Walking together as brothers and sisters in faith

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) with its 26 dioceses is one of the partner churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. The partnership is maintained at various levels by church congregations, districts church, and at the level of the regional church by the Center for Mission and Ecumenism (ZMÖ). Approximately 60 partnership groups are active in the North Church. They regularly organize mutual visits, celebrate partnership services and support numerous projects in Tanzania, e.g. in the fields of education, health, and climate protection. The basis of the relationship is the common Christian faith.

For the spread of the Christian faith in Tanzania, Lutheran missionaries from Germany in the 19. and beginning of the 20th c. played an important role. Today, the picture is completely different: Christians in Tanzania and Germany are on the road together as brothers and sisters in faith: they exchange views on social and church issues, pray for each other and share their resources. The mission – God’s mandate to work for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation – is common to all. Today, employees and volunteers are sent in both directions – from Germany to Tanzania and vice versa. Currently, two young volunteers from Dar es Salaam are on assignment in Northern Germany through ZMÖ. In early 2020, Bishop Dr. Alex Malasusa from Dar es Salaam and his Muslim interlocutor, Sheik Fadhil Suleiman Soraga, came to visit and reported on the challenges and successes in Christian-Muslim dialogue in Tanzania at an event in Hamburg’s City Hall.

Working together in this partnership: