Faith on the Move: The Urban Spread of the Assembly of God population in Rio de Janeiro (2000–2010)

This article analyzes the spatial distribution of the Assemblies of God (AG) population in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro between 2000 and 2010, aiming to identify territorial patterns through spatial statistical methods. Drawing on demographic census data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and a 2023 mapping of Assemblies of God church units, the study employs tools such as Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) and the Bivariate Moran’s I Index to explore correlations between the number of adherents and the institutional presence of churches. The findings reveal a shift in the Assemblies of God population from the North Zone to the West Zone of the city, accompanied by clusters of spatial concentration and religious expansion along infrastructural corridors. The territorial dynamics observed are characterized by capillarity, informality, and institutional fragmentation, characteristics that allow the Assembly of God to adapt to the uneven urban fabric of Rio de Janeiro. The article contributes to the Geography of Religion by demonstrating how Pentecostal territoriality intersects with processes of urban inequality, symbolic occupation, and grassroots presence in marginalized areas, emphasizing the relevance of spatial approaches in uncovering hidden religious geographies.