In 1909 missionaries from the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden came to Madzia in the then French Equatorial Africa (Moyen Congo) across the border from Belgian Congo (later called Za?re, then Democratic Republic Congo) to start mission work. The Swedes were later joined by missionaries from the Covenant Churches of Norway and Finland. In 1961 an independent church was formed, The Evangelical Church of the Congo. It regards the Holy Scripture as the sole source of faith, and it has no creeds. Only adult baptism is practiced. Communion is celebrated by the pastor, and members distribute the elements. Pastors have been trained at the church’s seminary at Ngouedi and Mansimou. The church has a fairly large social and community work program, especially in the health and medical sector, three schools for girls, and an “Institute for Training and Information,” a joint undertaking with the Covenant Church of Sweden at Pointe Noire. In 1947 a revival occurred at the Ngouedi pastors seminary and spread throughout the whole of Congo in the following years. It is considered to be one of the great African revivals. The number of members rose to 120,000 in the ’70s from a population of 1.5 million people. The Synod is the highest decision-making body, and all the property — church buildings, schools, etc. — is owned by this central church body. The executive board is elected by the Synod. The church is divided into districts with superintendents. The church has cooperated with the RCath Church, the Kimbangist Church, and the Salvation Army in the “Conseil Oecuménique des Eglises chrétiennes du Congo” since 1970. A monthly paper,Le Chemin,is published by one of the local congr in Brazzaville.
The EEC is working in a country which has had great upheavals and economic problems during the last five years. The church is itself facing an economic and leadership crisis aggravated by ethnic tensions within the church. The EEC is actively trying to influence the democratic process in the Congo Republic through the Institute at Pointe Noire and through its seminaries and local congr. During the civil war in 1997 church property was heavily damaged by violence and looting.
The EEC cooperates in mission and development with evangelical churches in Sweden, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, India, Japan, Nicaragua, Norway, and Congo-Kinshasa.In the mid-80s a pastor was sent to serve for some years as a missionary to Ecuador.
|
