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Missionaries Profile

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mission challenges: recovery from civil war and continuing conflicts with rebel groups, leadership training, evangelization of less reached groups, holistic ministries

Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Languages: French and English (both official), Lingala, Kituba, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.

Name of nationality: Congolese

Land area: 875,525 sq. mi.,(2,267,600 sq. km.), slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Population: 62,660,551 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

Capital: Kinshasa

Lowery, Michael and Jill Lowery Michael and Jill


Jill and Mike work with the Congo Baptist Community (CBCO), continuing the efforts American Baptists began in the Congo more than a century ago.


Mike is a professor and administrator at the Pastor's Institute in Kikongo. There he is equipping leaders for rural ministry in the Bandundu region of Congo. Jill works with women and youth at both the national and local levels. She is involved with organizing women's activities in Kinshasa and throughout Western Congo.

Because the economic situation in the Congo makes life so difficult, Jill hopes that her ministry will have an impact on the lives of women and mothers as well as on the living conditions of their families.

Mike and Jill have three children attending the conference: Taylor 15, Hannah 12 and Matt 9.


Language used in ministry: French, Kituba, Lingala