Nyakato Lutheran Bible College supports the growing churches of Tanzania’s Lake Zone

The green campus area of Nyakato Lutheran Bible College is waking up to a new day. The air is fresh and full of the smell of wet soil after last night’s heavy rain. A few students have got together to read the Bible before the lessons of the day start.

Nyakato Lutheran Bible College in the city of Mwanza in Northwest Tanzania has been providing theological education since 2010. The College turns out pastors, evangelists, and parish workers for the dioceses in Tanzania’s Lake Zone. Felm has supported the work of the College since its establishment.

“The Eastern Diocese of Lake Victoria is relatively young, which means that the number of Christians in this area is smaller than in many other parts of Tanzania. The diocese’s missiological identity involves spreading the gospel, which also helps it grow,” says Janne Juhaninmäki, Programme Manager at Felm.

“Rather than having pastors, many parishes of the Lake Zone are led by evangelists. Theological competence is seen as important, and the education of pastors provides skilled employees for growing parishes. Nyakato Bible College plays an important role in supporting the growth of churches in this area,” Juhaninmäki explains.

The number of students in Nyakato has grown steadily year after year and has now reached 83. About one half of these students are women. Nyakato is one of the educational institutions in Tanzania from which women can also graduate as pastors. The College’s work has a high impact as almost all of the evangelists, parish workers, and pastors it turns out find employment in the new parishes of the region.

In 2023, a total of 52 students graduated from Nyakato, 19 of whom were women. Nyakato receives students from different backgrounds and starting points. Understanding people’s diversity and traditions that may be unfamiliar to the future church employees is an important skill.

Some of the students in Nyakato do not have a basic education certificate. Felm provides financial support to these students and to evangelist students from poor backgrounds. In total, Felm supported 47 students in 2023.

“The pastor’s most important task is to serve the church and God. By their example, parish workers lead people to the right path, the path of salvation,” says Benjamin Melkizedek, Deputy Principal of Nyakato.

In December 2023, an open discussion event about heresy was held in Nyakato. Participants from village communities, universities, and parishes were invited to discuss fallacious Bible interpretations that lead to harmful practices. The event was a great success in the Diocese of Lake Victoria.

“Nyakato enjoys a very good reputation in Tanzania. Some of our diploma-level theology students complete their degrees in cooperation with the University of Iringa. We recently received feedback in which the university praised the excellent quality of the students’ theses,” Melkizedek rejoices.

Felm supports theological education