren Church of America among Lengua Indians

 

     1938       -    Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

 

     1942       -    Free Methodist Church of North America

 

     1945       -    Assemblies of God Foreign Missions (building upon the work of European Pentecostal immigrants)

 

     1945       -    Southern Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist International Mission)

 

     1946       -    New Tribes Mission, USA & Canada

 

     1948       -    General Conference Mennonite Church (1952)

 

     1949       -    Lutheran Church

 

     1954       -    Church of God World Missions (Cleveland, TN)

 

     1957       -    Evangelical Mennonite Conference (Canada)

 

     1972       -    Child Evangelism Fellowship

 

     1973       -    United Pentecostal Church International

 

     1976       -    Association of Baptists for World Evangelization (ABWE)

 

     1977       -    Church of God of Prophecy   

 

     1977       -    Every Home for Christ

 

     1979       -    World Salt Foundation

 

     1980       -    Baptist Bible Fellowship International

 

     1982       -    Christian Church of North America

 

     1986       -    World Gospel Mission

 

     1987       -    SIM USA & Canada (a merger of several mission societies)

 

     1988       -    Association of Pastors of Paraguay formed

 

     1988       -    United Methodist Church Mission Society

 

1990       -    Congregational Methodist Church

 

     1991       -    Apostolic Christian Church

 

     1991       -    Living Water Teaching International

 

     1991       -    South America Mission

 

     1991       -    Mennonite Economic Development

 

     1992       -    STEM Ministries

 

     1992       -    Wycliffe Bible Translators

 

     1994       -    Global Outreach Mission

 

     1995       -    International Partnership Ministries

 

     1996       -    Habitat for Humanity International

 

Date of Origin Unknown:

 

                        Brethren Assemblies (USA and Canada)

 

                        Christian Aid Mission

 

                        Full Gospel Grace Fellowship

 

                        Mennonite Brethren Mission Services

 

                        Youth With A Mission (YWAM, USA & Canada)

 

 

NOTES:

(1)     Dates listed indicate the earliest ministry or in case of discrepancies, the date most frequently indicated by the sources.

(2)     North American Agencies include U.S. and Canadian.

(3)     The War of The Triple Alliance reduced the population from 1,000,000 to 230,000 and male population by 90% (Thiessen 1970:414).

(4)     The 1967 constitution established religious freedom while still designating the Roman Catholic Church as the official state church (Barrett 1982:557).

SOURCES:

(1) Daryl L. Platt, "Who Represents the Evangelical Churches in Latin America? A Study of the Evangelical Fellowship Organizations." Pasadena, CA: an unpublished Doctor of Missiology Dissertation, School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, June 1991. Used by permission of the author.

(2) PROLADES (Latin American Socio-religious Studies Program), international headquarters in San José, Costa Rica: www.prolades.com, prolades@racsa.co.cr

            (3) Dayton Roberts and John Siewert, editors:  Mission Handbook of U.S. and Canadian Christian Ministries Overseas (MARC 1989).

            (4) John A. Siewert and Edna G. Valdez, editors: Mission Handbook of U.S. and Canadian Christian Ministries Overseas (MARC 1997).