Three-Year Strategic Plan (2012-2015)
Diocese of Rift Valley
Anglican Church of Tanzania

Vision
The Diocese of Rift Valley aspires to create a changed community: physically, mentally, spiritually, and one that seeks fairness, justice and equality for the glory of God.

Mission
To continue the work begun under the leadership of the first bishop of our diocese; to follow the plans of the diocese that will enable God’s people to do His work: to teach and preach the gospel, touching the lives of all people, and bringing healing to body, mind and spirit.

Goals
1. To strengthen the diocesan evangelistic effort so that the number of Christians will increase from 130,000 to 136,600.
Objectives
  1. To conduct one evangelistic meeting each year in each church, parish and deanery.
  2. To conduct training seminars in each church, parish and deanery for Christians who have made a commitment during evangelistic meetings.
  3. To conduct "Emotionally Free" seminars in one parish per deanery each year.
  4. To send a team of five evangelists to plant churches in the Northern Zone of the diocese.
  5. To carry out door-to-door evangelism.
  6. To show the film “The Life and Ministry of Jesus.”
  7. To start Bible study classes using the ‘Faith Comes through Hearing” cassette tape programme.

Implementation
  1. Increase the number of Christians by 2,200 every year—this is the equivalent of 200 Christians in each deanery each year. The pastors, with the evangelism committee of each church, parish and deanery, will oversee the implementation.
  2. Each church, parish and deanery will set up an evangelism committee to raise awareness and to implement the above objectives.

Evaluation
  1. Monthly, each priest will report progress to the local Area Dean.
  2. Monthly deanery reports will be given at every Diocesan Council.
2. To become a self-sustaining community that can depend on the time, talent and gifts of the congregation.
Objectives
  1. To continue to provide stewardship education so that the income share provided by the annual offerings to support St. John’s Place, Kilimatinde Hospital, and Kilimatinde Nursing Training school will increase from 0.8% to 50%.
  2. To continue to train people how to use the available resources to reduce acute poverty through the TEARFUND CCMP programme.
  3. To give one hundred women one female goat each in different villages in the diocese. This is a loan to the women, and they will pay back a female goat to continue the giving program.
  4. To ensure the financial independence of the diocese by collecting an annual contribution from every Christian that is not less than TSh 1000.
  5. To encourage each church, parish, and deanery to start income-generating projects, such as farming and keeping livestock (pigs, cows, goats, chickens etc).
  6. To reintroduce the Church Central Fund (CCF): each church will be required to contribute 25% of their annual income to this fund, which will be used to support the Diocesan Headquarters.
  7. To build schools.
  8. To build hostels.
  9. To build conference halls.
  10. To start a milling machine project.

Implementation
  1. Trainers will give seminars on sustainability to Christians one Sunday a month.
  2. A list of all Christians and their giving records will be kept for follow-up purposes. All money will be kept in a special diocesan account with the NMB bank in the Manyoni, Singida and Kiomboi branches.
  3. A system will be established such that each Christian can contribute once or twice per year depending on their ability.
  4. Committees to oversee annual offerings will be established. They will be responsible for the collection and use of offerings.
  5. Each church will contribute 25% of its annual income to the Church Central Fund (CCF).
  6. The milk goat project will be overseen by the Mothers' Union.
  7. Project descriptions will be written and sent to our friends in Tanzania and around the world.

Evaluation
  1. Monthly reports will be given to area deans, and they will report to those responsible for overseeing annual giving and the Diocesan Council. The Mothers' Union will report the development of dairy goats to the Diocesan Council.
  2. The Development Officer will report all projects implemented by the diocese to the Diocesan Council.
3. To raise the level of education of all diocesan staff and all Christians.
Objectives
  1. To develop the abilities of pastors, catechists, evangelists and their wives through the Theological Education by Extension (TEE) programme.
  2. To have a clear system of payment for the individual and the church, parish, deanery, diocese and friends from within and outside the diocese.
  3. To establish a diocesan training fund that will receive contributions from the diocese and friends of the diocese.
  4. To appoint a Diocesan Officer of Christian Education and a Diocesan Officer of Education.
  5. To provide Christian training in each parish through listening to cassette tapes, TEE, the Mothers’ Union and Sunday school.
  6. To provide Christian training in each primary and secondary school, as well as in colleges.
  7. To reintroduce Bible study to all Christians in each church on Fridays.
  8. To emphasise Christian training through the Mothers’ Union programmes each Tuesday.

Implementation
  1. Each year, forty pastors, catechists and evangelists will complete an ACT (Anglican Church of Tanzania) Certificate in Theology.
  2. Each year, eight pastors will be sent for further study: five for a diploma, two for an undergraduate degree and one for a master’s degree.
  3. From 2012-2014, one worker will receive a PhD in medicine and five others should reach various levels of qualifications.
  4. Deanery leaders of TEE and the Diocesan Officer for Christian Education will oversee all plans for TEE and Christian education performed through listening to cassette tapes and Sunday school. They will be assisted by deanery, parish and church leaders. Sunday school and Mothers’ Union leaders will also be involved.

Evaluation
  1. Pastors should evaluate and give monthly reports to Area Deans on the “Faith Comes through Listening” cassette tape programme, TEE and Sunday school programmes.
  2. The Diocesan Officers of Education and Christian Education will report to the Diocesan Council.
  3. The Diocesan Council will receive these reports at each meeting.
4. To improve our church services.
Objectives
  1. To establish a Christian bookshop in each deanery by September 30th, 2015.
  2. To produce a list of all Christians, both adults and children, in every church.
  3. To produce a list of communicants for each church by September 30th, 2015.
  4. To encourage individuals and churches to buy service books (bibles, prayer books, hymn books) by 2015.
  5. To carry out deanery seminars for all pastors regarding church services every year.
  6. To encourage preparation before services, maintenance and cleanliness of equipment, and the use of appropriately coloured vestments according to the liturgical seasons of the church year.
  7. To improve choirs through deanery and area events.

Implementation
  1. Each year, one hundred churches will buy new service books. Pastors and evangelism committees will oversee this.
  2. The youth department will oversee the choirs to ensure their full participation in services and events.
  3. All Christians will be encouraged to buy service books.

Evaluation
  1. Area Deans will carry out evaluations each month and keep records of achievements.
  2. Each Diocesan Council meeting will be given deanery reports showing how many Christians have bought service books.
5. To enable 11,000 Christians to join small church groups to enhance their economic and spiritual development as individuals.
Objectives
  1. To develop existing economic groups, to encourage the formation of new groups and to register them through parish councils and area deanery councils.
  2. To seek funds and support from friends of the DRV within Tanzania and around the world.
  3. To offer training in sewing and tailoring at all our institutions.

Implementation
  1. Each deanery will register one group per year through parish councils.
  2. Parish councils, deaneries and the Diocesan Finance Department will be responsible for overseeing the development of the groups.
  3. Every year, fifty people will be registered and trained in sewing and tailoring.

Evaluation
  1. Area Deans and pastors will report to the Diocesan Council, giving the number of groups that have been registered by the parish councils, the number of members in each group, the work they are involved in and whether they are continuing.
  2. The Diocesan Finance Department will report on the total number of groups in the diocese for each deanery.
6. To provide a good-quality house and a motorbike for each pastor, and a good-quality church building.
Objectives
  1. To raise awareness amongst Christians of the importance of having a quality church building, pastor’s house and transportation for their pastor.
  2. To ensure that each Area Dean has a motorbike.
  3. To establish deanery committees to oversee the building work and the purchase of vehicles.

Implementation
  1. By the end of 2013, 30% of the building of churches and pastors’ houses should be complete, 70% by the end of 2014 and 100% by end of 2015.
  2. By December 2014, each parish should have established a fund for the purchase of a vehicle. In 2015, they should purchase the vehicle.

Evaluation
  1. Pastors will report to Area Deans each month. These reports will show the parishes that have set up funds or have bought vehicles.
7. To provide funds so that one or more persons may travel outside the diocese for work or evangelistic mission.
Objectives
  1. To save each month, in each parish/deanery, to send one person outside the diocese.
  2. To establish a diocesan fund to which each parish will contribute.

Implementation
  1. Each year, parishes, deaneries or the diocese will send one person outside the parish, deanery or diocese for mission purposes.
  2. One person will be sent outside the country for a period of at least three weeks.

Evaluation
  1. The Diocesan Department of Evangelism will report to the Diocesan Council on this goal.
8. To combat HIV/AIDS.
Objectives
  1. To deliver HIV/AIDS education each month in every parish, church and deanery.
  2. To care for the physical and spiritual welfare of those living with HIV/AIDS in their homes.
  3. To provide the essential needs for widows and orphans.
  4. To raise awareness in and around Tanzania of the severity of the HIV/AIDS problem and to seek funding to help meet the needs of those with this disease.
  5. To establish an HIV/AIDS fund in each parish, and to encourage people to contribute generously.

Implementation
  1. The names of all orphans in each parish will be recorded with an explanation of which parents have died.
  2. The needs of orphans will be identified and parish HIV/AIDS committees will be used to provide assistance.
  3. Clinics will be established offering counselling and testing for STDs in Kilimatinde Hospital and St. Paul’s VTC, Singida.
  4. Those living with HIV/AIDS will be assisted with basic needs—for example, loans to start small projects, nutritious food and medicines which reduce the symptoms of HIV/AIDS.
  5. Orphans will be assisted in obtaining school uniforms, exercise books, shoes, pencils, medical services and school fees.

Evaluation
  1. The HIV/AIDS committee of each parish, Kilimatinde Hospital and St. Paul’s VTC, Singida will report to the Diocesan Secretary of the Mothers’ Union and she will report to the Diocesan Council at each meeting.
9. To conserve the environment and water sources.
Objectives
  1. To encourage each church to plant and care for 100 trees every year, or for the diocese to plant 26,700 trees per year.
  2. To encourage all Christians to plant trees at their homes and farms.
  3. To conserve water sources such as springs, dams, lakes, etc.
  4. To provide a local source of water by 2015 in two villages that currently have water problems.
  5. To write a funding proposal to send to various organisations and friends to ask for assistance.
  6. To look after the environment of each church.

Implementation
  1. Records will be kept of trees that have been planted by churches and individuals. Church and parish secretaries and pastors will oversee this.
  2. Two or more villages with water problems will be identified and work to dig wells or create dams will be started.
  3. Everyone in the areas concerned will be encouraged to contribute financially or practically to enable the implementation of this goal.

Evaluation
  1. Parish water committees will report to pastors who will report to Area Deans.
  2. Area Deans will report to the Diocesan Council on tree planting and water projects.