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Optimism Permeates Outlook for Congo Church
CONGO (August 1, 2000) - A sense of renewed hope and vision is permeating the thinking and direction of the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM) these days, standing in stark contrast to the bleak outlook just three years ago as Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) missionaries evacuated the country and military conflicts escalated.
Heightened expectations are largely the result of eight months of discussion and vision-casting involving Jim Gustafson, executive director of the ECC's Department of World Mission; CEUM President Gbuda Luyada (see accompanying photo); and a number of other CEUM and ECC leaders. With traditional mission leadership models disappearing in the wake of military unrest that forced missionaries to leave the country, it was clear that the Congo church must assume increasing responsibility for its own leadership, direction and support.
A key test came in May this year, when both Luyada and Vice President Kafi Nubea were re-elected to their respective positions during the CEUM biennial meeting in the Congolese town of Yakoma. Delegates discussed the impact the war has had on the church and participated in seminars focusing on the history and future ministry of the church, including changes in the basic leadership structure of the church. Delegates agreed to consider major changes in the constitution and develop three and five-year ministry plans.
To better understand developments in Congo, we spoke with Pete Ekstrand, World Mission regional coordinator for Africa, who has worked with the Congo church since 1982. He now lives and works in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, which allows wider access to a variety of African ministries. Ekstrand said he is pleased with how the CEUM church has responded to the crisis that has gripped Congo in recent years.
"Church leaders are saying that they wanted to be a light of hope to a people who have no hope in the Ubangi Mongala region of Congo - they want to reach out in mission to people within Congo and outside of Congo," Ekstrand said. "And I'm thinking as I'm hearing this, 'This is ludicrous given the context that they're in right now. The place is falling apart.' And yet they have the vision to be a light of hope and to reach out in mission," he continued. "That's God's work. That's the gospel, God burdening them in the midst of depravity, in the midst of all kinds of ugly stuff, to reach out and care for people. I couldn't be more thrilled with the leadership. And the church has embraced that."
When political strife forced ECC-sponsored missionaries to leave Africa for the second time in six years, there was a lot of uncertainty. "When we left Zaire (now Congo) in January of 1997, we all had tears in our eyes because we didn't know what the future was going to be," Ekstrand said. "We didn't know if we were going back at all and it was really a place we loved, people we loved, significant relationships, ministry that we had been called to. We were anticipating that within the next three or four months, the whole place would be devastated and looted."
In May 1997, the former president of the Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, was overthrown and Laurent Kabila took power. Amazingly, the only ECC mission sites looted were the mission house and the school center in the city of Gemena. Following a brief period of peace, however, a second rebellion against the new government developed and political unrest again became the norm. A year later war reigned throughout the nation and this time many mission sites were not spared. On Christmas Day 1998, the most serious damage to ECC mission sites began and war in that area continued for six months, completely disrupting normal activities and sending Congolese fleeing into the forest.
The unrest forced the ECC to reconsider deployment of its missionaries. "It seemed to be God's leading that our own family would not immediately go back to Congo," said Keith Gustafson, World Mission country coordinator for Congo. "Missionaries were not going to be sent back during this period of high instability and war," he continued. "Other missionaries felt led to go to other countries. We wondered if there was a way we could remain close to Congo to show the CEUM that the Covenant remained concerned and wanted to help the church."
Jim Gustafson met with Congo church leaders last September, convinced that the CEUM church must be more proactive in determining its own future. There was good reason for optimism, given the response of CEUM following the first evacuation in 1991 when more than 80 Covenant missionaries and children left following political unrest and looting in the capital, Kinshasa.
President Luyada was elected president of CEUM in 1992 and along with Vice President Nubea provided strong leadership skills. Upon their return, missionaries intensified the training of CEUM leaders to take over all responsibilities. A strategic meeting between missionary and church leadership in 1995 followed an extensive planning process.
"Already the church was running itself and making major decisions," Keith Gustafson said. "What our leaving did was remove us from all of the places where we were holding onto responsibilities, places where we still had major decisions like in medical work. We had Congolese people working in high positions - Congolese doctors, people working in development, engineers. But, we were still very much involved in making major decisions. This was another step for the (CEUM) church to say, 'Whatever we want to have working is up to us.'"
A series of four meetings involving CEUM and ECC leadership laid the groundwork for CEUM's development of a vision. The accompanying photo shows (from left) Keith Gustafson; Pastor Fohle, manager of the CEUM office; Jim Gustafson, President Luyada; Ken Satterberg; Vice President Nubea; and Peter Ekstrand. Although the church had been devastated by war, leaders came away from the meetings encouraged that God was at work in the planning process. In an effort to communicate the new vision, Luyada visited all 28 regions of the CEUM church during a five-week span beginning in November 1999.
All is not perfect for the CEUM church – leadership faces continued struggles. "Since the rebel forces took the northwest region of the Congo, there has been no fighting in our church area," Keith Gustafson said. "But, there's still the threat of war, so you don't have anyone coming in to work on (government) infrastructure. Foreign governments don't want to give aid because they don't want to take sides," he continued. "Commerce is very limited, so it is hard for people to sell the produce they grow and families have little money. Schools aren't running very well and hospitals are operating with many difficulties."
Keith Gustafson said President Luyada predicted that various powers could be vying for control over the next 10-year period in Congo, or someone could simply take power and go in a good direction yet this year. We just don't know - that's the question mark - and that's why we're praying for peace," Keith Gustafson noted.
CEUM church leadership will continue to meet with ECC leadership to map the future. They met most recently in Bangui in July, focusing on leadership training and sustainability issues. "I'm really happy with the decisions the church has made," Jim Gustafson said. "It's scary. I don't know the future for the church and the church doesn't know either. But, the direction we're going is good. The church is setting the direction for its own future. And we're helping them in their mission."
And what of the missionaries who left the Congo? Ekstrand says it is evident that God has been faithful to them, admitting there has been a lot of heart-wrenching reflection and prayer by missionary staff as they considered their futures. Nevertheless, most have become energized by new mission challenges in countries outside of Congo, Ekstrand observed.
"I've been overwhelmed with how God has, through so many different people, given new visions and desire for ministry and sharing the gospel in other places," Ekstrand said. "To people whose hearts were completely in Congo, and whose hearts will always be in Congo, God has opened them up to love other people and share the gospel with them."
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