Haiti’s large and growing evangelical Protestant community — which by 2021 represented a majority of the country’s practicing Christians — responded to the year’s multiple crises through prayer, mutual aid, advocacy, and the deployment of church networks that remained some of the most effective community organizations operating in the country. From massive Port-au-Prince congregations to small rural churches, evangelical communities provided both spiritual sustenance and practical support to members facing extraordinary hardship.
Church networks organized food distribution, temporary shelter, and medical assistance in earthquake-affected areas, often reaching communities that international humanitarian organizations could not access due to logistical or security constraints. Pastors with established relationships in remote communities could sometimes move where outside organizations could not, making church networks indispensable components of the humanitarian response.
The kidnapping of Christian Aid Ministries missionaries in October drew particular attention to the evangelical community’s longstanding engagement in Haiti. Missionary organizations had operated in Haiti for generations, providing healthcare, education, and humanitarian assistance across the country. The kidnapping put a spotlight on both the genuine contributions of missionary work in Haiti and the complex questions it raised about the relationship between international religious organizations and Haitian communities.
Evangelical leaders also engaged with the political crisis, with some pastors and church leaders participating in national dialogue efforts and calling on political actors to prioritize the welfare of ordinary Haitians. The evangelical community’s political voice was diverse and contested, but its sheer size made it an actor that could not be ignored in any serious effort at national reconciliation.