Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. Board of World Missions.

The Augustana Synod sent missionaries to northern Tanganyika in 1922, in response to an appeal from the Leipzig Mission, whose work had been curtailed by WWI. This work came under the Africa Committee of the newly formed Board of Foreign Missions in 1923, and a constitution was adopted for the Tanganyika Augustana Lutheran Mission. Membership in this body consisted of the Tanganyika missionaries. In 1955 the name of the Board of Foreign Missions was changed to the Board of World Missions. In 1963 the work was absorbed by the Lutheran Church in America under its Board of World Missions, later called the Division of World Missions and Ecumenism.

When the Leipzig missionaries returned, the Augustana staff revived an earlier Leipzig work in Iramba in 1927 and laid the foundation of today's Central Synod. When WWII again removed the German missionaries, Augustana took over the work of the Berlin, Bethel, and Leipzig missions. Following this war Augustana strengthened its Central Synod work.

With impetus from the Lutheran World Federation, Tanganyika moved toward establishing a united Lutheran body. Regional churches began to form in 1948 and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Northern Tanganyika became the first of a succession of indigenous churches. The Federation of Lutheran Churches of Tanganyika, consisting of all seven regional churches, was organized in 1958. In 1963 the federation was dissolved and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania was established. Further Tanzania records can be located among LCA records.

The records were created or collected by executives of the BFM/BWM. O.J. Johnson served as chairman from 1923-1939. S. Hjalmar Swanson served as Executive Director from 1939-1955, Melvin Hammarberg from 1955-1962, and Rudolph C. Burke from 1962 until Augustana merged with the Lutheran Church in America, having first served as Associate Executive Director from 1956-1961.