Simon Kimbangu's Religious Movement Continues Influence in Democratic Republic of Congo

Simon Kimbangu founded the Kimbanguist Church, officially the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth Through the Prophet Simon Kimbangu, in 1921 during Belgian colonial rule in Congo. The church emerged as a revival movement and has grown to between 6 and 17 million members, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Its spiritual center is in Nkamba, a town southwest of Kinshasa, which followers refer to as the New Jerusalem.

Belgian authorities arrested Kimbangu in 1921 after five months of his ministry, during which he healed the sick and identified God with Nzambi, a deity in the Kikongo language. He presented himself as God's envoy, which authorities viewed as provocative.

Kimbangu was sentenced to death on insurrection charges, but King Albert I commuted the sentence to life imprisonment, and he was exiled to present-day Lubumbashi, about 1,000 miles from Nkamba.

Kimbangu spent 30 years in prison and died in 1951 at age 64. Few photographs of him exist; official files show him in prisoner attire. The church venerates Kimbangu as the Black embodiment of the Holy Spirit, while basing its teachings on the Bible.

The Kimbanguist Church operates independently with a hierarchical structure and is now in its third generation of leadership.

It prohibits polygamy, encourages peaceful conflict resolution, and promotes sharing of foodstuffs for communal events. The church has established schools and other social enterprises, and women hold positions of authority. Andre Kibangudi, a church elder, stated that women minister in the church and play key roles due to the contributions of Kimbangu's wife during his imprisonment.

“Women are ministering in the church. They have a key role to play because the church is so thankful for what the wife of Simon Kimbangu did when her husband was in prison.”