Even in a war-torn place like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, God is moving through local churches to create examples of reconciliation, reports Miranda Brown.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the second-largest country in Africa, covering much of the heart of the continent and including more than 100 million people. Many speak the official language of French as well as some of the 200 Indigenous languages. Although the DRC is largely absent from headlines, it is facing one of the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crises.
In the first half of 2025, more than 7.8 million people were displaced from their homes there, and nearly a quarter of the population is experiencing high acute food security.
The DRC has faced cycles of conflict since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, but the urgency of the crisis rapidly escalated as the M23 rebel group took over major cities in North Kivu and South Kivu earlier this year. The Congolese government estimates that 2,000 people were killed in the attack on Goma.
Even now conflict zones are spreading. Banks are closing. Prices have risen sharply. Even the IDP camps that are meant to home and care for displaced people are shutting down due to the escalating safety concerns. It seems there is nowhere to turn.
As Christians, we must not forget the suffering of our brothers and sisters across the world. And as Christians, we also know that there is somewhere to turn: Jesus.
The gospel of reconciliation
Christians are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Reconciliation is central to the gospel and our identity as followers of Christ. It means more than putting an end to conflict, but restoring what was broken.
Tearfund, a Christian relief and development organization, understands poverty as the result of four broken relationships: with God, self, others and creation. In the DRC, these fractures are everywhere. Displaced families, failing systems and a land unable to produce food to sustain its people all reflect the evidence of the Fall.
This is why we need reconciliation: to restore these broken relationships.
But what does reconciliation actually look like?
How one church sought peace in the DRC
In many villages across the DRC, rebel groups have been pillaging and destroying communities. Crops are stolen, homes are ransacked, and people are living in fear. But in the village of Masumo, Kimbalu, a local church decided to respond radically.
This congregation affiliated with the Community of Baptist Churches in Central Africa (CBCA) has been trained through Tearfund’s Church and Community Transformation (CCT) program, which equips local churches to identify needs, mobilize their members and respond holistically to issues within their communities.
In a region where climate shocks and conflict have made farming incredibly difficult, the church had established a community farm to help ensure access to food. This serves not only church members, but is open to the surrounding community in need.
As a rebel group advanced toward this village, many village members fled for their life. But the pastor of this church and one of the leaders named Judith both stayed behind, determined to seek peace with the rebels. Instead of hiding, they looked to God for wisdom and created a plan.
Together, Judith and the pastor courageously approached the rebels. They explained that the potato field in their village belonged to the church, and that the harvest was intended to feed the entire community. Amazingly, the rebels agreed to leave both the crops and the village untouched. The field was protected, and the village members returned safely.
But why would armed rebels agree to something like that?
Because they trusted the church.
The church has a recognizable presence across North Kivu through schools, hospitals and other development projects that they’ve built through CCT training. Some rebels had even studied in the church’s schools or received care in their hospitals.
In fact, one young rebel boy who was injured in a battle was brought to a CBCA hospital. As he recovered, he was invited to participate in weekly devotions. There, he gave his life to Christ. Since then, he’s shared his story with other rebels, who are now trying to walk with Jesus.
In this story, we see a glimpse of the four broken relationships being restored: rebels are reconciled with God; church leaders are overcoming their fears, an example of inner reconciliation; a community is reunited with each other; and a farm field is spared from destruction, maintaining the environment. This is what gospel-rooted reconciliation can look like.
The call to Kingdom reconciliation
The Bible says we are reconciled with God. Not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did. As the Scripture says, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19).
Restoring broken relationships is not simple. Reconciliation is not only a theology, but an action. Despite the size of this mission, we are not doing this alone – we can be encouraged by what local churches are doing across the world.
What would it look like for you to partake in Kingdom reconciliation where you are?
- Reconcile with neighbours. We are called to reconcile with our neighbours (Matthew 5:25) and to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32). Who is someone you know that you can extend grace to? Where is God calling you to be a peacemaker?
- Pray for conflict zones. Ask God to bring peace to the DRC and other places of conflict around the world. Where relationships seem broken beyond repair, trust in the God who loved us enough to restore His relationship with us.
- Be encouraged. Our God is greater than any conflict, and His redemptive, restorative Kingdom work is being done even now. And, as part of the body of Christ, we get to participate!
There is hope in the brokenness. We serve a living God who has not forgotten us.
Miranda Brown of London, Ont., is a freelance writer who interned with Tearfund Canada last year. Top photo of two women at livelihoods training in Democratic Republic of Congo plus other two photos courtesy Tearfund Canada.