Barriers to Effective Gospel Message Communication Among the Babira of Upper-Zaire Province: The Case of the Evangelical Brethren Church

Abstract

Seven decades have passed since the first contact of the Babira, one of the larges ethnic groups in the Upper Zaire or Oriental Province (DRC) with the Evangelica Brethren Church (EBC). However, this Church's efforts to communicate the Gospel message to this target audience have proved neither effective nor adequate. I other words, the Babira have not been receptive to the communication of the Gospel message as intended by the EBC, and as a result most of them remain to som degree untouched by the Gospel message. This study set out to investigate and identify possible factors which have hampered this effective receptiveness of the Gospel message among the Babira, so as t learn ways or means through which more effective communication of the Gospel can be planned and enhanced, and to provide the EBC or any other Christian organizations involved with the Babira knowledge about some fruitful communication strategies that can enable them address this challenge and curb the sprea of religious sects among them. To achieve the purpose of this study, two research methods were used. On on hand the researcher used a descriptive survey, employing a semi-structured inter view technique with 27 EBC Gospel communicators playing the role of the mes sage source: 14 EBC Church leaders or pastors, 12 social workers serving wit para-church organizations associated with the EBC and 1 expatriate missionary Participants in this interview were purposefully selected following the criteria s in the third chapter of this study. In addition, the researcher conducted 12 focu group discussions with purposefully selected Bira people (message receivers) from different segments of their population, from among adult men, adult women and the youth in three areas, Nyankunde, Kunda and Makayanga.