Tanzania, May 13 -- Arusha. Change is taking shape within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), which says it plans to convene a General Assembly before the end of this year to endorse its proposed new constitution.

The move follows a resolution reached on August 25, 2023, when 214 of the 248 delegates at the ELCT's 21st General Assembly approved a proposal requiring all dioceses to operate under one unified constitution.

If adopted, the reforms would abolish the existing 28 diocesan constitutions, which currently grant full autonomy to each diocese, and introduce a stronger central governance structure headed by a more powerful church leader.

On May 10, 2026, ELCT Secretary General Rogath Mollel said the church had been ...