The Faria Family
Eduawrdo Faria
EDUARDO FARIA IS THE THE HEAD PASTOR FOR IGREJA PRESBITERIANA DE IPANEMA IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL. WE ARE HONORED TO PARTNER WITH HIM AND THE CHURCH COMMUNITY BEGINNING IN 2018.
How have you seen God working in your life?
I believe that God is working in my life by making clear that he is the one in charge of the church plant. I came to a point where being a child of God is enough for me, regardless of my performance. That frees me to do my best and leave the results to God. My confidence and strength are in him! In one hand, that demands the best of me, on the other hand, that makes me confident that he will accomplish whatever he wants in that sense. All of that freed me from the need of people's approval and, at the same time, I want to serve people not for their approval, but for the sake of the kingdom.
How have you seen God working in your family?
First of all, I think it’s important to say that my family feel as called as me to plant this church. My wife and daughter believe that God wants us to be involved in this ministry, and this changes everything. At the same time, we have a deep conviction that planting a church is not ultimate, the glory of God is ultimate, and he will be glorified by the planting of this church. He will also be glorified by a family deeply rooted in His will, so we, as a family, will do our best to plant the church, but we will not sacrifice our health at the altar of church planting. That frees us to work hard without being consumed by the results. We also, as a family, are free to find our meaning in God.
How have you seen God working in your church?
I felt called to plant a church a little while after being called into ministry. Since the very begining, I was sure I was going to serve God as a missionary-pastor, but the specific field of ministry wasn’t clear yet. When I was around 20 years old, a team from SEPAL (a missionary organization, stands for “Serving Pastors and Leaders") came to my town to teach on the importance of planting new churches as the most effective evangelistic method. On that occasion, it became clear to me that I was going to be a church planter. From that moment on, I started shaping my ministerial formation towards that direction, reading books about it and participating in conferences on the subject.
After being ordained, I pastored two established churches, which, combined with the time I worked at a church that had just recently been planted (Chácara Primavera), formed a period during which God provided me with the tools for the task of planting a church.
In February of 2017, Reverend Haveraldo Vargas Jr., president of the Presbytery of Rio de Janeiro and pastor of the Américas Presbyterian Church, challenged me to plant a church in Ipanema region. At that moment, I noticed the good and providential hand of God guiding me towards ministry purposes that He Himself had designed. After talking to Rev. Haveraldo, I sought confirmation through much prayer, talking to my wife, and listening to advices from wiser and more experienced pastors. In addition to that, I underwent the process of Church Planter Assessment (undertaken by CTPI), whose report concluded that I’ve got medium-high potential to be a church planter (second highest score, only below “high potential”). All of those confirmations made me sure and willing to plant a church in Ipanema.
Church Mission
Share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people, love them and be their agent of reconciliation with God, being biblically faithful and culturally relevant.
Church Vision
To be a missional church, acknowledged by the faithful preaching of the gospel, promoting righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and the planting of new churches.
If you would like to reach out to Eduardo, you can visit the church's website at www.igrejadeipanema.com.br