In Kinshasa, Protestant denominations, and some fringe Catholics, increasingly take on Pentecostal characteristics, turning toward the miracle and visible effectiveness of the Holy Spirit. This article aims to explain the process of Pentecostalism by placing the expansion of Congolese Pentecostalism into a historical context. Pentecostalism has risen dramatically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the beginning of the twentieth century. Many different types of Christian communities now embrace charismatic Christianity, including a host of revivalist churches founded in the 1980s; among them stands the La Borne megachurch, founded in 1985 by Reverend Vernaud. The social impacts of these increasingly politicized churches oscillate between charitable works and religious extremism.