The Church of Christ in the Congo or CCC (in French, or ECC), is a union of 62

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

denominations, in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. Within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is often simply referred to as the Protestant Church, as it federates the vast majority of the Protestants in that country. It is a member of the

Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa The Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA, also ''Fraternité Des Eglises et Des Conseils Chrétiens Des Grands Lacs et De La Corne De L'Afrique'') is an ecumenical Christian organization in ...

History

The Union has its origins in a grouping of different Protestant and Evangelical churches by missionaries that took place in 1902. It was officially founded in 1924 as the Protestant Council of Congo (CPC).Emizet Francois Kisangani, ''Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo'', Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 209 In 1934, it took the name of Church of Christ in Congo.

Functions

The CCC functions as a religious institution, and provides a central administration and a spiritual forum for the numerous Protestant denominations. It functions under a national synod and an executive committee. Both of these entities are assisted in their tasks by a national

secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

. The CCC is said to be part of the

One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church The Four Marks of the Church, also known as the Attributes of the Church, describes four distinctive adjectives of traditional Christian ecclesiology as expressed in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed completed at the First Council of Constantinop ...

, but it also insists on maintaining

unity in diversity Unity in diversity is used as an expression of harmony and unity between dissimilar individuals or groups. It is a concept of "unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation" that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance ...

, as they see it as being the only system common to the Holy Bible, the primitive church, and African traditions.

Leadership

The Church of Christ in Congo is led by a President that holds the rank of Bishop, and two Vice-Presidents. As of 2005, the First Vice-President is

Reverend Mpereboye Mpere The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

, and the Second Vice-President is

Reverend Ilunga Mutaka The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

. The President of the CCC is Monsignor Pierre Marini Bodho. As such, Mgr. Bodho is the presiding minister of the Cathedral of the Protestant Centennial in Congo (french: Cathédrale du Centenaire Protestant au Congo), also known as the International Protestant Church of Kinshasa (french: Paroisse Internationale Protestante de Kinshasa) - the ''de facto'' head church of the CCC. Following the end of the Second Congo War, transitional institutions were established, consisting of the former warring parties, as well as representatives of the non-belligerent opposition, and representatives of the

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Senate, the upper house of the Congolese Parliament. In the 2006 elections, Mgr. Marini Bodho won a senate seat and is since serving as a senator.

Member communities

*Communauté des Assemblées des Frères au Katanga (CAFKAT) *Communauté Baptiste au Kivu (CBK) *Communauté des Eglises des Frères Mennonites au Congo (4ème CEFMC) * Communuatés des Eglises Libres de Pentecôte en Afrique (CELPA) *Communauté des Eglises Baptistes Unies (CEBU) *Communauté des Eglises de Grâce au Congo (GEGC) *Communauté des Eglises de Pentecôte en Afrique Centrale (C.E.P.A.C) *Communauté Evangélique Mennonite (CEM) * Communauté des Disciples du Christ au Congo (CDCC) * Communauté Anglicane au Congo (CAC) *Communauté des Assemblées de Dieu au Congo (CADC) *

Communauté Baptiste du Fleuve Congo The Baptist Community of the Congo River (french: Communauté Baptiste du Fleuve Congo) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is affiliated with the Church of Christ in the Congo and the Baptist World Allianc ...

(CBFC) *Communauté Baptiste du Bas-Uélé (CBCN) * Communauté Baptiste du Congo (CBCO) *Communauté Evangélique du Christ au Cœur de l'Afrique (CECCA) *Communauté Evangélique du Christ eu Ubangi (CECU) *Communauté Evangélique de l'Alliance au Congo (CEAC) *Communauté Evangélique Berreenne au Congo (CEBC) *Communauté Evangélique au Centre de l'Afrique (CECA) *Communauté Nations du Christ en Afrique (CNCA) *Communauté Association des Eglises Evangéliques de la Lulonga (CADELU) * Communauté Evangélique au Congo (CEC) *Communauté Libre de Maniema-Kivu (CLMK) *Communauté Evangélique du Kwango (CEK) *Communauté Libre Méthodiste au Congo (CLMC) *Communauté Mennonite au Congo (CMCO) *Communauté Méthodiste Unie au Congo Central (CMCC) *Communauté Méthodiste au Sud-Congo (CMSC) *Communauté Pentecôtiste au Congo (CPCO) * Communauté Presbytérienne au Congo (CPC) * Communauté Presbytérienne de Kinshasa (CPK) *Communauté Région Sankuru (CRS) *Communauté Assemblée de Dieu à l'Est du Congo (CADAF) *Communauté Union des Eglises Baptistes au Congo (CUEBC) *Communauté Centrale du Christ en Afrique (CCCA) *Communauté des Assemblées de Dieu au Congo (CADC) *Communauté des Frères en Christ Garenganze (CFCG) *Communauté Assemblée des Frères Evangéliques au Congo (CAFECO) *Communauté des Eglises Chrétiennes en Afrique (CECA) *Communauté des Eglises Baptistes Indépendantes Evangéliques (CEBIE) *Communauté Evangélique Congolaise (CECO) *Communauté des Fidèles Protestants (CFP) *Communauté Evangélique de Pentecôte au Katanga (CEPK) *Communauté Protestante au Katanga (CPK) *Communauté des Assemblées des Frères en Christ au Congo (CAFCC) *Communauté Baptiste Autonome Entre Wamba-Bakali (CBAWB) * Communauté Episcopale Baptiste Africaine (CEBA) *Communauté Chrétienne Evangélique au Congo (CCEC) *Communauté Evangélique en Ubangi Mongala (CEUM) *Communauté Evangélique Luthérienne du Congo Ouest (CELCO) *Communauté Baptiste du Sud-Kwango (CBSK) *Communauté Méthodiste Unie au Nord-Katanga (CMUNK) *Communauté des Eglises Baptistes du Congo-Est (CBCE) *Communauté Evangélique du Kasaï-Occidental (CEK-BOOKE) * Communauté Presbytérienne au Kasaï-Occidental (CPKO) * Communauté Presbytérienne au Kasaï-Oriental (CPKO) *Communauté Evangélique Africaine (CEA) * Communauté Réformée Presbytérienne (CRP) *Communauté de Jésus-Christ au Congo (CJCC) *Communauté de Douze Apôtres au Congo (CDAC) *Communauté du Saint-Esprit en Afrique (CSEA) *Communauté Chrétienne de Pentecôte au Congo *Communauté Réformée du Congo

References

External links

Eglise du Christ au Congo
{{Authority control Protestantism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...