The Church in Brazil

The first Church-owned meetinghouse in South America was dedicated in Joinville in October 1931. A Brazilian mission was created from the South American Mission in May 1935. Church teaching materials were translated into Portuguese in 1937, and missionaries began teaching in Portuguese a year later.

Missionary efforts continued in the 1950s, and by 1959, membership was about 3,700. Brazil’s first stake was organized in 1966. Ten years later, Brazil had 10 stakes, and a temple was announced for São Paulo. It was dedicated on October 30, 1978, by President Spencer W. Kimball.

On February 2, 1986, Brazil became the third country outside the United States to have 50 stakes. That number doubled to 100 by 1993.

In October of 1993, construction began on Brazil’s new Missionary Training Center, the Church’s second largest. And, with 23 missions in 1995, Brazil has the largest number of missions outside the United States.

Here are a few facts about the Church today in Brazil:

Membership	1,102,674
Missions	27
Wards & Branches	1,885
Family History Centers	310

The Brazil Missionary Training Center