Although Frederick Mebius (1879–1944) is usually considered to be the founding missionary of the Pentecostal movement in El Salvador, his role cannot be fully understood apart from the history of Protestant evangelicalism in the area. Moreover, what is known about him is largely dependent on oral histories passed down in interviews with missionaries.   

Among the earliest Protestants to enter El Salvador from the north were the missionaries from the fundamentalist and non-denominational Central American Mission (CAM), founded by C.I. Scofield in 18…