Evangelism Explosion DR Congo

Missionary Jim Smith arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo, DRC), then known as Zaire, in 1978. One of his first steps was to establish a training school for pastors, evangelists, and Bible teachers. Because of his own experience with Evangelism Explosion (EE) in the States, Jim made Evangelism Explosion the evangelism course for his school. In three months alone, his 45 EE-trained students had led 1,420 men and women to Christ!

Dr. Dale Garside and Pastor Dede Kikavuanga also had a large part in launching Evangelism Explosion in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their first of 20 clinics was held in Kinshasa, the capital. The response among pastors and churches was very enthusiastic. A healthy, steady growth has marked the advance ever since. In fact, DR Congo may have more Evangelism Explosion trainers than any other country in French-speaking Africa.

Despite civil war, political upheaval and natural disasters, at least 200 churches are implementing Evangelism Explosion. These churches have given on-the-job training to at least 2,500 people who, in turn, have led 25,000 people to Christ. DRC has its own five-member Advisory Board and its own director. All the basic EE (Evangelism Explosion) training materials have been translated and published.

The DRC has also reached out to Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Dale Garside and Dede Kikavuanga made another important contribution to EE’s growth and development. In 1990 they helped plant a church in an upper middle-class area of Kinshasa. That sector of the capital had no evangelical, or even Protestant, witness. Partly through Evangleism Explosion, the church grew from 60 in 1991 to over 2,000 in the year 2000. The Church on the Rock, as it is called, has over 40 EE (Evangelism Explosion) trainers going out on visits each week. It is a model church for many others in Kinshasa.

In 1994, Bishop Bahati returned to St. Peter’s Church in Bukavu, after his training in Evangelism Explosion at the International School of Evangelism in Kinshasa. Before his Evangelism Explosion training, he was quietly and faithfully serving his congregation. Now he was much more dynamic, zealously training the laity of his church, faithfully visiting and evangelizing. He planned for his church to host the first Evangelism Explosion clinic in Eastern DRC. People wanted to know what had transformed him. It turned out to be not a “what” but a “Who.” Through his Evangelism Explosion training God had transformed his life. Due to the vast land area, the DRC is divided into two; East and West (Kinshasa) for easier Evangelism Explosion administration.