Renewed Presbyterian Church of Brazil
The Renewed Presbyterian Church of Brazil is a Protestant Brazilian denomination founded in 1975 by the merger of two predecessor churches, the Presbyterian Christian Church and the Renewed Independent Presbyterian Church. The motivation for the emergence of both previous denominations was the influence of the Pentecostal movement. In 2024, the denomination had 1,300 churches and congregations throughout Brazil, with approximately 174,419 members.
History
Following the movement for revival that occurred in the Brazilian Presbyterian environment in the 1960s, two churches were born with similar doctrines, practices, objectives and characteristics: the Presbyterian Christian Church (1968-1975), ICP, in 1968, and the Renewed Independent Presbyterian Church, IPIR, in 1972. Most of the members were in the states of São Paulo and Paraná.The affinity led these churches to a rapprochement, which resulted in the union of the two denominations, on January 8, 1975, sealed in a memorable constitutive assembly, held in Maringá, PR, thus giving birth to the Renewed Presbyterian Church of Brazil. The first assembly elected pastor Palmiro Andrade as its first president.
The IPRB adopted the Aleluia Newspaper, founded in 1972, as its official organ. The Cianorte Bible Institute was elevated to the category of seminary.
Its headquarters are located in Maringá, PR, where its president resides.
Statistics
| Year | Members |
| 1975 | 8,335 |
| 2000 | 80,025 |
| 2006 | 100,832 |
| 2007 | 107,335 |
| 2008 | 116,742 |
| 2009 | 120,807 |
| 2010 | 127,968 |
| 2011 | 131,972 |
| 2012 | 139,009 |
| 2013 | 142,043 |
| 2014 | 144,432 |
| 2015 | 152,619 |
| 2016 | 154,048 |
| 2024 | 174,419 |
The IPRB was born with 8,335 members, 12,497 students in Sunday schools, 84 churches, 94 congregations, 7 mission fields, 59 pastors, 89 evangelists, 257 elders, 278 deacons, 97 temples and worship halls, 26 pastoral houses, 34 plots of land, 776 subscribers to the Aleluia Newspaper and 60 students at the Renovated Presbyterian Seminary of Cianorte.
According to 2011 statistics, the church had 132,000 members and 474 congregations and 50 presbyteries. By the end of 2012, the denomination had 139,009 members in 778 congregations and 694 preaching points and more than 803 pastors. The number of presbyteries is 53.
In 2016, the church reported 154,048 members in 53 presbyteries.
In 2024, in a tribute held at the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, it was reported that the denomination had over 160,000 members.
In 2025, in a tribute held at the Chamber of Councillors of Osasco, it was reported that the denomination has just under 170,000 members, over 1,300 churches and 1,500 pastors, in 39 countries.
In 2024, the church released new detailed statistics, reporting: 174,419 members, of which 1,578 were pastors. In this year, the denomination had 61 presbyteries and 1,300 churches. In addition to Brazil, it had churches in 39 other countries, with 180 missionaries.
Doctrine
The denomination has its own confession of faith. However, there are doctrinal differences among the denomination's pastors regarding its content, so much so that some claim that there was no extensive debate over the text. The confession adheres to some elements of the Westminster Confession of Faith. However, it is strongly influenced by classical Arminian doctrine.The following are the main differences between the IPRB confession of faith and the Westminster Confession of Faith, adopted by other Presbyterian denominations :
| Confession | Renewed Presbyterian Church of Brazil | Westminster Confession of Faith |
| Human will | Affirms human free will | Denies that man has free will after the fall |
| Origin of saving faith | Affirms saving faith as a human work, potentially produced by God | Affirms that saving faith is the work of the Spirit of Christ |
| Baptism | By immersion and credobaptist, that is, only for adults | Establishes baptism by sprinkling or effusion and administered to the children of believers, in the pedobaptist form |
| Lord's Supper | The Lord's Supper as a memorial of Christ's death, according to the vision of Huldrych Zwingli | Spiritual presence of Christ in the Supper, communicated to the elect by the Holy Spirit, according to the vision of John Calvin |
| Baptism with the Holy Spirit | Second blessing, after conversion, that enables believers to fulfill the mission of the Church, according to the Pentecostal position | Not addressed in the confession, but seen by Reformed churches as conversion itself |
| Gifts | Believes in the continuity of all charismatic gifts | It is not addressed in the confession, but most Reformed churches adhere to Cessationism regarding charismatic sounds, claiming that they were necessary only at the founding of the church |
| Eschatology | premillennial eschatology dispensationalist | Not clearly addressed in the confession, but the majority view in the Reformed churches is Amillennialism |
Government
The IPRB adopts a mixed government system. It contains elements of Presbyterianism in local churches ; It has presbyteries, formed by the pastors and a representative from each local church. However, it does not have synods. The General Assembly of the Denomination is formed by all the pastors and a representative from each local church.The Church has its Executive Board, elected every three years by the General Assembly. The Administrative Board is formed by the Executive Board, the presidents of the presbyteries, and the presidents of the so-called "general institutions". The Administrative Board may make important ecclesiastical decisions without representation from local churches.