Daniel Berg (evangelist)

Daniel Berg (1884-1963) was a Swedish Pentecostal missionary and co-founder of the Assemblies of God in Brazil. Born in Vårgårda, Sweden, he emigrated to the United States in 1902, where he worked as a carpenter and later converted to Pentecostalism under the ministry of A.A. Boddy.

In 1910, Berg, alongside fellow Swedish-American missionary Gunnar Vingren, received a prophetic call to preach the gospel in Pará, Brazil. Obeying this calling, they arrived in Belém, Pará, in November 1910. Initially working independently, they soon began to preach in a local Baptist church. Their Pentecostal message, emphasizing the baptism of the Holy Spirit and divine healing, caused division within the Baptist congregation.

In 1911, Berg and Vingren, along with a group of followers, separated from the Baptist church and formed the Assembleias de Deus (Assemblies of God), the first and largest Pentecostal denomination in Brazil. Berg served as a key leader in the nascent movement, traveling extensively throughout Brazil to plant churches and train leaders. He also contributed to the development of Pentecostal literature in Portuguese.

Although Vingren eventually returned to Sweden, Berg remained in Brazil until his death in 1963. He is remembered as a pivotal figure in the growth and spread of Pentecostalism in Brazil and throughout Latin America. His pioneering efforts and unwavering faith laid the foundation for one of the world's largest Pentecostal movements.