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Kinshasa, Congo
Missologist from Congo reports his country is experiencing re-birth


Nzash Lumeya of Democratic Republic of Congo, who is an associate professor of missions at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif., recently visited his homeland for five weeks. He discovered some remarkable changes taking place in Kinshasa and elsewhere in the Congo.

Lumeya, who went to teach at the Centre Universitaire de Missiologie in Kinshasa May 30–July 7, reported after his return to Fresno that this had been a very uplifting experience for him. He cited three reasons for his optimism and joy: the church members’ deep roots in God; the churches’ growth; and signs of hope.

During the five Sundays he spent in Congo, he was invited to preach in five different local churches. The Sunday morning attendance ranged from 200 to 1000. All of them, he said, agreed that God had saved Kinshasa from bloodshed after the assassination of Congolese President Joseph Kabila in January 2000.

“Many told me,” said Lumeya, “that without faith in Christ and prayer they could not have made it. They have deep roots in God. Only the Cross is helping them cross divisions created by unnecessary war that has killed about 3,500,000 Congolese.”

Concerning the churches’ interest in mission and in church growth, he reported that the Centre Universitaire de Missiologie is expanding. Lumeya, who served as dean of this school 1990–2000, noted that this is the only graduate missiology school in the French-speaking world (Africa, Europe and Quebec) where French-speaking people can study mission in depth. It began with three students in 1990 and it now has 73 students. In 1990, the student body came from two denominations, and there was almost no mission literature available that addressed African issues from an African perspective.

“In summer 2001, the Lord has attracted and equipped students from more than 10 denominations in five countries (Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan),” he reported. “And now occasional missiological periodicals and books are being written in French by local scholars.”

There are wonderful signs of hope says Lumeya. Graduates are tackling peace and social justice issues such as AIDS, and learning how to relate to brothers and sisters in the tropical forest (“Pygmies”), and to refugees, displaced people, unreached peoples groups and street kids.

“Out of a population of almost eight million people,” said Lumeya, “Kinshasa has between 20,000 and 30,000 street kids.” Some of the mission school’s graduates are reaching out to these children. Their vision is to reconcile those who still have parents with their families and to encourage Christian families to adopt some of them.

Lumeya participated in a historic Anabaptist meeting in Kinshasa June 11–16 which had been organized by Congolese church leaders with the help of the Mennonite Central Committee offices in Congo and Angola. This forum brought together representatives from the Evangelical Mennonite, Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren churches in Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo. There were guest speakers from Canada, France, South Africa and the United States.

It was agreed at this meeting that each of the participating Anabaptist churches will seek to set up a mission structure. They will commit themselves to praying for the lost, proclaiming the gospel and persuading neighbours for peace.

Lumeya reported that additional Anabaptist mission forums are being planned for various parts of Africa in the period leading up to the Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in 2003.

“I came back from Africa praying for the end of the economical (gold, diamond and timber) war,” said Lumeya. “May guns be transformed into computers and hoes.

“In discussions with Angolan and Ethiopians church leaders, I discovered that if Christians around the world would decide to stand against selfishness and apply kingdom values, much could be accomplished in the area of peace. Let’s be the light and share love around us,” he said.

 – Larry Kehler, MWC news editor

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Last modified October 29, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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