Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
Encyclopedia
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania | |
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| Mkuu (Presiding Bishop) Presiding Bishop The Presiding Bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity.- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America :The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the chief ecumenical officer of the church, and the leader and caretaker for the bishops of the... : |
Alex Gehaz Malasusa |
| Affiliations: | All Africa Conference of Churches All Africa Conference of Churches All Africa Conference of Churches is an ecumenical fellowship that represents more than 120 million African Christians in 169 national churches and regional Christian councils.... (AACC) Christian Council of Tanzania World Lutheran Federation |
| Number of dioceses: | 20 |
| Membership: | 5.3 million baptized members |
| Mailing Address: | P.O. Box 3033 Arusha, Tanzania |
| Official Website: | http://www.elct.org/ |
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) is the federation of Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
Churches in the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n nation of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. In 1938, seven Lutheran churches founded a federation known as the Federation of Lutheran Churches in Tanganyika. On June 19, 1963, Churches merged to become a single Church known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
The church is led by a presiding bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and twenty diocesan bishops, representing 20 diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s, and has a membership of more than 2.5 million. The Head Office of the Church is in Arusha
Arusha
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...
. The church is affiliated with All Africa Conference of Churches
All Africa Conference of Churches
All Africa Conference of Churches is an ecumenical fellowship that represents more than 120 million African Christians in 169 national churches and regional Christian councils....
(AACC), Christian Council of Tanzania and the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
.
The ELCT is an organization which reaches out to the people of Tanzania offering worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
opportunities, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
education, and numerous social services.
Divisions
- Education (Secondary and University)
- Finance and Administration
- Health and Medical Care (21 hospitals and many dispensaries)
- Mission and Evangelism
- Planning and Development
- Social Services and Women's Work