From Edmonton to Bukavu: A Story of Faithfulness, Regional Conflict, and Theological Hope

I magine living through insecurity in your homeland for 14+ years. With rebels taking control of cities in and around Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on two separate occasions, peace deals feel like hopeful dreams, not a reality, even once they are reached because they are quickly broken. 

It is within this context that Pastor Richard Byenda has gathered his flock on a Sunday morning, faithfully leading his congregation through years of conflict, civil unrest, and instability. In addition to insecure infrastructure in the region, Pastor Byenda has another large barrier to overcome—it’s been 10+ years since he’s had access to theological training. Being a fairly young Christian himself, this has been challenging.

Despite the churches growing in the region and more Christian leaders and new pastors arising to lead developing churches, there are no options for theological training in-country. Past plans—including sending North American teachers to the region to conduct intensive courses—have failed because of the dangers in the area. 

“When churches lack trained leaders, the most common result is that churches tend to gravitate toward a type of legalism,” said Reformed Church in America (RCA) missionary Tom Johnson. “This happens because there is not an understanding of the context of the texts in the overall biblical narrative of God’s plans to be ever-present among his people. As a result, local pastors and church leaders preach and teach on the biblical texts that they understand and often leave out large parts of Scripture that they don’t. Thus, the people are not exposed to the full counsel of God and they inevitably have a lop-sided faith that emphasizes certain teachings to the neglect of other important passages that contribute important dimensions to God’s desires for his people.” 

For several years, Bishop Denis Mugabo—a pastor who spent half of his time in Rwanda and the other half of his time in Edmonton as an elder—led the efforts to begin partnership between his church Emmanuel Reformed Church in Edmonton, Canada, and churches in his home country of Rwanda, who were part of the Evangelical Orthodox Church. Bishop Mugabo saw the need for a new structure to support pastors in East Africa and had a vision for a Reformed Church in Rwanda that would invite in churches from the Evangelical Orthodox Church in Rwanda to partner closely with the Reformed Church in America. The pastors in the region were seeking to be part of something larger than themselves and resonated with Reformed theology. Despite Bishop Mugabo’s sudden passing in early 2025, pastors from RCA churches in Canada have continued to connect with Evangelical Orthodox Churches in Rwanda to offer pastoral training and equipping to pastors who are hoping to join the Reformed Church in America.

“These men are hungry to learn about God’s Word,” said Pastor Doug Smith from Emmanuel Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta, who worked closely with Bishop Denis Mugabo, a former elder at his church. “They desire training so that they can serve their people better. This has been their plea since I first met them in 2019. The Evangelical Orthodox Church has promised them support in this, but it never happened.” 

“[In my early pastorate], I faced numerous challenges: a lack of mastery of the Bible, insufficient time for reading it, and difficulties stemming from a lack of high-quality training regarding biblical history,” said Pastor Richard Byenda, a pastor from the DRC.* “I attended various short-term training courses, but these did not help me establish a solid foundation in biblical teaching. For me, reading the Bible was merely an exercise for the eyes—a superficial act—rather than a process of thoughtful meditation and proper engagement with the text. The absence of a mentor or sponsor to support my training was another major obstacle to my personal and spiritual growth.”

Current Barriers for Pastoral Training

While pastoral training has begun with the Rwandan students, the ongoing tensions between the DRC and Rwanda have caused a closure of the border between the two countries, making it impossible for DRC ministers to attend the courses taught in-person. These courses are designed to obtain a certificate in theological education, with the end-goal to establish a Rwanda Reformed Bible College in partnership with the Evangelical Reformed College in Ontario, in several years. 

With access to the in-person courses not feasible for DRC pastors, leaders of Emmanuel Reformed Church reached out to RCA missionary Tom Johnson, who leads a virtual commissioned pastoral training program for French speakers through Coram Deo, to see what options might be available for their pastors. 

“With Tom Johnson as an instructor who speaks French and understands the complexities of the African context, Coram Deo is the best option to provide theological training for DRC pastors who are eager to be equipped theologically,” said Rev. Derrick Jones, RCA supervisor of mission in Africa. “[In response to this need], Tom Johnson [started] an online pilot course on how to read the Bible.” 

This pilot course began in January 2026 with 20 lessons that could be completed in less than an hour each. Students watch a video from the Bible Project and respond to the questions, which are a mix of content and real life application. 

“For most of these students, it has been years since they’ve experienced a structured and mentored approach to grow deeper in their Biblical understanding,” said Johnson. 

Pastor Richard Byenda shared that “the lessons are teaching me a lot and are helping me overcome some of my ignorance. Thanks to this course, nothing in the Bible feels foreign to me anymore. The video lessons have helped me gain a clear understanding of the books written by certain prophets as well as the Gospels, the Psalms, the parables of Jesus, the Epistles of the New Testament, and the apocalyptic literature. I can now confidently claim to understand the Bible and feel fully equipped to engage with its reading.”

While this training has been a good stand-in option, its experimentation is revealing some new barriers as well. Internet bandwidth and accessibility to necessary technology are challenges for these pastors. 

“Internet bandwidth and accessibility [has been] a major challenge to online instruction,” said Johnson. “Additionally, many of the students lack laptops or personal computers, which limits how much coursework they can do.” 

Currently the partnership between RCA Global Mission, Emmanuel Reformed Church and other Canadian RCA churches, and Tom Johnson through Coram Deo is coming together to find a solution that will work for these pastors. The first step toward a fully online class has been reached for at least the next two years. Funding for the necessary internet capabilities for online course access has been provided by a network of Canadian Churches. They have also agreed to cover costs for in-country classroom needs as well as a facilitator, making the goal for theological training so much more accessible for DRC pastors.

What’s next?

Without access to further equipping for these pastors, the concern is not that the church growth in the region will be slow, but that it will not grow in a healthy way. 

“The Congolese people are tired of war and destruction and are looking for hope, love, and peace,” said Johnson. “The church can play an important role in helping people understand God’s promises and plans for their lives, through putting their faith in Jesus and in no one or nothing else.” 

That being their driving force, the next step is securing scholarship funds for Congolese pastors who are eager to participate in the online training and Rwandan pastors who are still participating in the in-person intensive courses. The scholarship funds would cover course fees, help fulfill technology needs for pastors to participate, and any other supply requirements that arise. 

The reality is that the digital training development is in its infancy, and the initial signs and feedback received from pastors who have been able to participate in a limited capacity are encouraging. 

“The online training with Professor Tom Johnson has taught me how to learn remotely through educational videos—a method distinct from the instruction we have received since childhood, yet one that is truly well-suited to our adult stage of life,” said Pastor Richard Byenda. “For me, this course represents an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of many things, starting with biblical history, the literary genres and styles employed in the Bible, as well as the symbolism and parables found within it.” 

Right now, the most pressing need is scholarship support to cover course costs and the equipment needed to make distance learning possible for DRC pastors. Both the DRC and Rwanda programs are in need of funding as logistics and cost projections are still being finalized.

This story isn’t finished yet. Pastor Richard Byenda has received training, but there are so many more like him still gathering their flocks in the DRC, seeking a deeper level of theological understanding. He will not be forgotten—you can help make sure of that. 

The goal is big—a network of equipped, theologically grounded pastors leading churches across several countries—but the outcome of discipleship that can form because of their training will be something even greater for God’s kingdom.

*Pastor Richard Byenda’s quotes have been translated from their original French.