A church connected to the community A third-generation Lutheran from Tanzania, Mwitula-Williams now works in the U.S. But she has had an intimate view of the church’s roots—her grandfather was one of the first local missionaries in Tanzania, trained by Lutheran missionaries. He was called from western to northern Tanzania to teach and spread the gospel. That was 60 years ago when the church was
smaller. When seven Lutheran churches across Tanzania merged in 1963 to form the ELCT, it had 500,000 members. Today the church continues to expand. Mwitula-Williams thinks the rapid growth has
everything to do with the church’s commitment to social services. “At the end of the day, you can preach all you want but what connects the community are basic needs,” she said. “If my health is not good, my kids are not going to school. If I’m farming and don’t have clean water, I’m not coming to church on Sunday. Before he taught people, Jesus made sure people’s needs were met. Because the Lutheran church tries to live out the gospel this way, that’s why it’s growing.” The village of Idete where Mwitula-Williams’
grandmother grew up had a Lutheran clinic, primary and secondary schools, and a church. Across the country Lutheran institutions abound: 23 hospitals, more than 140 health centers and dispensaries, several schools and a university with
10,000 students. The institutions provide services for everyone, regardless of religion. “The church is involved in all aspects of life,” said
Joe Troester, an ELCA missionary serving in Arusha with his wife Deborah. He said this structure was influenced by early German missionaries who came to Tanzania from state churches that received tax money to care for people back home. Although German and other missionaries
played a role in sharing the gospel with Tanzanians, their departure was also significant. “During World War I, whole missions were abandoned and people left,” Troester said. “The [Tanzanians] picked up the job and started evangelizing on their own. It’s that sort of evangelism that has continued.” A culture of passionate, strategic evangelism
has been central to the ELCT’s growth—all congregations are expected to establish preaching points in neighboring areas, Troester said. Catechists preach at those points and work toward establishing an independent congregation—thus the church continues to expand. The denomination also expands its reach through
mission work in neighboring Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda, Malawi and Congo. Mwitula-Williams insists that her church is “not
just about building megachurches—we’re actually about service. We are meeting the needs of God’s people. And people want to know, who is that God you’re talking about?”
Lotegelwaki Lesikar, pastor emeritus (center), and Christopher Lukumay (right), pastor of Likamba Parish, conduct baptisms. The congregation is located in Likamba, Tanzania.
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Photo: Ron Gustafson
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