[Roguish Lawyer]

Political conflict has not been so bloody in Brazil as in other parts of Latin America. But social disruption has nonetheless fueled the growth of evangelical sects, whose membership has more than tripled over the past quarter-century.

During that time, Brazil has experienced an intense internal migration. Waves of mostly poor residents, desperate for work, have moved to northwestern and north-central Brazil, along the edges of the Amazon jungle, to take advantage of a boom in agricultural production. Others have crowded into the squalid slums of cities along the eastern coastline, such as Recife and Rio.

In both the farming frontier and metropolitan shantytowns, governmental and other civic institutions are weak or virtually absent.

"The state is not keeping abreast of this process. Neither is the Catholic Church. They can't assign new priests as quickly to the places where the population is growing," said Cesar Romero Jacob, a social studies professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio. "The evangelical groups get there faster, and by getting there faster, they harvest all these people."

A study by Jacob and colleagues two years ago, sponsored in part by the Brazilian Catholic Church in an attempt to understand where and why its numbers were dropping, found that the growth of evangelical sects such as the Assemblies of God and the charismatic Universal Church of the Kingdom of God had been most explosive in these areas.

Migrants bereft of family, friends and the trappings of their former communities are eager to tap into the social and spiritual networks the evangelical churches provide through weekly services, Bible study and other activities. Sermons promising self-improvement and personal fulfillment through God and upright behavior — no drinking, no smoking — are also appealing.

The churches operate out of ordinary locations such as storefronts, and use strong marketing and word-of-mouth proselytizing. They train new pastors quickly, sometimes within a few months, compared with the years of seminary studies required of Catholic priests.

"The evangelical churches are faster, more agile, whereas the Catholic Church is more bureaucratic," Jacob said.

Some sects have also turned to the media to spread their gospel. One recent estimate in Brazil said that evangelical denominations owned 58 radio stations in 16 states, or more than half. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, perhaps Brazil's fastest-growing, owns two national TV networks and puts out a weekly newsletter read by 1.5 million people.

Between 1980 and 2000, the most active years of John Paul's papacy, the number of evangelical Protestants shot up from 6.6% of Brazil's population to 15.6%.

Although there are well over 100 million Catholics, their percentage of the population declined from 89% to 74%.

"In 20 years, the Catholic Church lost more [members] than it had in the history of Brazil" up to that point, Jacob said. Without a campaign to turn the tide, Catholics could drop to less than 60% of the population by the end of this decade, he estimated.

In other Latin American countries, heavy internal migration has created similar circumstances, notably in Guatemala. But there, experts say, Catholics appear to have succeeded in arresting, if not reversing, the growth of evangelicalism by fighting fire with fire. The Catholic Church now operates radio stations and libraries, just as evangelical sects do. It has also encouraged greater participation among lay members in the liturgy and in church activities.

And although he could not single-handedly stop evangelical growth, John Paul, on a 2002 trip to Guatemala, helped rally the faithful.

"You have to remember that the Catholic Church has historical weight. Historically, it has been the church," said Marco Antonio Barahona, head of the Assn. for Research and Social Studies in Guatemala City, a think tank. The pope's visit "was a key ingredient in the resurgence of spiritual hope among Catholic believers that coincided with the strategy of allowing more participation in liturgical activities."

Being involved in the life of the church appealed to Valente, the Rio information technology consultant, when he decided to try the First Baptist Church of Copacabana a month ago.

A baptized but not a practicing Catholic, Valente now attends Sunday morning and evening services at the Baptist church, as well as a Bible class before the 10:30 a.m. service. He goes to choir practice Mondays and shows up for Wednesday evening "praise" sessions.

Converts like Valente have helped First Baptist nearly double in size — to about 650 members — in the past six or seven years, said Dias, the church's first vice president. Congregants are encouraged to spread the word.

Hoping they'll notice how he's changed, Valente is eager to get the rest of his family to join him.

"I was very anxious, a very nervous person, and now I'm much calmer," he said.

"I've always felt God was inside me."

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Times staff writers Andres D'Alessandro in Buenos Aires, Reed Johnson in Mexico City and Chris Kraul and Alexander Renderos in San Salvador, and special correspondent Rachel Van Dongen in Bogota, contributed to this report.