Missionaries in Rwanda

The Catholic and Protestant churches in Rwanda are a very important part of the Rwandan society. Since the genocide that took place in 1994, they have helped to reconcile the Tutsi and Hutu people that once were enemies. The Catholic has remained the most influential of the Christian institutions. However, new Pentecostal churches have begun to have a surge in population and are gaining notoriety.

The first Christian church to come to Rwanda as missionaries were the Catholic White Fathers. They arrived in Rwanda in 1900 and began to set up different missions around the country. Arriving soon after the Catholics were the Protestant missionaries from Germany. Johanssen and Rucius of the of the German Gospel Mission arrived in Rwanda before the start of WWI. After these two groups, smaller missionary groups like the Baptist from Denmark and the Free Methodists from the United States arrived, as well as Seventh-day Adventists, Pentecostal and the Conservative Baptist Mission from the United States.

A Rwandan Pastor by the name of G. Jan van Butselaar wrote an interesting article about why Rwandans chose to be apart of Christian organizations. They interviewed nineteen people asking questions as the why they had decided to become “Christians.” The first response was they had spiritual motives. Meaning, as they read the bible, they began to see the love of God. The second was that they had social motives. The Hutu people though that as Christians, they could challenge the Tutsi people. They were more than happy to have the protection of the “powerful white man,” according to Jan van Butselaar. The last two, were material motives and personal motives. The Christian missionaries would give away gifts to the Rwandan people to show their appreciation for them. Lastly the personal motives, according to Jan van Butselaar, were an important reason as to why Rwandans became Christians. They admired the lifestyle’s and quality of life that the missionaries had and wanted to enjoy the same benefits.

Sources

G. Jan van Butselaar. Christian Conversion in Rwanda: The Motivations. Gereformeerd Theologisch Tijdschrift no. 78 (1978). pp. 231-38.


Kevin Ward. A Brief History of the Church in Rwanda. Dictionary of African Christian Biography. 2008.

http://www.epr.rw/images/pictures/galleries/2015_03_29installation/09_53_17_DSCN2146.JPG

http://webs.wofford.edu/davisgr/RwandanChurchandCemetary/DSC_0043web.jpg