Leading a confessional church to renewal: Affirming the priesthood of believers in the Tanzanian Lutheran context

This thesis studies and critiques the presence and impact of renewal in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. It seeks to show the link between the renewal of the Holy Spirit and the New Testament priesthood in the body of believers. The Church is reminded to develop an ecclesiology of integrating renewal by reorienting itself to the theology of the Holy Spirit and adopting the theology of the Holy Spirit, hence affirming the priesthood of believers to the Tanzanian Lutheran context.; The Church is urged to do away with domination of the clergy and the gap between the laity and the clergy in the priesthood that is grounded on spiritual gifts. African ways of expressing faith are suggested for inclusion in enriching the body of believers. Fidelity to the Word of God, training of the laity and functioning ecumenically are suggested as prerequisites for renewing the body of believers.