After 1994 genocide, nontraditional churches make inroads in Rwanda

Published: 2004-06-18

KIGALI, Rwanda (CNS) -- Several thousand worshippers swayed, sang and clapped through a music-filled service in a large, barn-like building in the dusty Rwandan capital. A preacher dressed in a shirt and tie strode back and forth across a small stage, by turns shouting, whispering or hectoring in Kinyarwanda, the local language. When he was finished, the crowd pressed toward the stage. Some people babbled prayers, others shut their eyes. Moving from left to right, the preacher laid his hands on their heads. Some appeared to fall in his arms. The preacher shouted "Hallelujah!" This is the Zion Temple Church, an American-inspired evangelical sect that, like many nontraditional churches, has experienced a sharp rise in followers since the Rwandan ethnic genocide of 1994. The growth has come partly at the expense of the Catholic Church. Before the genocide, 62 percent of Rwanda's 7.8 million people were Catholics, the highest proportion in Africa. Today that number has dropped, although the extent remains unclear: Various sources estimate the church lost between 6 percent and 12 percent of its membership.

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