In July we sent a team to Tabora, Tanzania to minister alongside our missionaries there, Andy & Margaret Andersen (pictured below). Bob Ketterling, longtime Church of the Open Door (COD) member and the current chairman of our elder board, was one member of that team.

Part of Andy & Margaret’s focus is to take the gospel to the Nyamwezi people in Tabora and the surrounding regions. As you probably know, since 2020 we have been asking the Lord to use us to build a reproducing church among the Nyamwezi by 2030. This is a big request, and we are trusting the Lord to guide us as we pray and invest and build relationships in this direction.

Bob was moved by his time in Tanzania, and wanted to share his heart and insights with the COD family. I trust you will enjoy his reflection below, and be encouraged to continue in this ongoing partnership with the Nyamwezi people!

With love,

David Schaller
Associate Pastor

P.S. Every 4th Thursday of the month a group meets for an hour on Zoom to pray for the Nyamwezi. Everyone is welcome! Log in to pray, to listen and to learn about how the Lord is moving among the Nyamwezi people. To find out more, contact Nyamwezi Prayer Group lead Kyleen Hughes.

When I was invited to join the team traveling to Tabora, Tanzania this summer, I expected the experience to open my eyes and deepen my understanding—and it certainly did.

Team member Grant Hughes and I were primarily involved in what we called “ministry conversations.” This involved sitting down with pastors and Bible college leaders to learn about their ministries, particularly their work among the Nyamwezi.

What we heard and observed helped reshape my understanding of the Christian presence in Tabora, the challenges involved in reaching the Nyamwezi, and the ways God is already at work.

The following seven insights are not intended to provide a complete picture, but I hope they will help us as a congregation better understand this ministry and pray more specifically for the Nyamwezi and the leaders serving among them.

1. Christian ministry in Tabora has a long history, but important needs remain.

Christian missionaries have been working in the Tabora region and among the Nyamwezi for nearly 150 years. The London Missionary Society, Catholic White Fathers and the Moravians began work there in the late 1800s. During this time there have been a number of efforts to translate the Bible into the Nyamwezi language, but currently only Genesis, Exodus, Ruth, and Luke are readily available.

2. Tabora has a substantial and diverse Christian presence.

There is a substantial and diverse Christian presence in the city of Tabora and throughout the surrounding region. At least eight major denominations are represented, with the Roman Catholic, Moravian, and Africa Inland Church Tanzania (AICT) churches being among the largest and most established. Our primary connection is with the AICT, which reports approximately 350 churches across its Tabora Diocese. The Moravian Church lists approximately 300 churches in the area.

3. Many churches are small and have limited resources and trained leadership.

Because most people travel to church on foot or by bicycle, particularly in the bush, individual churches are small and generally serve relatively small geographic areas. Of the AICT’s approximately 350 churches, about 230 are led by evangelists or lay elders who have not completed formal Bible training. Pastors generally oversee several congregations and may be able to visit each one only periodically.

4. Ethnic diversity makes the question of reaching the Nyamwezi more complicated.

The Sukuma are Tanzania’s largest ethnic group, but they represent only about 15–17 percent of the country’s population. The remainder is distributed among more than 100 other groups, none of which individually accounts for much more than approximately 5 percent of the total.

The Nyamwezi are the largest ethnic group in the Tabora Region and probably represent somewhat more than half of its population. The Sukuma are the second-largest group in the Tabora region, while the remainder are distributed among numerous smaller groups.

5. Historical associations between ethnicity and denomination still influence ministry.

We encountered a perception among some people that AICT is a “Sukuma church” and the Moravian Church is a “Nyamwezi church.” This perception probably reflects the history and geography of the two denominations.

The Moravians have a long history in Tabora, the traditional homeland of the Nyamwezi, while the AICT began its ministry in the Lake Victoria region, the traditional homeland of the Sukuma. These should be understood as historical and cultural associations rather than firm ethnic or denominational boundaries.

6. Reaching the Nyamwezi requires more than conversions or church attendance.

The deeper goal is for Nyamwezi believers to be discipled, developed as leaders, incorporated into healthy churches, and equipped to reach other Nyamwezi.

One significant concern raised during our ministry conversations was the lack of a consistent and intentional discipleship process in at least some churches in the region. As a result, many church members may not mature in their walk with Christ, and new believers may gradually drift away from the church.

Discipleship is especially important for believers from Muslim backgrounds, because they may face significant family, social, and economic consequences for leaving Islam and following Christ.

7. God is already working through local leaders and COD’s long-term partnership.

During our trip, we were privileged to see evidence of God at work in many very encouraging ways. We saw people respond to the gospel, new churches being planted, and congregations working to construct church buildings.

We saw Andy & Margaret Andersen and Bishop Joshua encouraging churches to cooperate across denominational lines and to become more intentional about reaching the Nyamwezi.

We also witnessed Bishop Joshua enthusiastically embrace Breakthrough Prayers, particularly our prayer for a healthy, reproducing church among the Nyamwezi.

Finally, we saw firsthand how Tabora Bible College has grown and developed, and how God has used COD’s prayers, relationships, and financial support as part of that story.

Each year that we have prayed for the Nyamwezi, God has deepened our understanding and helped us refine and reshape our prayers. That process will continue as we listen to this year’s team, remain in conversation with Andy and Margaret, learn from Tanzanian church leaders, and seek God’s direction together.

The challenge before us is not to create our own plans and ask God to bless them. Rather, it is to discern where He is already working and ask how He wants us to participate.

As we continue seeking His direction, I invite you to pray in these three specific ways:

• Pray for Andy and Margaret Andersen and Bishop Joshua as they encourage the AICT and Tabora Bible College to develop a greater vision for reaching the Nyamwezi. Ask God to mobilize pastors, evangelists, students, and churches for evangelism and locally led church planting among the Nyamwezi.
• Pray that God will call people from COD and other churches to serve alongside Andy and Margaret. This could include members of short-term teams as well as people willing to serve for a year or longer who will learn from their experience, building relationships with Tanzanian leaders, and support locally led church planting.
• Pray for Bishop Joshua and other AICT leaders as they seek to establish an intentional and ongoing culture of discipleship within their churches. Ask God to mature believers, develop trusted leaders, strengthen those from Muslim backgrounds, and equip all members, including Nyamwezi believers, to make disciples among their own people and others who do not yet know Christ.

I am excited to see how the Lord leads us as we continue our decade-long prayer for the Nyamwezi: Father, use us to build a reproducing church among an unreached people—the Nyamwezi—by 2030.

Sincerely,

Bob Ketterling
Team Tanzania member