Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania | |
|---|---|
| Kanisa la Kiinjili la Kilutheri Tanzania | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Polity | Modified episcopal polity with some powers reserved to the congregation as in congregationalism |
| Leader | Rev.ALEX GEHAZ MALASUSA |
| Associations | Global Forum, LWF, LUCCEA. AACC, WCC, CCT, ACT, MAF, TCRS |
| Region | Tanzania and Zanzibar |
| Headquarters | Mbeya, Tanzania |
| Origin | June 19, 1963 |
| Branched from | Federation of Lutheran Churches in Tanganyika |
| Congregations | 1,104 |
| Members | 7,916,253 (2020) |
| Ministers | 1,500 |
| Official website | http://www.elct.org/ |
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT; Swahili: Kanisa la Kiinjili la Kilutheri Tanzania) is the federation of Lutheran churches in Tanzania and one of the largest Lutheran denominations in the world, with more than 6 million members, or 13% of the Tanzanian population. It is the second largest Lutheran church in the world and the largest Lutheran church in East Africa.
The church is led by a presiding bishop and twenty-eight diocesan bishops, representing 28 dioceses. The head office of the church is in Mbeya, since 1967. The church is affiliated with the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), the Christian Council of Tanzania, the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum, and the Lutheran World Federation.
The ELCT is an organization which reaches out to the people of Tanzania offering worship opportunities, Christian education, and numerous social services, including disaster response, healthcare, and AIDS education and relief.