Bishop Joao Carlos Lopes is the president of Brazil’s Methodist bishops who last week preached at the annual Aldersgate Renewal Conference in Charleston, West Virginia. His sermon was on how to revive dead churches.
Aldersgate is a ministry for charismatic United Methodists who emphasize the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their worship. Over 1000 attended this year. The Brazilian Methodist Church, with about 200,000 members, has been autonomous since the 1930’s. It is experiencing growth in recent years thanks to leadership from evangelical bishops like Lopes, who is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He serves on the board of the Atlanta-based Mission Society for United Methodists.
