The Baháʼí Faith in Colombia begins with references to the country in Baháʼí literature as early as 1916, with Baháʼís visiting as early as 1927. The first Colombian joined the religion in 1929 and the first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in Bogotá in 1944 with the beginning of the arrival of coordinated pioneers from the United States and achieved an independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1961. By 1963 there were eleven local assemblies. In the 1980s institutions were developed in Colombia that have influenced activities inside and independent of the religion in other countries: FUNDAEC and the Ruhi Institute. The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying mostly on the World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 70,000 Baháʼís (0.2% of the population) in 2005, and about the same in 2010.
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, wrote a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States in 1916–1917; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan. The sixth of the tablets was the first to mention Latin American regions and was written on April 8, 1916, but was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of World War I and the Spanish flu. The sixth tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919.
"His Holiness Christ says: Travel ye to the East and to the West of the world and summon the people to the Kingdom of God. ... the republic of Mexico...to be familiar with the Spanish language...Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the seventh country Belize...Attach great importance to the indigenous population of America...Likewise the islands of ...Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, ... Bahama Islands, even the small Watling Island...Haiti and Santo Domingo...the islands of Bermuda... the republics of the continent of South America—Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, The Guianas, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela; also the islands to the north, east and west of South America, such as Falkland Islands, the Galapagòs, Juan Fernandez, Tobago and Trinidad...."
Following the release of these tablets and then ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's death in 1921, a few Baháʼís began moving to or at least visiting Latin America. In 1927 Leonora Armstrong was the first Baháʼí to visit and give lectures about the religion in Colombia as part of her plan to complement and complete Martha Root's unfulfilled intention of visiting all the Latin American countries for the purpose of presenting the religion to an audience. Aura Sanchez of Bogotá is credited as the first Colombian Baháʼí. She joined the religion in 1929 after hearing of the religion from an American who was in that country.
Early phase Shoghi Effendi, who was named ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's successor, wrote a cable on May 1, 1936, to the Baháʼí Annual Convention of the United States and Canada, and asked for the systematic implementation of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's vision to begin. In his cable he wrote: "Appeal to assembled delegates ponder historic appeal voiced by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in Tablets of the Divine Plan. Urge earnest deliberation with incoming National Assembly to insure its complete fulfillment. First century of Baháʼí Era drawing to a close. Humanity entering outer fringes most perilous stage its existence. Opportunities of present hour unimaginably precious. Would to God every State within American Republic and every Republic in American continent might ere termination of this glorious century embrace the light of the Faith of Baháʼu'lláh and establish structural basis of His World Order."
Following the May 1st cable, another cable from Shoghi Effendi came on May 19 calling for permanent pioneers to be established in all the countries of Latin America. The Baháʼí National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada was appointed the Inter-America Committee to take charge of the preparations. During the 1937 Baháʼí North American Convention, Shoghi Effendi cabled advising the convention to prolong their deliberations to permit the delegates and the National Assembly to consult on a plan that would enable Baháʼís to go to Latin America as well as to include the completion of the outer structure of the Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. In 1937 the First Seven Year Plan (1937–44), which was an international plan designed by Shoghi Effendi, gave the American Baháʼís the goal of establishing the Baháʼí Faith in every country in Latin America. With the spread of American Baháʼís in Latin American, Baháʼí communities and Local Spiritual Assemblies began to form in 1938 across Latin America.
The permanent Colombian Baháʼí community dates from the arrival of Gerard Sluter in 1940. The next pioneer to arrive was Ruth Shoock who arrived in November–December 1942. followed closely by Winifred Louise Baker in later January 1943. Carlos Nieto is credited with being the first to declare his faith in Baháʼu'lláh - he was from Barranquilla.
Dorothy Beecher Baker, later a Hand of the Cause, had a daughter, Winifred Louise Baker, who pioneered to Colombia in January 1943. Later in 1943 Dorothy spent a month in Colombia visiting the Baháʼís and her daughter. By January 1944 there were six Colombians that accepted and enrolled as Baháʼís. and they helped elect the first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly which was in Bogotá that January. In 1943 during the annual Baháʼí convention of the United States, Shoghi Effendi announced a Northern-and Southern- international convention which would include representatives from each state and province from the United States and Canada and each republic of Latin America. This 1944 centenary of the religion's All-America Convention's Colombian delegate was Josephina Rodriquez. By September there were 25 Baháʼís in Bogotá with about an equal number studying the religion actively. By June 1945 a campaign of letter exchanges had raised an assembly in Mogotes and there were enrolled Baháʼís among people at a leper colony at Contratacion and individuals in Cartagena and Medellín and interested responses from several other cities. Around October 1946 Gayle Woolson took an extended trip through several towns of Colombia including Cali, Medellín, Cartagena and Barranquilla as well as some towns in Ecuador.
Growth As 1947 opened assemblies were added in Cali, Medellín, Cartagena and Contratacion. Gayle Woolson was again touring several cities of Colombia - Medellín, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and Mogotes. The members of the Medellín assembly were Francisco Onego R., Bernarda Yepes, Margarita Caicedo, Hernando Jaramillo A., William Gomez M., Dario Echavarria, John Carder, Augusto Mora, Jose Ramos. By July 1947 a regional committee for South America Central American was organizing developments across the continent. Retrospectively a stated purpose for the committee was to facilitate a shift in the balance of roles from North American guidance and Latin cooperation to Latin guidance and North American cooperation. The process was well underway by 1950 and was to be enforced about 1953. Meanwhile, a regional committee oversaw Colombian activities headed by Dr. Saul Hernández out of Bogotá and Woolson's travels were covered by newspaper and radio press.
The second South American Baháʼí Congress was celebrated in Santiago, Chile, in January, 1948. Though Colombia had had more new assemblies form, it was too remote for general logistics. Colombia focused its efforts on welcoming Baháʼís who attended the Pan-American Conference instead. In October 1949 Colombia hosted a conference for Colombian, Ecuadoran and Venezuelan Baháʼís on the progress of the religion in their areas; however, all the participants save two teachers came from the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cali and Medellín. Then came the prospect of decision making coming from the Latino communities and North Americans supporting their choices. Assemblies across South America failed to reform on their own but several were able to be "activated" during 1950–1. Pioneers listed for Colombia in 1950 were Gayle Woolson, Elise Schreiber, and Dorothy Campbell. In 1950, the South American Baháʼís formed a regional Spiritual Assembly for South America whose first members were Edmund Miessler of Brazil, Margot Worley of Brazil, Eve Nicklin of Peru, Gayle Woolson of Colombia, Esteban Canales of Paraguay, Mercedes Sanchez of Peru, Dr. Alexander Reid of Chile, Rangvald Taetz of Uruguay, and Manuel Vera of Peru. Of the 25 delegates for the 1951 election, 4 were from Colombia.
From 1951 youth groups were being organized for Baháʼís in Barranquilla and Cali. In November 1953 pioneers listed for Colombia were Meredith W. Smith and Elton M. Smith, In 1954 Gayle Woolson and in 1955 Katherine McLaughlin was touring Colombia and nearby countries. Mr. and Mrs. Donald Barrett arrived in Bogota, Colombia, in January, 1955. In 1956 Woolson went on pilgrimage and toured sharing her experience and the national center of Colombia was dedicated.
The next restructuring of the regional assembly came in 1957 when it was split into two - basically northern/eastern South America with the Republics of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, in Lima, Peru and one of the western/southern South America with the Republics of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The convention for northern/eastern Baháʼís was witnessed by Horace Holley as the representative of Shoghi Effendi. A small book on the Buddha was produced in 1957 by the national assembly.Buddha - Prophet of God by Donald Witzel, Translated by Carmelo Pérez Toledo. Published in The Light Shines in Any Lamp 1 Bogota-Colombia: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Peru Originally published as "Buddha: Prophet of God" in Spanish. The Colombian Baháʼí community held its first summer school during a national conference in Medellín in January 1958. In 1960 the first assemblies were elected at Manizales, Pereira, and Cartagena. The Baháʼís of Cali hosted the 4th convention of the regional assembly. In 1960 a three-day conference of the World Association of World Federalists was held in Germany and was attended by Colombian delegates and Baháʼís associated with the Baháʼí International Community. A Colombian delegate responded positively to the suggestion of a relationship between spirituality and the World Federalist Movement.
There were 19 delegates to the convention to elect the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Colombia in 1961. The election was witnessed by Hand of the Cause Shuʼáʼu'lláh ʻAláʼí who made a public address to at the Museum of Colonial Art before the convention. Its first members were:Latin American nations elect assemblies for 50th time, Historical Photographs; Elections of 1961 Charles Hornby, A.K. Kalantar, Luis Montenegro, Ervin L. Thomas, Leonor Porras, Jamshid Meghnot, Marjorie Weddell, Habib Rezvani, and Gloria de Fritzsche. Events and the election were covered by Revista Semana of the May 15, 1961 issue in a full-page article. In short order the national assembly began publishing its Noticias Baháʼís de Colombia as its official publication. The March–April 1961 issue of Cronicos-Israel y America Latina, published in Colombia, carried an article on the religion. It was also in 1961 that the religion was brought to the region of the Guajira department. In 1962 four new assemblies were elected -one of them all-Indian and the national assembly was legally incorporated as well.