A handbook of councils and churches profiles of ecumenical relationships

Population: 32,877,042

Africa

(Eglise protestante d’Algérie)

Church Family: Reformed

Membership: 10,000

Communities: 14

Pastors: 2

Lay pastors: 12

Member of: WCC (1974) – MECC – FMEEC – WARC – ARCA – WMC

The official name of the church as recognized by Algerian authorities is in Eng­lish: “Association of the Protestant Church of Algeria”. Protestantism was present in Algeria from the early years of French colonization. The first synod of Reformed churches was held in 1843, and Methodists began their work in North Central Algeria (Bougie) in 1883, under the inspiration of the French Methodist Church, and organized in annual conferences (according to linguistic affinities). Many other denominations or missions have also served in Algeria, including the Adventists, Anglicans, Baptists, Mennonites, Pentecostals, and others. The asso­ciation as it exists today, which takes the form of a federation of communities, was founded in 1972 by the coming together of the United Methodist and French Reformed communities in Algeria. At about the same time, the Mennonite, Sal­vation Army, and Church of God communities disappeared, and their members were incorporated into the Protestant Church of Algeria. Adventists and Angli­cans exist alongside (and outside of) the Protestant Church.

The number of individual members of the church is not precise, as accurate records are not kept up-to-date by the constituent communities. The real number is somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 in the entire country. The other Protes­tant faithful unattached to the Protestant Church of Algeria represent a group of about the same size. In addition to the member communities, the church is in rela­tion with about fifteen communities that have asked to be included, and with which the church is in accompaniment (organization, training, etc.).

Since its foundation, many Algerian Christians have joined the church and have brought a new personality to it. These new communities are extremely diverse, ranging from very traditional to very informal and charismatic. They are also very enterprising in their outreach, with varying degrees of “discipline” and method. The witness is not simply verbal, however, as there is considerable emphasis on the diaconal aspects of witness: there are no more clinics or hospi­tals, but many church members are involved in educational projects, in lay train­ing programmes, in continuing training of leadership, in the opening and opera­tion of day-care schools, kindergartens, publications, translation projects, specific church-school programmes of the different communities, choral groups and choirs, audiovisual activities and production, and church planting. A priority is the training of the current and future leadership for emerging communities.

ANGOLA

Population: 14,532,929

Surface area: 1,2 million sq.km

Capital: Luanda

GNI per capita: 740 US$

Classification: Least developed country

Languages: Portuguese, Mbundu, Kikongo

Religions : Christian 94%; traditional 5%; other 1%

Christianity: Catholics 9,856,484; Protestants 4,098,230; Anglicans 110,000;

Independent 743,740

Two Bantu kingdoms, the Kongo and the Mbundu, existed in the area now known as Angola, when the Portuguese arrived there at the end of the 15th cen­tury. The name Angola is derived from the name of the Mbundu king Ngola. The Portuguese colonial domination was marked by wars, the slave trade and oppres­sion of the African people. Angola achieved its independence from Portugal in 1975, after a long liberation war which caused immense suffering. A protracted civil war followed, between the MPLA supported by the former Soviet Union, and UNITA supported by the USA and South Africa, that led to hundreds of thou­sands of displaced people, millions of refugees, and an estimated 1.5 million deaths between 1975 and 2000. The country continues to face huge problems of rehabilitation and reconstruction, aggravated by the problem of landmines and the incidence of HIV/AIDS. Angola is a major oil producer but the revenues hardly benefit the population because of corruption and greed of the elite. The churches have been deeply involved in peace and reconciliation, cooperating across denominational barriers of Protestant, Evangelical and Catholic. Two large churches, the United Methodist and the Anglican Diocese, are indirect members of the WCC, respectively through the United Methodist Church and the Church of the Province of Southern Africa. The Evangelical Alliance of Angola groups the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches. Together with the Charismatics, they represent about 10 percent of the Christians in Angola (2000).

*Council of Christian Churches in Angola

(Conselho de Igrejas Cristãs em Angola, CICA)

Founded in 1992 (forerunner: Angolan Council of Evangelical Churches, founded
in 1977).
Objective: To promote cooperation between the churches and other national and
international agencies. Member churches:

Anglican Diocese in Angola

Apostolic Faith Church in Angola

Africa

Evangelical Brethren Church in Angola

Evangelical Mennonite Church in Angola

Full Gospel Church in Angola

Mennonite Community Church in Angola

Associate members: Alliance of YMCA Church of God in Angola Emmanuel Unido Seminar Salvation Army

(Igreja Evangélica Baptista em Angola, IEBA)

Church Family: Baptist
Membership: 90,000
Local churches: 300
Pastors: 77
Member of: WCC (2005) – CICA – BWA – AABF
In 1878 the Baptist Mission Society (UK) began working in Angola. During the years 1961-74, known as the time of exile, most Baptist Christians took refuge in Congo (today’s DRC). Two years after the independence of Angola, in 1977, the first general assembly took place and the Evangelical Baptist Church became autonomous. Its confession of faith reads: “We believe that the scriptures teach that there is a living and true God, infinite and intelligent spirit, supreme creator and judge of heaven and earth, glorious in holiness and worthy of all praise, trust and love, existing in three persons in unity and diversity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in all divine perfection, fulfilling distinct functions in accomplishing the great work of redemption.” The church practices the sacra­ments of baptism (believers’ baptism by immersion) and holy communion. It is organized according to the Baptist tradition. The supreme decision-making body is the general assembly, in which all the local churches are represented. The church is spread over eight of the 18 provinces of the country. More than 200,000 children and adults attend Sunday school classes (statistics 2001). Besides the pas­tors there are about 150 other full-time church workers. The IEBA has its own theological seminary in Luanda. The ministry is open to women. The church runs four clinics, a number of primary schools, four agricultural projects, a centre for street children and two vocational training centres.

Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola

(Igreja Evangelica Congregacional em Angola)

Church Family: Reformed
Membership: 950,000
Congregations: 2,800
Pastors: 122

Deacons: 260

Deaconesses: 380

Member of: WCC (1985) – AACC – CICA – WARC

Periodical: A Nossa Jornada (bimonthly, in Portuguese)

The church unites the work originally begun by the American Board of Foreign Missions (now UCC, USA) in 1880 and the mission of the Congregational Church of Canada (now the UCC, Canada) in 1886. In 1940 a theological school was opened, and the graduation of several pastors resulted in a significant growth and development in the life of the church. During the period from 1957 to the inde­pendence of Angola in 1975, the work of the two North American churches was united and the new church was called the Council of Evangelical Churches in Cen­tral Angola. Following independence and the formation of a national Council of Churches the name was changed to the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola.

Due to original missionary agreements the IECA had strong membership in cer­tain regions. In addition to 60 primary and three secondary schools, it had the most highly developed medical programme in the territory and an extensive rural public health service. During the civil war the infrastructure in the rural areas was completely destroyed and the church was divided into two: one part in the coun­tryside and the other in the cities. Now that there is peace the work developed in the cities since 1977 is being extended to the rural areas and reconstruction has begun. New converts join the church which is growing and spreading throughout the country, working in 15 provinces out of 18.

According to its constitution the functions of the IECA are to maintain divine worship and to spread the Christian faith, revealed and manifested in the service of love to all human beings. Therefore the church is carrying out a strategic plan with different programmes of literacy and education, health, agriculture, peace-reconciliation and human rights. For this work the church has moved from being a rural mission church to an urban-rural mission church. The reconstruction of the rural infrastructures in order to help people rebuild their lives is an urgent task. At the same time the church has to strengthen its urban mission.

The IECA is the second oldest evangelical church in Angola and totally autonomous. Pastors are now trained at an interdenominational seminary in Huambo. The IECA participates fully in ecumenical activities and programmes in Angola.

Evangelical Pentecostal Mission of Angola

(Missão Evangélica Pentecostal de Angola)

Church Family: Pentecostal

Membership: 75,000

Congregations: 300

Pastors: 84

Evangelists: 366

Elders & Deacons: 542

Member of: WCC (1985) – CICA

The origins of the church go back to evangelistic work begun in 1950 by mis­sionaries from the USA. They were later joined by missionaries from the Por­tuguese Assemblies of God. In 1974, when Angola became independent, the church took the name of Evangelical Pentecostal Mission of Angola. It is fully rec­ognized by the government. The church is involved in evangelism and Christian

Africa

education, social work, issues of justice, peace, reconciliation and human rights, health care and rural development. It has departments for ecumenical and public relations, for women and for youth. Other departments look after the adminis­tration of the church and the needs of the pastors in the rural and urban areas. The MEPA has spread all over Angola.

(Igreja Evangélica Reformada de Angola, IERA)

Church Family: Reformed

Membership: 200,000

Congregations: 452

Pastors: 219

Member of: WCC (1995) – AACC – CICA – WARC – ARCA

The Evangelical Reformed Church of Angola (IERA) was founded in 1925 in Uige Province (in the north) by missionaries from England and Switzerland. During the war of liberation (1961-75) the church suffered severe persecution at the hands of the Portuguese, its properties were destroyed and many members went into hiding or fled to neighbouring countries. After independence the parishes were gradually reconstituted and the church began to live and work again. In this same period the IERA and other churches founded the Council of Evangelical Churches in Angola and the IERA became a member of the United Emmanuel Seminary in Huambo, which will become the Protestant University of Angola. The church also created its own biblical institute. The pastoral ministry of the IERA is open to women. There are currently five women pastors. Women are also present in the executive committee of the church, some of them as elected members, some representing the women’s organization.

The IERA is in relationship with the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands and the mission department of the Reformed Churches in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

Unting Evangelical Church “Anglican Communion in Angola”

See under Church of the Province of Southern Africa

Population: 7,103,140

Surface area: 112,600 sq.km

Capital: Cotonou

GNI per capita: 440 US$

Classification: Least developed country

Languages: French

Religions: Traditional African 42%; Christian 38%; Muslim 20%

Christianity: Catholics 1,750,000; Protestants 621,200; Independent 333,930

The Benin of today was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African king­dom that rose in the 15th century on what was known as the Slave Coast, one of the primary supply centres of slaves to the European traders. In 1872 Dahomey became part of French West Africa and the Republic of Benin achieved indepen­dence in 1960. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the establishment of a government based on Marxist principles. Multi-party democ­racy was introduced in 1991. The economy of Benin is still largely based on sub­sistence agriculture. As in most former French colonies, the Catholic Church is the majority church. The Protestant Methodist Church is a member of the WCC. The largest Protestant denomination is the Assemblies of God, and there are sev­eral other sizeable Pentecostal and Evangelical churches. A Council of Protestant Evangelical Churches has been in existence, but was no longer functioning in 2005. The Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions, another grouping, is affiliated with the WEA.

(Eglise protestante méthodiste du Benin, EPMB)

Church Family: Methodist

Membership: 90,000

Congregations: 420

Pastors: 72

Member of: WCC (1972) – AACC – FECCIWA – WMC – Cevaa

The church was founded in 1843 by Thomas Birch Freeman of the Methodist Missionary Society of London. Freeman, the son of a freed slave, also undertook pioneering missionary work in Ghana and western Nigeria. The church main­tains its historical links with the Methodist Church of Great Britain. Administra­tively the Methodist Church of Benin is organized in 15 regional synods. It covers the whole of the territory of Benin from the southern coastline to the Niger border in the north. The church is recognized as playing an active role in the life of the nation: it is involved in agricultural projects, in hospital and prison chaplaincy, in service to refugees; through its strong Union of Methodist Women it is directly concerned with the training of young girls and young women in rural areas, enabling them to have a basic education and to learn income-generating skills.

The Benin Methodist Church plays a leading role in the National Committee to Combat AIDS, but also, at local church level and through the women’s union, it works to promote AIDS awareness and prevention.

Ministerial training is a pivotal part of the total mission of the Methodist Church through the Protestant University of West Africa (Université Protestante de l’Afrique de l’Ouest – UPAO). Formerly the Institute of Protestant Theology, this centre which traditionally trains candidates for the pastoral ministry not only from Benin but also from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Togo, Cameroon, Senegal and Gabon, acquired university status in 2004. The training of evangelists is undertaken at the Bible school jointly with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo. The Methodist Church is involved in the study of Islam and in dialogue with the Muslim community and other religions.

Africa

BOTSWANA

*Botswana Council of Churches

Founded in 1966.

Basis: The Botswana Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which con­fess the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour according to the Bible and therefore seek to fulfill together their common calling of service, to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Member churches:

Church of God In Christ

Lamb’s Followers Apostles Church

Revelation Blessed Peace Church

Utlwang Lefoko Apostolic Church

Associate members: Association of Medical Missions in Botswana Bible Society in Botswana Christian Women’s Fellowship Jesus Generation Movement Kgolagano College of Theological Education Mennonite Ministries in Botswana Young Women’s Christian Association

BURKINA FASO

Population: 13,797,527

Independent 108,800

Burkina Faso is situated in the Sahel, south of the Sahara desert. The Mossi empire governed this land until the close of the 19th century, when it became a French protectorate and later a colony, called Upper Volta by the French. The country gained its independence in 1960, and received its African name during the time of military coups in the 1980s. Over 90 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture, mostly subsistence farming and nomadic herding. One of the main threats to the economy is recurrent drought. Many innovative local groups are working with the rural population to improve living conditions. Cotton is the main export product. In recent years, Burkina Faso has taken a lead in defending the cause of cotton from the South in the WTO negotiation rounds. Islam was introduced to the area during the 18th century, and Christianity came with colonization. Today over half of all Christians are Catholics. The Protestant denominations belong to the Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions. The largest is the Assemblies of God (Pentecostal, 800,000 members). Together they form the Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions, affiliated with the WEA. In the 1970s and 1980s the WCC ran an extensive anti-drought programme in Burkina Faso and other Sahel countries, with an office based in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Association of Evangelical Reformed Churches of Burkina Faso*

(Association des Eglises évangéliques réformées du Burkina Faso, AEERB)

Church Family: Reformed

Membership: 38,887

Congregations: 12

Pastors: 10

Member of: WCC (2005) – AACC – WARC – ARCA

Periodical: La nouvelle de la mission (in French)

The Association is a grouping of local congregations located mainly in the northern part of Burkina Faso and in the capital Ouagadougou, which were the fruit of evangelism work of a pastor who separated from the Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) in 1977. He studied at the Theological Institute of Porto Novo (Benin) where he became acquainted with the Reformed-Presbyetrian tradition. The association was officially founded in 1986. The pastor and his co-workers evangelized in remote rural areas and most of the church members are first-gen-eration Christians. The congregations are established among the poorest sectors of the population in this Sahel region where people subsist on one harvest of millet or sorghum a year, in very harsh and precarious conditions. The associa­tion tries to assist the peasants with digging wells, installing water pumps, setting up cereal banks, building schools and clinics, a small orphanage, etc. The presi­dent of the association has been able to build relationships with several ecumeni­cal agencies, which are providing support for these projects.

The association recognizes the sovereign authority of the Word of God incar­nate in Jesus Christ and revealed by the Holy Spirit in the canonical books of the Old and New testament, confessed in the Apostles’ Creed, the Ecumenical Creeds and the Confessions of Faith of the Reformation.

The association counts currently nine churches and three centres of evange­lism which will also become local churches. Each congregation has a pastor and a parish council. In future the local churches will be grouped in consistories and regional synods. The general synod composed of delegates from the regions acts as the general assembly of the association.

Africa

Population: 7,318,712

Surface area: 27,830 sq.km

Capital: Bujumbura

GNI per capita: 90 US$

Classification: Least developed country

Languages: French, Kirundi, Swahili and other

Religions: Christian 90%; African traditional 8%; Muslim 2%

Christianity: Catholics 4,600,000; Protestants 1,125,780; Anglicans 600,000

The original inhabitants of the area of today’s Burundi are the Batwa, Baganwa, Bahutu and Batutsi. Burundi existed as an independent kingdom from the 16th century until 1903, when it was colonized by the Germans. After World War I it became a protectorate under Belgium. The colonial powers fomented and exploited rivalries between the population groups. Burundi recovered its inde­pendence from Belgium in 1962 as a kingdom under Tutsi rule. Violent ethnic conflicts erupted in 1964 and 1972, when many Bahutus were massacred, and again in 1988. The first democratically elected president was assassinated six months after he took office in 1993. A civil war followed, in which over 300,000 people were killed, mostly Batutsis, and many more were forced to flee to neigh­bouring countries. During this period Burundi was also involved in, and affected by the conflicts in Rwanda and the DRC. With the help of the African Union, and in particular former President Nelson Mandela, an agreement was negotiated which brought peace back to Burundi in 2005. Burundi is a small, densely popu­lated agricultural country. Up to 90 percent of the population depends on subsis­tence farming. Coffee and tea are the main export products. The Catholic Church is the majority church. The two largest non-Catholic groups are the Anglicans and the Pentecostals. The United Methodists in Burundi belong to the United Methodist Church and are therefore an indirect member of the WCC. The Baptist Union has indicated its interest in WCC membership.