Tanzania

Republic of Tanzania
Africa

Geography
Area: 945,037 sq km (Comprising mainland Tanganyika and the offshore islands of Zanzibar and Pemba (2,460 sq km))
Population: 45,039,573
Annual Growth: 2.92%
Capital: Dodoma (official); Dar es Salaam (de facto)
Urbanites: 26.4%

Peoples
160 (21% unreached)
More information about peoples

Languages
Official Language: Swahili, English
2% speak only Swahili and no local African language
Total Languages: 127

Religion
Largest Religion: Christianity
Christians: 24,352,897 (54.07% of population)
Evangelicals: 8,042,731 (17.9% of population)

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Challenges for Prayer
Growth in the mainline Churches has been good but sporadic. Renewal movements in Lutheran, Anglican, and Catholic churches bring life to traditional congregations; most of the bishops are evangelical. Some problems that limit further grow in numbers and spirituality are:

• Extensive areas where churches have stagnated and where many potentially open villages remain unreached. The need is great for more evangelists and church planters.
• African worship patterns,  choirs, and collections combined with Western cultural forms have taken priority over biblical teaching.
• Swahili is used in fully 96% of church services even though it is not the heart language of the majority. Pray for the development of songs, teaching, and resources in the first languages of all Tanzania's peoples.
• AIDS continues to spread and affect many. It has now afflicted over 1.7 million (8.8% of the population) and orphaned over one million children. Tanzania's social fabric and economic structure are deeply affected. There are several initiatives led by religious and church communities for prevention, counselling and care. Pray for these programs to be followed through and to have a powerful positive impact.

The Pentecostal movement has flourished in the last 20 years and is the fastest growing segment of Christianity. Although the origins of these groups are foreign, good use of outreach tools combined with spiritual fervency have seen Pentecostalism grow and take root in Tanzanian culture. Pray for continued growth, increased maturity and unity between Pentecostals and other evangelicals -- essential if the church is to impact Muslims and animists in the nation.

FMC in Tanzania

Visit FM World Missions Tanzania Page

Present Ministries
The Tanzanian church has three districts, plus an area in the south being evangelized by the Malawi FM Church. The districts center around Kigoma, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika; Mwanza, on the shores of Lake Victoria; and Mugumu near the Kenyan border. A local FM church in Michigan has helped develop several church buildings in the Geita district.

Origins
In 1988, a group of Christians near the Kenya border wanted to become part of the Free Methodist Church. In 1992, the Free Methodist Church became registered with the government of Tanzania.

Country Statistics
​Annual Conference
Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference
- FM Work Opened: 1988
- FM Churches: 27
- FM Membership: 3,250
- Ordained Ministers: 35
- Ministerial Candidates: 10
- Ecclesiastical Accountability: Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference through Bishop Lubunga Venance W'Ehusha

(Information taken from Operation World website, a ministry of InterVarsity Press, and Free Methodist World Missions.)