Tanzania Rising is a board controlled 501c3 working to support the discipleship and training efforts of the gospel-preaching churches of the tabora region of Tanzania.
Our Mission
We exist to train leaders of the Gospel-preaching churches of the Tabora region of Tanzania; assist these leaders in reaching their millions of lost; plant new congregations and build churches.
Our Method
In the pursuit of this mission we will…
Train Church Leaders
Promote Discipleship
Seek out young men of promise and prepare them for leadership
Produce materials for Christian Education (i.e. the “Great Adventure” discipleship series)
Put Bibles into the hands of believers
Plant churches and give support to these growing congregations
Help congregations move out of makeshift structures into permanent buildings
Build a training center in a centralized location
Our Motivation
In promoting Tanzania Rising we will be an advocate for…
Spirit-led living and Spirit-directed missions
A biblically informed understanding of wealth and stewardship
The Full Story
Pastor Ruben (who does not speak much English) and his head elder, Charles (who speaks English well), went on a hunt for someone who knew the Bible and would be willing to disciple them. They googled the word "discipleship" and landed on the website of First Baptist Church of Hart, whose mission statement is "Making Disciples of Jesus." They did not want to bother the main pastors, so they reached out to Pastor Mark, a retired pastor of the church who is still involved at the church.
Pastor Mark had spent more than ten years on a whirlwind theological journey of his own, learning in depth about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers. He had already written five books to be used in discipleship and was eager to jump into any conversation about Jesus. When Mark received Ruben and Charles' first email, he was skeptical but hopeful. Was there a way to scam an American pastor by asking for discipleship?? But no, it turned out to be real, and all three of them dove head first into a mentoring relationship.
They began by Charles translating the first discipleship book into Swahili and then the three of them working through it, Charles translating both directions. It was arduous work but also fulfilling and life-changing. When the first book was finished, they moved on to the next. After a while, the three began to dream of a Bible conference in Tanzania, at Ruben’s church.
Pastor Ruben and Charles have a system in the Tabora Region of Tanzania. They identify a promising man of God in their church, train him as an elder and prepare him for leadership, after a number of years the man is then sent out to start a church in a village that has no Bible-believing church. As a result, Pastor Ruben has men and women from Igunga and the surrounding region who are leading in churches but have very little understanding of theology. They hope to change this.
As they talked the logistics of handling a gathering of 70 people a problem became evident. There were no bathroom facilities and no place to wash hands— a recipe for serious illness. Mark began to teach Ruben and Charles the importance of proper hygiene and explain what would be necessary before the conference could be held. They decided to build a washhouse adjacent to the existing church building. However, building such a structure was not remotely in the budget for Ruben and his congregation. Pastor Mark, excited about the work the Holy Spirit was already doing in the area and not wanting such a basic thing to prevent this conference from moving forward, set out to find the funding for the project on his own, beginning in his own pocket.
The washhouse (see below) was completed in November of 2024, and the conference was held in February of 2025. Pastor Mark brought Andy, a man from his own church, along on the trip. The stories of God's provision and working during that time deserve their own space, but both Mark and Andy came away with a deeper understanding of the amazing work God was doing in Tanzania through Pastor Ruben. They began to be impressed with how much more could be accomplished if someone helped them.
This website is one of the outcomes of that desire. We are here to tell the stories of what God is doing on the other side of the world. Perhaps the ‘Spirit of Missions’ will move you to help them. Your finances, prayers, and maybe even travel can be an incredible blessing to those who have little in this world, but are giving it all for the sake of Christ.
When Pastor Ruben first started talking to Mark about a Bible conference, Mark asked where the 70 people would go to ‘relieve’ themselves. The Tanzanians sent this picture. (also no place to wash up, etc). It was decided that there ought to be a washhouse (2 toilet spaces and 2 showers on each of the men/women sides). This facility made it possible to host a Bible conference at Hope Baptist Church., Igunga The church allows the neighbors to use the washhouse. Some of the members come to church with towels and go home on Sunday with clean bodies as well as clean hearts.
Doctrinal
Statement
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We believe that the 66 books of the BIBLE were written by human authors under the control of the Holy Spirit. These writings are entirely true, which means that what they say corresponds exactly to the way things are as God sees them. They therefore have the final say on every topic they address.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12-13
People who believe this understand that to discount what the Bible says is to discount God Himself. Anyone who reads or teaches the Bible must never confuse his opinions with what God says.
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The Bible reveals that God is an eternal Spirit who lives in a perfect society of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are equal in their natures (for example, their love, power, and knowledge), yet they have different roles. All authority begins with the Father. He decrees all things. The Son has made atonement for sins, and now He rules over the Church. The Spirit is the agent of the presence of God in the world today, especially in the Church.
John 1:1-4; 4:24; Mark 12:29; Hebrews 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19
We know then that the ultimate reality is spiritual, and that enduring relationships and cooperation are an essential part of Godliness. Since all authority comes from the Father, the only righteous use of authority is in conformity with what He wants.
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We believe that the first chapters of Genesis are true history. From these pages, we understand that God directly created Man in His image as male and female. God instituted marriage as the permanent union of one man and one woman. We also believe that Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God’s clear command, suffered the death of their souls, and then passed on their brokenness to the entire race. Consequently, all men are born with a sin nature.
Genesis 3:16; James 3:9; Matthew 19:6; Romans 5:19; 3:10-19; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1-3
People who believe this understand that human beings are not animals but have sacred value. They understand that there are only two sexes, male and female; that God designed marriage to be life-long; and that all people come into the world in a broken condition, alienated from God and in need of salvation.
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We believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the second person of the Godhead, brought into the world by a miraculous virgin birth without a human father. He is fully God and fully man: sinless, crucified, raised from the dead, the Lord of the Church, and coming again.
John 1:1-2; Luke 1:26-38; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; John 1:14; Matthew 28:18-20; Philippians 1:15-20
People who believe this understand that Jesus is our Creator, worthy of worship, emulation, and enthusiastic obedience. They are utterly amazed that He took on the role of a servant.
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We believe that God provided for our salvation by sending His Son to die on the cross as our representative. By dying, He made a sacrifice of atonement that the Father is eager to apply to our personal sin-guilt if we repent of living life apart from Him and put our total confidence in the atoning power of Christ’s death for us.
John 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18; Acts 4:12; Galatians 2:21; Romans 3:21-24
People who believe this understand that there is nothing else we can do to add to our salvation—it is complete and a gift from God, not by works, so no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christ’s singular act points to the truth that there is no other way to be saved from sin. Enthusiasm for missions grows from this truth.
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We believe the Holy Spirit is entirely God and fully personal. He leads sinners to put their confidence in Christ, and He indwells every person who takes this faith-step, pressing each one to yield to His leadership. This ‘Way of the Spirit’ is normal Christian living and is the source of our Christlikeness and the knowledge of our mission during our time on earth. To be filled with the Spirit means to live life under His control. To not have the Spirit is to not be a child of God.
Romans 7:6; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6
People who believe this understand that their life is actually two lives lived in the same space. Because our indwelling resident is our good and wise God, we trust Him. A large part of faith-living involves not only trusting in His ability to lead us well but allowing Him to do so.
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We believe that this is the age when Christ is building His invisible Kingdom in the hearts of people and that He intends to extend the reach of this Kingdom by establishing and growing churches across the globe. We believe that the Holy Spirit desires to draw people to Bible-teaching, Spirit-led congregations. He grants everyone a ‘Spiritual gift’ to use to minister in the church setting.
John 18:36-37; Matthew 16:18; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Hebrews 10:25
People who believe this understand that while salvation is a very individual choice, and co-living with the indwelling Spirit is hugely personal, God’s intention is for us to be a part of a community of faith.
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We believe that history is rapidly heading for a great climax when Jesus will return. No one but the Father knows the exact time. At His return, Jesus will defeat all who oppose His rule, especially the devil. He will judge all men and cast all without Christ into Hell. The work of the saints will be examined, and rewards will be given. We believe in the 1,000-year earthly reign of Christ followed by eternal life in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
Acts 1:11; Revelation 20:1-6; 21:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:14-15; 15:25-26
People who believe this understand that we should be continually ready for Christ to come, confident that righteousness will certainly prevail. We are filled with hope knowing that a trillion-billion years in glory makes earthly troubles fade in significance. Because of the rewards, we are also motivated to do good work.