An evaluation of mass media and new technologies as missionary tools for contextualizing church growth in the DR Congo

Abstract

Many churches worldwide have experienced growth because of the use of new technology and mass media. This study emerged from an observation of the extent to which mass media in the Protestant churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) serve as tools to contextualize church growth. The assumption is that the use of mass media to contextualize church growth in the country needs a sound missiological evaluation. The key question is, “to what extent are mass media and new technologies used to contextualize the growth of the churches in the DRC?” The study focussed on the general insights of mass media and emerging technology advances due to their impact on religious spheres. The missiological orientation of the study focussed on the growth of the church in the DRC in relation with the use of mass media, including an evaluation dimension to assess the nature of mass media as means of cross-cultural communication.