The Baptist Community of the Congo River has its origins in a Baptist mission established along the Congo River, in 1880, by Thomas J. Comber and George Grenfell of the Baptist Missionary Society.[1][2][3]
In 1960, the Lower River Baptist Church, the Upper Congo Baptist Church and the Middle River Baptist Church joined forces to form the Zaire River Baptist Community. [4] In 2006, the denomination had 221 churches and 274,092 members. [5] According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 2,673 churches and 1,764,155 members. [6]
^ J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 664
^ Claude PRUDHOMME, Histoire, Monde et Cultures religieuses. N-25. Les religions dans les sociétés coloniales (1850-1950), KARTHALA Editions, France, 2013, p. 110
^ Bengt Sundkler, Christopher Steed, A History of the Church in Africa, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2000, p. 306
^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 154
^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 154
^ Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
