Tanzania Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Tanzania, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites
'''Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * South Africa, Netherdutch Reformed Church Registers (Pretoria Archive), 1838-1991, index and images, includes Tanzania
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Tanzania, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Africa, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Tanzania, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Africa, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
A 2010 Pew survey found 61.4 percent of respondents to be Christian. These are also the figures in the CIA World Factbook. A 2008-09 Pew survey found that 51 percent of Tanzanian Christians described themselves as Roman Catholic, and 44 percent described themselves as Protestant. Among Protestants, Lutherans (13 percent of Tanzanian Christians), Pentecostals (10 percent), Anglicans (10 percent), and adherents of African initiated churches (5 percent) dominate. The Orthodox Church claims an estimated 60,000 adherents in Tanzania. The United Methodist Church claims 8,371 members in Tanzania.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Tanzania.
 * b. Click on Places within Tanzania and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Maps.me Church Directory for Tanzania

Writing to a Local Parish
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Tanzania

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in Tanzania is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are more than 10 million Catholics in the country - about a quarter of the total population. There are 34 dioceses, including 7 archdioceses.

Online Records
Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background
Two families from the United States and Canada living in Dar-es-Salaam began holding meetings in 1991. Tanzania was included in the newly formed Kenya Nairobi Mission, which was created in July 1991, and in 1992 the Church was legally recognized in Tanzania. In February 1992 the first missionary couple arrived, and in December of that year a branch (a small congregation) was created in Dar-es-Salaam. Today there are three branches there. Total Church Membership: 1,726. Congregations:6.

Writing for Records

 * Church Directory by Diocese
 * Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Tanzania

Historical Background
The Anglican Church of Tanzania (ACT) is a province of the Anglican Communion based in Dodoma. It consists of 28 dioceses (27 on the Tanzanian mainland, and 1 on Zanzibar) headed by their respective bishops. It seceded from the Province of East Africa in 1970, which it shared with Kenya. The church's origins lie in the Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania) founded in 1884, with James Hannington as the first bishop; however, Anglican missionary activity had been present in the area since the Universities' Mission to Central Africa and the Church Missionary Society began their work in 1864 and 1878 at Mpwapwa.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Assembly of God churches in Tanzania

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Dutch Reformed churches in Tanzania

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Tanzania

Historical Background
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) is the federation of Lutheran churches in Tanzania and one of the largest Lutheran denomination in the world with more than 6 million members. The church is led by a presiding bishop and twenty-five diocesan bishops. In 1938, seven Lutheran churches founded a federation known as the Federation of Lutheran Churches in Tanganyika. On June 19, 1963, the churches merged to become a single church known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

Writing for Records
Tanzania Methodist Church PO Box 60586 Dar-Es-Salaam Tanzania Work Phone: 255 222 781 076 Work Email: byamungu85@hotmail.com
 * Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Tanzania

Writing for Records
The Archdiocese of Mwanza P.O. Box 1113 Mwanza, TANZANIA Telephone: +255-28-2561161 Fax: +255-28-2561163 E-mail: orthodoxtz@yahoo.com
 * Google Maps search results for Orthodox churches in Tanzania
 * Website

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Tanzania