Where We Serve / Tanzania
For millions of Tanzanians, Scripture has never spoken in their own words.
Together, we are changing that.
Why it matters
A language is more than words. It’s where faith lives.
Tanzania is one of the most faithful nations on earth — churches fill every morning, prayer is woven into daily life. But for millions of Tanzanians, Scripture has never arrived in their first language.
That changes how deeply the Word can be heard. It changes how personally God can feel. And it changes what a community believes is possible for them.
Lutheran Bible Translators has been working in Tanzania for over
two decades — not just translating words, but building the local teams, literacy programs, and community relationships that make translated Scripture last
Oral Bible Storytelling Workshop — May 2025. Five language groups — Kerewe, Kara, Sumbwa, Sukuma, Taturu
“When we read the Gospel in our own language for the first time, it was like hearing God speak directly to our village.”
Community Translator, Kerewe Island
Lutheran Bible Translators is already solving the technical problems related to Bible translation and is supporting students studying translation in Seminary. The partnership will advance translation work in Ethiopia.
Hailu Berhanu
Tsamakko Language, Ethiopia
When people speak in their languages, it is very easy to understand what God is saying to them. We work with Lutheran Bible Translators to share ideas and ensure people have access to the Word of God.
Pastor Oscar Lema
Kerewe Language, Tanzania
We need Bible translations in the languages we understand best. Our vision is for pastors and members of our community to be trained in Bible translation. Then the work can spread, and our capacity can grow.
Steven Ttopoqogo
Waria Multi-Language Project, Papua New Guinea
Because we have the New Testament in our own languages, our missionaries can take the Gospel to isolated people.
Mr. Ndorbor
Bandi Bandi Old Testament Translation, Liberia
“I can’t believe that is us who did this, l am very proud and thank God for his mercies!” expressing his joy, the first day he received the Gospel of Mark, a text he had helped to translate.
Motswasele
Wayeyi Bible Translation Team Member, Botswana
When you communicate to people in their own language, they can grasp the Gospel with their two hands.
Rev. John Bundor
Kissi Literacy and Scripture Engagement, Sierra Leone
Language Communities Served
Years of ELCT Partnership
Villages Received Jonah
Active Translation Initiatives
Why This Matters
When God Speaks Your Language
Translation isn’t a linquistic project. It’s a transformation – of individuals, families and entire communities.
Faith becomes personal
For generations, the Gospel traveled through other languages — translated, then re-translated. When it finally arrives in a mother tongue, something shifts. God is no longer distant. Scripture feels written for you, about you, to you.
Communities lead themselves
Translated Scripture empowers local leaders to teach and disciple in their own words. What once required an outside interpreter now belongs to the community itself. That’s not just theological — it’s generational.
Children inherit something lasting
A Bible in your language is a Bible that stays. Children grow up reading Scripture in the same voice they use to talk to their families. That inheritance doesn’t fade with a generation.
How It Works
There is a plan. It’s working.
Translation is not a single act — it’s a multi-year process built around community ownership, linguistic scholarship, and local leadership. Every language project follows the same proven stages.
When you give, you’re investing in a methodology that has produced lasting results across Tanzania for over two decades.
Community partnership
LBT builds trust with local leaders, trains community translators, and completes a linguistic survey.
Literacy foundation
Before Scripture can be received, communities need to be able to read it. Literacy programs run alongside translation.
Scripture translation
Local teams draft, review, and refine translations — ensuring every word reads naturally in the community’s own voice.
Distribution & discipleship
Completed Scripture is distributed and woven into church life, ensuring it’s read, taught, and passed on.
Give to Tanzania
You can put Scripture in the hands of Tanzanian believers.
A gift to the Tanzania country fund supports all four active translation projects — the translators, the literacy programs, the community partnerships, and the long-term work of getting it right. You see Scripture take root by receiving field updates, stories, and reports from the communities your gift is reaching. Watch families worship in their heart language.
Or give to a specific language community
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Regional News & Media
Scripture belongs in every language. You can help.
Join believers across the country who are equipping Tanzanian church leaders to bring God’s Word home — in the language that shapes daily life.
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