The Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo (CDCC) in what today is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), formerly known as Zaire was founded in 1889. The church has been affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States since its inception.  The church functions with 22 ecclesial regions located in the Equator, Bandundu, East Congo, Lower Congo and Kinshasa regions.  Its 358 congregations serve 650,000 members.  The church has 6 general hospitals, 9 maternity centers and 42 functioning health centers. 

The communities where the congregations are located are confronted with many socio-economic problems.   They are all struggling from the effects of a civil war that included the involvement of surrounding countries as well as some international involvement.  Health care, education and development programs suffered greatly during the war and during years of systemic corruption before the war.  One of the devastating effects of the war has been the rapid increase in the number of HIV/AIDS patients, particularly in the Equator with more than 7 million inhabitants and where the largest numbers of Disciples are located. 

Disciples of Christ Community website