About Congo
A growing national church in the midst of severe poverty
The beginning
The year was 1923. Titus Johnson had been commissioned to identify a mission field in Africa where the EFCA could begin a ministry. Riding a bicycle across hundreds of miles of unmapped trails, facing hostile tribal people, crossing rivers in dugout canoes, once even running into an elephant, he prayerfully sought God’s will. After many weeks, he circled back to the northwestern corner of the Belgian Congo known as the Ubangi. Through many God-sightings, this was confirmed as the place for the EFCA to begin ministry.
As early missionaries came to join him in this area, thousands came to know the Lord and churches were planted among these unreached people groups. Soon schools were started to teach basic literacy to read God’s Word. Missionary nurses started small clinics and trained Africans to help them care for the sick. Small Bible schools were opened to train shepherds for the small but growing flocks.
Soon the work expanded, and African pastors and church planters moved the work forward, planting churches in village after village. A hospital was built in Tandala and schools moved beyond the primary level to secondary schools, as well as technical and nursing schools. The churches came together and formed an association, now known as the EFC of Congo (CECU).
In 1960 Congo got its independence from Belgium. There were very difficult years when the missionaries had to evacuate several times. But God blessed and protected his young church. By the 1990’s the church had over 450 local bodies across the Ubangi. But civil war was on the horizon. There was a disengagement of missionaries and the last ones left in late 1996, just before chaos broke loose. Over the next years there was little contact with the CECU.
The present
In 2004 we were able to re-establish contact. Through the difficult times, God had protected and grown his church and the CECU had over 700 churches. Today it is up to 971. Almost every village in the Ubangi has a church.
The CECU has asked the EFCA to help in two big areas: leadership development and ministries of compassion. In the last several years we have been working with them developing training and helping with compassionate care. Many EFCA churches are involved and yours can be too.
Learn more about:
- The Congo Consortium of churches that are partnering together
- Empowering the church to help Congo
- The Tandala Hospital
- The Elikya Training Center for widows, orphans, unwed mothers and the handicapped
- GlobalFingerprints, the child sponsorship program
Questions? Contact reachglobal@efca.org.
More Information
- Return to the About Africa page.
- Find specific opportunities with ReachGlobal.
- Learn about serving with ReachGlobal.
