It is a pleasure to discuss the National Mission Board (NMB) of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPB).

The NMB of the IPB is the missionary agency focused on the expansion of Presbyterianism and social work within the country. Its history is marked by the autonomy of the Brazilian church in its missionary work.

The Beginning:
From the American Mission to Brazilian Autonomy

The IPB is historically the result of American missionary activity that began with Ashbel Green Simonton in 1859. However, the need for a national missionary work, organized and supported by Brazilians themselves, became evident as the church grew.

The National Mission Board was officially organized on September 10, 1940.

In its early days, the NMB operated as a Mixed Board, with the participation and financial support of representatives of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil and the North American missions (from the New York and Nashville Boards). An important milestone in JMN's history was the gradual transition to fully Brazilian funding, with Brazilian Presbyterians assuming financial responsibility for the work through annual missionary offerings.

The Great National Expansion

JMN's primary purpose, from its inception, was to plant churches in pioneer fields and evangelize less-reached regions of Brazil.

Between 1940 and 1958, JMN was responsible for occupying approximately fifteen regions throughout Brazil, establishing preaching centers and subsequently organizing hundreds of new Presbyterian churches. The JMN was instrumental in introducing Presbyterianism to states like Acre and also in reintroducing or strengthening its presence in other regions, such as Rio Grande do Sul.
Missionary work gained a specific focus in the vast and challenging Amazon region with the creation of the Presbyterian Mission of the Amazon in 1950, an ongoing evangelization effort in riverside and hard-to-reach contexts.

The Restructuring of Missionary Work

Over time, church growth and changes in the missionary landscape led to a specialization of the IPB agencies.

Until 2000, the JMN was responsible for all church planting in Brazil, including those in cross-cultural contexts (such as among indigenous or quilombola communities).

Starting in 2000, the IPB organized the Presbyterian Agency for Cross-Cultural Missions (APMT). With this change, the APMT assumed responsibility for work in ethnic and cross-cultural contexts (both within and outside Brazil), while the JMN maintained its focus on evangelization and church planting in urban and regional contexts** in strategic national areas.

Today, the JMN remains a vital missionary agency of the IPB, focused on recruiting, training, and supporting missionaries to open new works and support pioneering fields throughout Brazil.