Last week the Diocese of the Rift Valley in Tanzania held its first Rooted in Jesus discipleship conference. The diocesan vision is to increase the number of Christians by 2,200 every year, and to do this by becoming a self-sustaining community which grows through releasing the time, talents and gifts of its members. Bishop John Lupaa hopes that Rooted in Jesus will help to fulfil this vision.

The conference was led by a team of experienced Rooted in Jesus coordinators from the dioceses of Mara, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mpwapwa, all of whom testified to the growth they have seen through Rooted in Jesus in their own contexts. A sustained focus on intentional discipleship has brought increased commitment, church growth and financial resources to their dioceses, they said – and they told many stories to prove it.

Can we learn from that here? Perhaps Bishop John is right when he says “We are lucky, because we are poor. People depend on God, because they have nothing else.” But perhaps there is more to it than that? When people take active steps to grow in their relationship with Jesus, they become willing to surrender their own time and resources to help others. The key becomes not what they lack, but what they are prepared to give.

Church growth in Tanzania (and many other regions of Africa) outstrips anything we have seen here for a very long time. Can we learn from their experience? We’ve posted a full report on the Rooted in Jesus blog – you can read it HERE. Let us know what you think!

Coming soon – the remarkable story of how a whole diocese has been planted in one of the most troubled regions of the world through Rooted in Jesus…

Posted 5th March 2019