CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥 鈥淐an I bring my gun into the worship service?鈥
The question presented Venezuelan pastor Fernanda Egl茅 with a dilemma. Agreeing might have endangered at her evangelical church in Caracas. But what if dismissing the gang member pulled him farther from God?
鈥淚t was risky, but this was God鈥檚 plan,鈥 Egl茅 said. 鈥淗e knew these people鈥檚 hearts, their need for change. So I created a 鈥榮ervice for criminals,鈥 intending they would come.鈥
Many pastors like Egl茅 provide spiritual guidance in Venezuelan affected by crime, drug addiction and . Their task has proven challenging amid the 12-year crisis that stemmed from a drop in , corruption and .
The has forced to emigrate since took power in 2013. And despite official claims of decreasing in 2024, he declared an 鈥渆conomic emergency鈥 in April, granting himself powers to implement extraordinary measures.
鈥淲orking in these communities has been difficult,鈥 Egl茅 said. 鈥淏ut we need to keep up our work.鈥
How big is the evangelical community in Venezuela?
Reliable statistics are hard to come by since official figures have not been issued in more than a decade, but academic experts and community members contend the number of evangelicals in Venezuela has grown in recent decades, just as it has in other Latin American countries.
The region’s string of social, political and economic crises is a key driver of that growth, said David Smilde, professor of sociology at Tulane University in New Orleans.
The second issue driving communities to evangelical churches might be the Catholic Church鈥檚 priest shortage, which means fewer faith leaders are now serving larger groups of people, said Smilde. With less stringent rules for clergy, evangelical churches can more quickly step into that void.
As for Venezuelans, many find themselves on the margins of survival. 鈥淭his is a context in which participation in evangelical churches can provide strength, focus and a social network for mutual support,鈥 Smilde said.
Despite the statistical void, the U.S. State Department鈥檚 2023 report on religious freedom estimated that 96% of the Venezuelan population is Catholic 鈥 though that may not reflect the rise in evangelicals.
Sociologist Enrique Al铆 Gonz谩lez estimates that the current religious affiliation would be 82%-84% Catholic and 10%-12% evangelical with other faiths accounting for the rest. He based those numbers on his own field work and data from one of the most recent demographic assessments, which was led by the Andr茅s Bello Catholic University in Caracas in 2016.
A pastor鈥檚 role among the people
Like Egl茅, pastor Jos茅 Luis Villamizar encourages Venezuelans to embrace the Gospel as a path to change course.
鈥淲e have managed to get people who used to be hitmen away from that lifestyle,鈥 Villamizar said.
Also based in Caracas, Villamizar founded his evangelical church at his house during the pandemic. At first he ministered from a window. As lockdown receded, he took his work to the streets.
Both he and Egl茅 visit elderly people and Venezuelans lacking basic care on a regular basis.
Mostly dependent on donations or their savings, they deliver food, medicines and clothing. Prayers and religious lectures are followed by recreational activities, financial workshops and barbershop days.
鈥淲e joke around, we paint the women鈥檚 nails, we try everything to make life a little easier,鈥 Egl茅 said. 鈥淭o lift some of the burden of loneliness and depression.鈥
A welcoming church
At Egl茅’s sanctuary, gang members eventually agreed to leave their weapons at the entrance.
鈥淚 spoke to many of them and asked: What led you to this life?鈥 Egl茅 said. 鈥淎nd when they told me their stories, I wept with them.鈥
Villamizar鈥檚 congregation finds temporary homes for those willing to start over and embrace the Gospel. His team monitors their behavior. And like Egl茅, he offers support until they find a job and regain self-reliance.
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 help them get out of their situation, they鈥檒l end up in the same circumstances,鈥 he said.
Maduro has openly associated with evangelicals
In 2023, the president launched a program called 鈥淢y well-equipped church鈥 to improve evangelical churches with government funding. Some pastors accept the help. Others prefer to find their own means.
Egl茅 recalled a contribution that helped her acquire chairs and a house that she later turned into a sanctuary. Villamizar opted to remain fully independent.
鈥淭hey have offered us help, but if the church of God gets tangled in politics, one ends up in debt,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 prefer Him to provide and, to this day, He has fulfilled.鈥
Maduro鈥檚 outreach to evangelical groups has had little effect on gaining the president more supporters, said Smilde. Politicians are mistaken if they think the structure of independent evangelical churches mirror the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church, he added.
鈥淭he possibilities for politically mobilizing evangelicals is widely misunderstood in Venezuela and consistently overestimated,鈥 Smilde said.
鈥淎 year ago there was a lot of concern in Venezuela about Maduro鈥檚 outreach to evangelicals being a factor in , but it was not, despite considerable effort on his part.鈥
What Venezuelans find in their evangelical church
Israel Guerra was raised Catholic, but a spiritual crisis led him to become evangelical.
鈥淚 made the transition because in Catholicism I never felt supported nor that God loved me,鈥 said Guerra, who attends a Caracas megachurch.
He, too, has noticed the expansion of evangelical churches in Venezuela and says people find them approachable.
鈥淢ore than being places listing rules to enter heaven, they鈥檙e a place of refuge,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey are safe places for the poor and the rich alike, for former gang members and entrepreneurs.鈥
Not all congregations are as open or welcoming, said G茅nesis D铆az, born to evangelical pastors in a church requiring its members to follow strict rules. But their proliferation is nonetheless evident to her.
As a missionary and Christian content creator visiting Caracas congregations on a regular basis, D铆az said she has seen up to 20 evangelical churches in neighborhoods where a single Catholic church stands.
鈥淰enezuela is a Christian, religious country,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hile there are things we have forgotten and bad people are around, there is a very strong awakening towards God.鈥
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Mar铆a Teresa Hern谩ndez reported from Mexico City.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
