Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Call to prayer with the people of the Congo on Sunday, February 19, 2012
There is violence against civilians in the Congo. National elections have been widely criticized as lacking credibility due to massive irregularities, maladministration and fraud. Congolese Christians will march in Kinshasa on Thursday, February 16, seeking peace and calling for a democratic government founded in transparency and justice. We are invited to join our sisters and brothers in spirit and to pray with them for peace, justice and a government committed to the well-being of the people.
The history of the Congo is marked by exploitation of natural resources and the people. In the nineteenth century, in the extraction of rubber, the hands of laborers were cut off of as punishment for failing to meet quotas. The 32-year rule of President Mobutu was violent and oppressive. In the past 15 years of war and civil unrest marauding militias have exploited rare mineral resources, abused and displaced millions of people, leading to over 5,400,000 deaths.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) The Congolese have experienced enough stealing, killing and destruction. Following Christ, they long to have life, and to have it to the full.
Let us join together in prayer on Sunday, February 19, 2012, that all Congolese may have life in abundance, and that God may help us to understand that the drive for overabundance in our society may feed the thieves that kill, steal and destroy that operate in other societies. Please join our ancestors in faith, who faithfully shed light to the world about the injustices of the past.
World Mission Africa office calls for advocacy in Congo
Materials for Congo Advocacy pack
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) celebrates more than a century of ministry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. Our engagement in the Congo involves ministry through mission personnel and our partner church relationships. The PC(USA) joins its partners in Congo in a holistic approach to ministry that includes education and leadership development, health ministries, community development, evangelism and new church development.
An exciting history of Presbyterian witness for basic human rights began with William Sheppard, Presbyterian missionary to Congo, in the 1890s. The church continues to grow and provide a vibrant ministry. Plagued by years of unrest and poor leadership, the Congolese people are patiently working toward building a strong Congo.
Presbytery partnerships
Presbytery of Eastern Virginia
Whitewater Valley Presbytery
New Castle Presbytery
Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley
Congo Mission Network
- For more information contact Jeff Boyd, Debbie Braaksma or Stacy Gregory
The Congo Mission Network is among more than 40 networks that connect Presbyterians who share a common mission interest. Most participants are involved in mission partnerships through congregations, presbyteries or synods. Network members come together to coordinate efforts, share best practices and develop strategies.
Teachers in the Congo’s 834 Presbyterian Schools Need Your Support! Due to the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the economy and the Congo government’s lack of support for education, the Congo’s Presbyterian Schools are in critical need of durable buildings; books; teacher training programs; scholarships; and vehicles. A group of U..S. and Congolese Presbyterians and others have joined forces to raise funds and advocate for effective schools by forming the Congo Education Excellence Project (CEEP). Read more
Partner churches and organizations
The PC(USA) has three partner churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read more
Presbyterian Community of Congo (CPC)
The Presbyterian Community of Congo (CPC) is the most historical and largest Presbyterian Church in the Congo with more than 1,250,000 members as of 1995. Rooted in the ministries of the American Presbyterian Congo Mission (APCM), it is concentrated in the provinces of West- and East-Kasai and also has parishes in Shaba. The church is organized in eight synods, with 53 presbyteries, entailing 692 parishes and 269 preaching points with 878 pastors and 61 evangelists. The CPC is firmly committed to the ecumenical movement and maintains a good relationships with the World Council of Churches, of which it has been a member since 1972.
Eglise du Christ au Congo (ECC)
Both the CPC and the CPK are members of the Protestant umbrella organization, the Church of Christ in the Congo (ECC), which is composed of the various Protestant churches called “Communities.” Its purpose is to manifest the unity of the body of Christ. Sixty-two communities belong to the ECC, representing about 8 million Christians in the Congo. Roughly speaking, the member communities represent the two broad streams of ecumenically and evangelically oriented churches.
Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK)
Since 1960 the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK) has been an autonomous partner church of the PC(USA) in the metropolitan area of Kinshasa and the western provinces of Lower-Congo and Bandundu. In 1983 the CPK was divided into three presbyteries, which constituted the first synod. In 1995, the CPK had an estimated 40,000 communicant members, 10,000 active youth and 86 ordained pastors. Two pastors have finished doctorate studies, one of them a woman. The CPK meets regularly in its own General Assembly and in church-to-church consultations with the PC(USA). It receives mission personnel and maintains a Committee for Cooperation to plan, coordinate and evaluate the specific joint programs. This committee consists of three representatives of each church with the CPK president serving as moderator.
UPRECO, the Sheppards and Lapsley University of the Congo
UPRECO is the new name for what used to be FTRK (Reformed Theological Faculty of Kasai) — see the Congo Partner Backgrounds page.
Founded in 1987, UPRECO is a leading university in the central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). UPRECO grants undergraduate degrees in Theology and Law. The mission of UPRECO is to educate leaders for the Congolese church and nation as pastors, educators and lawyers in a Christian environment.
Learn more about the Democratic Republic of Congo
Visit the BBC country profile.