A seed planted in Varginha.

ImagoDei was born organically during the Covid-19 pandemic, out of a family gathering led by the Venga family and devoted to prayer and the study of the Word. In 2021, with the arrival of brothers and sisters from Arujá (São Paulo), the first core of the community was formed, and the desire to establish a local church in Varginha emerged.

In July 2021, through a providential open door, the community began meeting in an old movie theater, which became ImagoDei's first public place of worship. That place marked an important transition: what had begun as a family gathering took the shape of a Christian community meeting regularly for worship, fellowship and the proclamation of the gospel. The church stayed there for about a year and a half, facing the first challenges of a community in formation.

In October 2022, the church moved into a former nightclub where, even in a simpler space, the community found room to grow, train new leaders and deepen its bonds. It was also during this period that the leadership began to take clearer shape, culminating in the ordination of Ramon Sales to the pastorate and of nine deacons, strengthening the church's care and service.

In 2024, ImagoDei went through an important transition. We already had a solid group of members, and the church was taking steps to organize itself more effectively, when Webb Venga — the church-planting pastor, responsible for the community's early leadership — moved to the United States, and Ramon Sales took on the pastoral leadership as senior pastor, carrying on the work begun in the early years. During that same period, the church had to leave its meeting place after the owner decided to put the property up for sale. Once again, a new space was provided, offering better conditions for the mission to continue.

The pastoral transition also brought significant losses in membership and a season of reorganizing the life of the church. In this new scenario, Webb Venga's tie to the local leadership came to an end, and his departure was formalized honorably and peacefully in a congregational assembly in June 2025. From that point on, ImagoDei entered a process of revitalization and replanting, seeking to strengthen its structure, mature its ecclesiology and reorganize processes that had developed more organically in the early years.

This new season reaffirmed what lies at the heart of ImagoDei's identity: imitating Christ by serving and caring for people for the glory of God. This mission is expressed in four values that guide the life of the church: the Centrality of the Gospel, which shapes its faith and practice; Fellowship, which strengthens bonds and mutual care; Service with Zeal and Devotion, which turns faith into a concrete readiness to serve; and Creative Missionality, which drives the church to proclaim and embody the gospel in a relevant way in the city.