Messages from Mark: 28 Churches Unite in Tanzania Kilimanjaro Region

Ashland Watson
1 day ago
4 min read

Sometimes the most powerful moments in ministry happen when you least expect them.

Our founder, Mark Sherman thought he was heading to a casual catch-up with a few pastors he knew in the Tanzania Kilimanjaro region. What he walked into instead was the official launch of something far bigger, a pastors network representing 28 different churches, all coming together with one shared vision.

"My heart is exploding," Mark shared with our Mosaic Team right after the gathering. "That's my favorite, favorite thing.

An Organic Beginning

The gathering started small. When Mark and our Tanzania Leader, Francis arrived, there were maybe 12 to 15 pastors sitting in chairs, ready to connect. No balloons. No speakers. No manufactured hype. Just the kind of authentic, relational ministry that Mark describes as his favorite, people sitting together, singing acappella, praying, and sharing what God is doing in their communities.

As word spread through the village, more pastors began arriving. Fifteen became twenty. Twenty became twenty-five. By the end, thirty people had gathered, representing 28 different churches across the region.

This wasn't a planned recruitment event. It was the natural result of local church partnerships that have been developing organically over years. Pastors who have been connected with Mosaic's work since nearly the beginning had been sharing what they were experiencing. Other pastors heard about what God was doing and wanted to learn more.

Locally Owned, Locally Led

For the new faces in the room, there were understandable questions: Is this a new denomination? What are we trying to do here? Who are we, and who are we not?

The answers revealed everything about how Mosaic approaches local church partnerships in Tanzania and around the world.

"This is our gathering," the pastors said, as Francis translated for Mark. "This isn't any one of ours. And it's certainly not Mark's or Francis's. This is our locally owned group."

Francis reinforced that vision: "We're going to come alongside you and help enhance what God has already put on your hearts. We're not starting anything new. We're not going to do anything just for you, but we're going to encourage you."

There's a crucial distinction in that statement. Mosaic's role isn't to swoop in with Western solutions or build churches for communities. It's about relationships, trainings, seminars, and helping local pastors think about new ways of doing ministry, all while respecting and empowering the leadership that's already there.

This is what healthy, sustainable missions work looks like.

A Surprise Encounter on the Way to Town

The day held another unexpected blessing.

While Mark and Francis were on their way to town that morning, Francis received a call from Pastor Samson, the same pastor whose village Mosaic's team visited in 2024. Team members on that trip had done sports outreach, home visits, and built relationships with Pastor Samson's congregation in that remote area.

Pastor Samson and a few members of his church had just finished a multi-day prayer retreat in the mountains. Not a comfortable, structured retreat, this was hardcore prayer and time with God.

They stopped in town on their way back to their village, and Mark got to sit with them over breakfast.

"So you were praying," Mark asked. "What did God say?"

Their answer was simple but profound: God was proud of them for pausing everything to spend time with Him.

Mark shared with them on behalf of Mosaic's team, reminding them of the difference they'd made in the lives of the Americans who'd visited, and how their team continues to share stories of what God is doing through Pastor Samson's church.

"It was an awesome and totally out of nowhere experience," Mark said.

That's the beauty of relationship-first missions work. You can't script moments like these. They happen because Mosaic and its partners have built genuine, ongoing connections, not transactional projects with start and end dates.

What Makes This Different

Years of partnership have led to this moment where local pastors are taking ownership, organizing themselves, and inviting others into something they believe in. Mosaic didn't manufacture this network. The organization simply walked alongside pastors who were already doing Kingdom work in their communities.

This is the opposite of the old missions model where Western organizations would parachute in, implement programs, and leave. Instead, these are local church partnerships built on mutual respect, shared vision, and a commitment to seeing what God is already doing, then finding ways to support and enhance it.

The 28 churches represented at this gathering aren't branches of an American organization. They're independent, locally led congregations that have chosen to unite for encouragement, accountability, prayer, and growth.

The Ongoing Story

Mark's excitement is palpable in every sentence of his update. This is why Mosaic does what it does, and how it does it. Not with grand strategies imposed from above, but through patient, humble partnership with leaders like Francis and the pastors throughout the Kilimanjaro region.

The work in Tanzania continues to bear fruit, not because of clever programs or imported solutions, but because Mosaic has committed to showing up, listening, learning, and supporting what local leaders are already building.

Support Local Church Partnerships in Tanzania

The pastors network in the Kilimanjaro region is just one example of what's possible when we invest in local church partnerships. Mosaic walks alongside leaders like Francis and Pastor Samson, providing training, encouragement, and resources that empower them to reach their own communities in sustainable ways.

If you'd like to support this work in Tanzania, you can make a gift today that helps strengthen these partnerships and equip local pastors to continue the work God has called them to. Every contribution helps Mosaic show up, listen, and serve alongside our partners in Tanzania and around the world.

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