Uganda

Congo DRC Rwanda Burundi

Lake Victoria

Kenya

Tanzania Pemba

Lake Tanganyika

Dodoma

Zanzibar November Dar es 16-17 Salaam

Zambia

Lake Nyasa

Indian Ocean

Malawi Mozambique

Tanzania Republic of Tanzania Africa Area 945,037 sq km. Comprising mainland Tanganyika and the offshore islands of Zanzibar and Pemba (2,460 sq km). Population 2010 45,039,573 2020 59,602,598 2030 75,497,972

Ann Gr 2.92% 2.72% 2.30%

Density 48/sq km 63/sq km 80/sq km

Capitals Dodoma 210,000 (official); Dar-esSalaam 3,349,134 (de facto). Urbanites 26.4%. Pop under 15 yrs 45%. Life expectancy 55 yrs.

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More than 150 indigenous ethnic groups. Widespread promotion and use of Swahili has obscured some tribal divisions. Bantu peoples 86.3%. 121 groups, largest: Sukuma 11.6%; Gogo 4.6%; Haya 4.5%; Nyamwezi 3.7%; Ha 3.1%; Makonde 3.0%; Hehe 2.6%; Nyakyusa 2.6%; Luguru 1.9%; Shambala 1.9%; Turu 1.9%; Bena 1.8%; Iramba 1.6%; Chagga 1.62%; Pare 1.6%; Mwera 1.4%; Makhuwa 1.4%; Yao 1.4%. Swahili 7.8%. 7 groups: Swahili-Pemba 2.0%; Zaramo 1.7%; Shirazi 1.5%. Nilotic 2.2%. 8 groups: Maasai(3) 1.3%. Cushitic 1.7%. 7 groups: Iraqw 1.4%. Khoisan 0.3%. 7 groups: the San/Bushmen original inhabitants of Africa. Other 1.7%. South Asian (predominantly Gujarati), Arab, Chinese. Refugees. Mainly Burundi and Rwanda Hutu. Also Somalis, Congolese, others.

Literacy 69%. Official languages Swahili, English; 2% speak only Swahili and no local African language. All languages 127. Languages with Scriptures 9Bi 15NT 32por 43w.i.p.

One of the world’s poorest nations wherein an agricultural subsistence economy dominates. Earlier disastrous efforts to socialize the economy still weigh heavily on the nation through debt-

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servicing costs and expensive but ineffective infrastructure. Health and education sectors require massive investments. Continues to attract aid and investment due to its stability and dedicated leaders. Great potential through mineral deposits and a huge tourist industry. HDI Rank 151st/182. Public debt 23.2% of GDP. Income/person $520 (1% of USA).

Tanganyika gained independence from Britain in 1961, Zanzibar in 1963. The two countries united as a one-party federal socialist republic in 1964, although Zanzibar retained a considerable degree of autonomy. The one-party system ended in 1992, and a multiparty democracy was instituted. For 50 years, Tanzania has remained stable in a troubled region. Zanzibar remains a troubled region, both internally and in its links to the mainland.

There is religious freedom; all major faiths have the ability to share and propagate their faith. Religious harmony is remarkably high given the size and activism of Christian and Muslim communities. Religions Christian Muslim Ethnoreligionist Hindu Baha’i Non-religious Sikh

Pop % 54.07 31.20 12.97 0.90 0.43 0.40 0.03

Population 24,352,897 14,052,347 5,841,633 405,356 193,670 180,158 13,512

Christians Denoms Pop % Affiliates Protestant 48 17.43 7,849,000 Independent 44 2.22 1,001,000 Anglican 1 7.33 3,300,000 Catholic 1 27.10 12,207,000 Orthodox 1 0.06 28,000

Ann Gr 3.7% 2.9% -0.1% 2.9% 3.4% 9.0% 2.9%

Marginal Unaffiliated Doubly affiliated

2

0.09 39,000 4.20 1,878,000 -4.33-1,950,000

Churches MegaBloc Catholic Church C Evang Lutheran Ch P Anglican Church A Baptist Convention P Pentecostal Chs Assoc P New Apostolic Ch I Africa Inland Church P Moravian Church P Seventh-day Adventist P Assemblies of God P Ch of God (Cleveland) P Mennonite Church P Pente Evang Fellowship P Pentecostal Holiness P Pente Assem of God P Full Gospel Bible Fell I Ch of God (Anderson) P Jehovah’s Witnesses M Foursquare Gospel Ch P Other denominations[77] Doubly affiliated Total Christians[97] TransBloc Evangelicals Evangelicals Renewalists Charismatics Pentecostals

4.2% 24.9% 0.0%

Congs Members Affiliates 860 6,598,29712,206,850 2,720 1,360,000 3,400,000 2,705 1,352,459 3,300,000 3,704 500,000 910,000 2,933 440,000 880,000 1,725 345,000 690,000 1,750 196,667 590,000 412 267,647 455,000 1,760 342,105 455,000 1,300 260,870 420,000 573 67,000 154,100 290 58,000 133,400 450 45,000 90,000 140 40,000 80,000 924 23,102 70,000 39 23,200 58,000 360 21,600 43,200 580 16,000 38,000 250 15,500 31,000 2,736 183,512 419,351 -1,950,000 26,21112,155,95922,473,901

Pop %

Population

Ann Gr

17.9

8,042,731

2.4%

11.5 4.3

5,173,548 1,926,760

4.3% 2.8%

Ann Gr 2.1% 3.0% 2.2% 3.1% 0.7%

Answers to Prayer Tanzania remains an “island of peace” amid many troubled nations. This not only q allows positive inter-communal relations but also allows Tanzania to shelter over a million refugees who have fled from violence in their own lands and to function as an operation base for much regional ministry.

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The continued growth of evangelicals within mainline churches (Lutheran, Anglican) as well as the growth of Pentecostal denominations have seen the evangelical population increase from 2.4 million (9.2%) in 1990 to 8 million (17.9%) in 2010. The strong church planting movement in Tanzania has, since the 1980s, birthed new e agencies within the country and a greater level of partnership between nationals and expatriate missionaries. There is a strong focus on planting new churches and reaching the remaining unevangelized peoples of Tanzania, with much fruit evident in recent years among animist and Muslim populations.

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Challenges for Prayer The delicate inter-communal balance and religious stability of the country cannot q be taken for granted.The Muslim community is increasingly polarized between moderates and Islamists, the latter pressing for political influence and the establishment of separate Islamist courts. Witchcraft is widespread and permeates both Christianity and Islam. Spiritual superstitions and outright occultism incur great financial expense and often result in sexual abuse or even death for the victims of such practices. Pray that the government may be ruthless in uprooting evil and wise in fostering communal harmony and religious freedom. Widespread and systemic poverty is both a challenge and an opportunity. Many areas w require development assistance – schools, universities, hospitals, roads, drinking water and agriculture. Half of all secondary schools are privately funded. Rapid urbanization and endemic corruption intensify the problems. Holistic ministry is necessary and a wonderful way to bring transformation to all levels of Tanzanian life. Most foreign Christian agencies at work in Tanzania already minister in this capacity; pray for more projects to be started and to be finished effectively. Growth in the mainline Churches has been good but sporadic. Renewal movements e in Lutheran, Anglican and Catholic churches bring life to traditional congregations; most of the bishops are evangelical. Some problems that limit further growth in numbers and spirituality are:

a) Extensive areas where churches have stagnated and where many potentially open villages remain unreached. The need is great for more evangelists and church planters.

b) African worship patterns, choirs and collections combined with Western cultural forms have taken priority over biblical teaching.

c) 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.

d) 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 programmes 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 r segment of Christianity. Although the origins of many 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. Tanzania’s Christian population, though numerous, needs discipleship. More than t half of Tanzanians might be “Christian”, but church attendance runs around 8%. Many see lack of biblical knowledge as the greatest challenge for the Church. As immature Christians are discipled, lifestyles and worldviews will change, and this in turn will impact the social, economic and political life of the nation. Leadership development and theological training must become top priorities in y churches.There is a critical lack of trained, mature leaders, and many pastors must care for 10 or more congregations, often miles apart.

a) Theological schools. Facilities and funding are dwarfed by the need. Pray for the many Bible schools, colleges and seminaries as well as the Christian universities run by Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans. Many need upgrading to higher standards to prepare leaders for an increasingly literate population.

b) Short-term and modular training courses, TEE, Bible Training Centre for Pastors and cassette Bible schools are all vital for training local leaders, given the size and poverty of the country. Every denomination of note has institutions and programmes for furthering these modes of training.

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c) Pray for those already in leadership positions to have opportunities for personal development and further training amid their demanding ministries. Pray for the release of resources to fund these many programmes. initiatives for reaching the country took root in the 1990s and 2000s with u National research and mobilizing initiatives focusing on the unevangelized.

a) Excellent research on Tanzania’s ethnic groups, through Pioneer Bible Translators and others, established the need. Thirty-five peoples are estimated to be less than 5% Christian – many of these are still unreached and with very few known believers.

b) National church planting strategies have been used by God to unite churches for evangelism. Remaining Task Mission has undertaken extensive research and sets ambitious goals for national churches to plant enough new churches to represent 1 church for every 1,000 urban, and every 500 rural, Tanzanians – 40,000 villages and towns are still without a single church. Any national strategy must take into account that 75% of Tanzania’s population is rural.

c) Indigenous missions have been formed to address these challenges. With minor assistance from expatriate agencies, exciting new ministries, such as Horn of Africa Mission and Christian Mission Fellowship, train and send Tanzanians as cross-cultural church planting missionaries. Hundreds of pastors and church planters are already trained and sent, even as the movement grows. Tanzania’s young population makes ministry to youth and children essential. i Religious education in schools is an open door that requires trained instructors; Christian teachers can and do have a big impact. Scripture Union’s Aid for AIDS programme educates and encourages young people toward pure lifestyles. TAFES(IFES) groups operate on 37 university and college campuses. Many students are being converted, including Muslims. The unfinished task in Tanzania. Great growth among Christians must not obscure o the real needs. Peoples of the coast, Zanzibar and some southern provinces are largely or almost entirely Muslim. Although conversions among Muslims have increased, the majority are still unreached. Pray specifically for:

a) Zanzibar, which is famous for its spices but infamous as an Arab base for its centuries-long African slave trade. i On the two main islands, Zanzibar and Pemba, live three of the original Swahili peoples. Almost all are Muslim, though there are a few believers. Radical Islam is dividing the islands’ population, spreading fear and violence – and causing many to seek Jesus. The oppressive religious environment prevents many others from seeking. ii Areas of special need. Zanzibar Town, Mafia Island, the east coast and the small Tumbatu Island are spiritual strongholds and oppression is intense. iii Christians have increased in number, boldness and unity despite persecution. There are more than 60 congregations, mostly Pentecostal, on the islands. Pray for their continued perseverance and loving witness.

b) The Muslim peoples of coastal regions live under the curse of the historic slave trade. They are among the least evangelized of Tanzania’s peoples. Their numbers have rapidly grown in recent years; their increased influence also presents a challenge to Christians.The most urgent challenges: the Digo (AIM), Zigula, Somali in the northeast, Rufiji, Ngendereko and Zaramo (CoGWM) in the central east and Machinga, Mwera and Ngindo in the southeast. Pray that Christians from other ethnic groups among them may be used of God to bless them with the gospel.

c) The Inland peoples. AIM/AIC have small church plants among the largely animist Datooga

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and Barabaig. They also have started work among the Rangi, who are mostly Muslim. Continue to pray for the Muslim Chasi/Alagwa and Kami, among whom there is no work yet started, and the animist Nilamba.

d) The peoples on the Mozambique border. The Brethren see some fruit among the Makonde and Yao. The Makhuwa are also in need of a breakthrough.

e) The South Asian community speaks a range of Indian languages, predominantly Gujarati, but Hindi and Punjabi speakers are also present. Most are Hindu or Muslim, with few Christians. AIM is looking at possibilities for ministry among them.

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Missionaries continue to play a strategically vital role, even as they are increasingly a replaced by capable national workers.They serve in a wide range of ministries in outreach, church support, training and specialist ministries. Major mission agencies are IMB, YWAM, AIM, Missionshaus Bibelschule, Swedish Pentecostal Church, Danish Lutheran Church.

s Christian support ministries: a) Bible translation is an urgent need finally being addressed. Widespread use of Swahili masked the need for further translations. Still, 51 languages have no Scripture at all and a further 32 have only portions. Several agencies focus on translation: The Bible Society, Pioneer Bible Translators and Word for the World among them. Pray for more translation teams, including Tanzanians and foreigners, for projects to be finished quickly and well, and for the necessary literacy programmes to accompany the translations.

b) Christian literature is vital for an increasingly literate nation, yet poverty and supply difficulties hamper printing and distribution on the necessary scale. Pray for more Tanzanians with the gifts and calling to write appropriate Christian articles and books. Pray also for the Central Tanganyika Press (Anglican), Inland Press (AIC), Kanisa la Biblia Publishers (Bible commentaries and theological books), the extensive publishing and printing ministry of the Pentecostal Churches Association and for effective distribution of their products. SU, The Bible Society, AIC and CLC have thriving Christian bookstores. The Gideons are active in placing NTs in schools.

c) Missionary aviation is still an essential service to churches, missions and humanitarian agencies because of the lack of good roads and the size of the country. MAF’s biggest operation is in Tanzania – 8 aircraft, 3 bases with 77 staff. They transport Christian workers and maintain medical programmes and fruitful outreach to the Maasai, Iraqw and Barabaig. Evangelism and showing the JESUS film at airstrips is one evangelistic spin-off! AIM operates a floatplane on Lake Victoria to facilitate a much-needed community health/ evangelism programme.

d) Christian radio is widespread. Lutherans, Pentecostals/IBRA and TWR have recording studios. IBRA (four FM stations) has a daily audience of millions in Swahili, with a significant response. TWR broadcasts from Swaziland and Tanzania in English, Swahili, Makhuwa and Yao. FEBA and Adventist Radio also broadcast in a few languages. SIL has started programmes in some regions using Swahili and local languages. Pray for lasting fruit in lives to result. Christian TV is also increasing, including global satellite content and local Christian programmes.

e) The JESUS film is widely used in 18 languages. The film is extensively used in evangelism among the unreached with great response.

f) GRN has recordings in 88 languages and dialects. Cassettes are widely used for evangelism, Scripture reading and teaching. Lack of non-Swahili literature and significant illiteracy make these audio resources all the more important.

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