Who we are
The Maranatha Christian Church
The Maranatha Christian Church is an evangelical-pentecostal church, fruit of the great spiritual revival that occurred during the 60s in Brazil, when the Lord God started to baptize with the Holy Spirit those believers from different protestant denominations. It began in Vila Velha, state of Espirito Santo, in Brazil, in 1967, with a small group of brethren who were compelled to leave their churches for having believed in the blessing of the baptism with the Holy Spirit and in the spiritual gifts (I Cor. 12:1).
Ever since the beginning, this group of brethren started to seek the direction of the Lord through the spiritual gifts. It then learned to use the gifts with wisdom and discernment, as well as to judge the gifts as recommended in the Scriptures. The result was a great growth in number and in grace. The spiritual gifts started to be valued in the churches, different from what was happening in other churches in the country, where the believers were experimenting disappointments due to the incorrect use of the gifts.
As a result of manifestations of the Holy Spirit in our churches, revealing a real presence of the Lord Jesus in their midst, as well as in meetings of the pastors and the leaders of the Church, there was a spiritual revival that has only grown during these 40 years of existence of the Church.
The revival that happens in the local churches is characterized by the following operation of the Lord among His people:
- Great emphasis to prayer and fasting; there are prayer meetings in almost every church in the morning;
- Regular Presence of the believers in the public services, that take place 7 days a week, when the Word of God is taught and there are manifestations of the spiritual gifts;
- Disposition of the believers to serve the Lord and the Church; no one is paid for any activity they have in the Church, not even the pastors; all feel privileged in serving the Lord;
- The children, adolescents and youth participate in the public services, praying and singing praises to the Lord;
- The youth are active as instrumentalists, evangelists, visiting the members of the church who are sick, elderly, and willing to keep and clean the temples as well as every other necessary activity that are necessary for the operation of the larger teaching centers, called Mahanaims;
- Fellowship among the local churches, that share the same faith (doctrine) and practice, based on the Holy Scriptures;
- Interest in reading and studying the Word of God (the Bible);
- Great emphasis on Evangelism, with the participation of children, adolescents, youth and adults; in the evangelistic meetings – in the churches as well as in large auditoriums – the Lord confirms the preaching of the Word with signs that follow it;
- Constant growth of the Church, especially in the last 3 years, when it was greater than ever in its history.
Currently, the Maranatha Christian Church congregates about 6,000 churches with approximately 750,000 members in Brazil, all of the churches having been the fruit of evangelism. The Church also has congregations in several countries in South America, North America, Europe and Asia. Moreover, it has a relationship of fellowship and spiritual cooperation with churches in Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, in addition to the Indian Subcontinent.