Tanzania Christian Church
Follow Jesus who teaches us to love God, love everyone, make disciples, and tell our stories.
He went from town to town calling for repentance and announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God.
And to everyone he met, the first command that Jesus gave was equally simple:
Follow Me.
This is still the command that we hear when we give our lives to trust Christ and so this simple command is the mission of Tanzanian Christian Church. We exist to follow Jesus. The earliest name for the Christian movement was “The Way” because they followed the way of Jesus and we seek to live in continuity with that earliest movement.
As followers we are focused on the active embodiment of Jesus’ most important commands: the Great Commandments (Mark 12:28-31) and the Great Commissions (Matthew 28:18-21 and Acts 1:8). These central commands drive everything we do at Tanzanian Christian Church.
Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we:
Love god
So we live as Worshippers
Love everyone
So we live as Servants
Make disciples
So we live as Disciplers
Tell our stories
So we live as Missionaries
These four commands mark our lives together as followers of Jesus. We recognize that we are not following Jesus unless we are obedient to these commands as expressed in our collective ministry and our individual lives. Every program, practice, and plan at Tanzanian Christian Church is governed by this mission and every member of Tanzanian Christian Church is challenged to embody this mission in their life.
What we believe
Genesis 1; John 3:16
One God
There is one God who made all things and loves all things. God especially loves you. God made you on purpose and God made you for a purpose. God is eternal and God is motivated by an eternal love for the whole world and that includes everyone and that includes you.
2 Timothy 3:16,17
The Bible
The Bible is our only rule for what we believe and what we do. We believe that the Bible is God’s Word and is authoritative and reliable in all that it teaches. It is inspired by God and it is useful for teaching us how to live and training us in the righteousness that God desires for our lives.
Jesus
Jesus is the Son of the Living God. He is the anointed saving king (Messiah or Christ) that was promised by the prophets of the Old Testament. He took on flesh and lived in history so that he might call disciples, teach us how to live and ultimately die for the sins of the whole world and rise again from the dead three days later. His sacrifice means that our sins can be forgiven, and we can be reconnected to the God who made us and loves us. His resurrection demonstrates that death has been defeated and that all who trust in Christ will live eternally with God.
We believe that Jesus will return to finish the work of God’s restoration and live eternally with God’s people in the eternally new earth.
God’s Spirit
The Holy Spirit Lives within those who believe in Jesus Christ as Comforter and Advocate and helps us become more like Jesus in thought, word, actions, and character.
The New Testament teaches the ministry of all believers, recognizing that the Holy Spirit gives various gifts to members of the body so that every member can make a contribution to the effective ministry of the entire church.
We are, therefore, a Spirit-filled church seeking to do God’s will and to become more like God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
The Church
The Church is the body of Christ on earth and it is God’s plan for reaching the world. We are charged with the task of continuing Christ’s mission to proclaim that good news and live out the kingdom of God until Christ returns. The church is filled with broken imperfect people who are deeply loved by God and who love one another for the purpose of continuing God’s mission.
All leadership decisions are made by the elders who are selected by the congregation and who are charged with the spiritual and practical leadership of the church. Together, we share united in one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism. We share in Jesus’ invitation to Communion for all believers. We do this together as members of this church that follows Christ’s great commandments and seeks to fulfill the great commission.
Though membership is not required for participation in Tanzanian Christian Church, we invite those who want to partner with us in ministry to become members of the church. We require for membership only that which is required in scripture: A public confession of trust in Christ as savior and Lord and baptism by immersion as an expression of that faith and a symbol of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Romans 3:21-24; Ephesians 2:8-10
You
God’s Word teaches that all people are made in the image of God, and though that image has been tarnished in all of us, God still intends good things for your life. You are God’s masterpiece and you have been gifted by God to do the work that God has prepared for you. One of the best things we get to do in life is figure out what good work God has prepared for us and go do it.
Acts 4:8-12; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-18; Acts 8:26-38; Romans 6:1-4
Salvation
All people are in need of God’s saving work in their life. God wants to forgive your sins and heal your brokenness. God wants to make you into a new creation and adopt you into God’s family. This salvation is possible because of God’s infinite grace toward you. It is not something that anyone accomplishes by living a good life or by going to church. It is a gift from God that is received by trusting in Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible teaches that we mark this trust by being baptized as an expression of our faith.
