WMI

Foundations Of The Constitution

WHEREAS, the desire and vision to pioneer and establish a Christian society of a Pentecostal nature for expansion of kingdom of God in Tanzania was first found in the heart of the minister and servant of God brother Sylvester Gamanywa in the year 1984;

WHEREAS, the establishment of the said society was made possible in the year 1990, being constituted and legally registered as “The World Apostolic Ministries” under the Societies Ordinance, 1954; now the Societies Act [Cap.337 2002]; given registration number SO. 7291;

WHEREAS, the first amendment of the Constitution of 1990 of the aforesaid society was made in the year 1997, thereof changing its name from the “World Apostolic Ministries” to the “Word and Pentecostal Organizations” and abbreviated as “WAPO”;

WHEREAS, in the year 2000 another major amendments of the said Constitution were carried out, thus, changing the name of the said society from the “Word and Pentecostal Organizations” to the Word and Peace Organizations” [WAPO];

AND WHEREAS, the so far made amendments in the said Constitution had been over passed by both social and Christian needs, and can no longer withstand the test of time;

NOW, THEREFORE, IT HAS BEEN DECLARED BY THIS MEETING THAT, the Constitution of 1990 be replaced by this Constitution which accommodates among other things, the change of the name of the Christian society from the “Word and Peace Organizations” to “WAPO MISSION INTERNATIONAL” or in its acronym WMI; reflecting new vision, missions, core values, guiding principles and structure of the said Christian society with view to working with not only Local Christian Community but also International Christian Community in new global context while adhering to the Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus Christ.

WAPO MISSION INTERNATIONAL, abbreviated WMI, is a Christian organization established in 1984, and given registration number SO 7291, and its headquarters are currently located in Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam.

The origin of WAPO MISSION INTERNATIONAL is directly linked to a significant spiritual experience undergone by Rev. Sylvester Gamanywa in October 1984. During this time, he felt a strong spiritual inspiration to undertake a prolonged period of fasting and prayer. This fast involved abstaining from food and consuming only water, and it was intended to last for 28 days, with prayer conducted day and night.

Rev. Gamanywa’s motivation for embarking on this rigorous fast stemmed from spiritual challenges he was facing at that particular time. Additionally, he drew inspiration from the biblical account of Jesus Christ, who fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness and subsequently returned empowered by the Spirit.

At that point in his life, Rev. Gamanywa was a young man serving as an unpaid preacher of the Gospel. As he did not have a private space suitable for such an extended period of focused prayer, he chose to go to the top of Kwakoko hill, which is located near the town of Same, to conduct his fast and prayers.

A pivotal moment occurred during the initial phase of the fast. Within the first five days, Rev. Gamanywa experienced receiving revelations, described as new divine ideas in his heart, in a manner he perceived as miraculous. Among these revelations was a specific and clear inspiration to establish a mission organization.

This divine idea, received during the fast on Kwakoko hill in October 1984, served as the foundational inspiration and direct origin for the establishment of the mission organization that is now widely recognized and known as WAPO MISSION INTERNATIONAL (WMI).

Vision

The vision of WAPO Mission International shall be to bringing forth a new God fearing generation of good morals, trustworthy leadership, owning of sustainable economy instituted on principles of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Mission

The Mission of WAPO Mission International shall be to mobilize, educate and restore Biblical moral values to individuals in the society

Ministerial Affiliation Facility

Between 1995 and 2002, Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa, the Founder of WMI, gained the wisdom to establish an umbrella unit to cover ministries and churches with a vision similar to WMI, enabling them to freely conduct Gospel ministries under WMI. Within a period of seven years, approximately 200 local and foreign ministries, as well as churches, were established.

Ultimately, Bishop Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa facilitated government registration for all who were under the WMI umbrella, some of whom are now large ministries and churches in Tanzania. This effort was part of fulfilling the responsibility of recognizing and enabling the gifts of emerging ministers according to the Bible.

Founding of the Churches of Pentecostal Council of Tanzania (CPCT)

Moreover, from 1992 onwards, Bishop Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa was inspired to establish what is currently known as the Churches of the Pentecostal Council of Tanzania (CPCT). During that time, there were numerous political and religious challenges that affected the freedom of worship for some churches, particularly those of the Pentecostal faith.

As if that were not enough, within those churches, there were challenges related to leadership conflicts caused by some foreign aid and others resulting from competition for leadership power. Through his personal research and prayers to God, he managed to convene meetings with top senior leaders of Pentecostal churches and shared with them the need to establish a national Pentecostal leadership body similar to organizations such as CCT, TEC, and BAKWATA.

Finally, in 1993, the application for the registration of the Pentecostal Council of Tanzania (PCT) was approved by government authorities and launched by the Minister for Home Affairs on the condition that all legal disputes were removed from court and settled amicably under the PCT. From this period of 1993 to 2025, there has been an increase in Pentecostal and Charismatic growth from 1.5 million to 12 million, and this number is increasing significantly.

Background

Upon his arrival in Dar Es Salaam, Archbishop Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa established one of his very first ministries, The Dar-Es-Salaam Evening Bible School, abbreviated as DEBS. Founded in 1990, DEBS initially offered Certificate-level Discipleship and Church leadership service. The curriculum at DEBS centered on teachings concerning the “Blueprint of the First Church,” which refers to the early Christian community that originated on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The teaching faculty included Pentecostal pastors, among whom was a Missionary Pastor from Canada. A significant outcome of DEBS was that 17 members of the small church in the City of DSM founded by Archbishop Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa were among its graduates. In 2005, after the church ministries relocated from Temeke district area to Mbezi Beach which is in Kinondoni district within Dar Es Salaam, the Bible college was re-established and subsequently became widely recognized as WMI Bible College (WBC).

WBC offers training programs ranging from Certificate to Special Diploma, offered in Swahili, Diploma and Degree programs offered in English. These trainings are conducted online as well as in regular classes located at the WMI headquarters in Mbezi Beach and branches in Chanika, Kibamba, Bagamoyo, and Kiluvia.

Vision and mission

The vision of this college is to be a “College of Transformation.” Our goal is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to prepare faithful servants who can effectively carry out the ministries of Apostleship, Prophecy, Evangelism, Pastoring, and Teaching, as outlined in Ephesians 4:11. We aim to serve not only the National Church but also the Body of Christ at large.

The college exists with the commitment to “prepare spiritual leaders empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach the nations.” To achieve this purpose, every activity conducted at this college is designed to benefit students by equipping them spiritually, intellectually, and in service. This holistic approach ensures that our graduates are well-prepared to fulfill their mission in various ministry contexts.

Specific Objectives

To prepare born-again believers to walk in the ongoing anointing of the Holy Spirit throughout the world.

– To provide a solid foundation of biblical knowledge for demonstrating the works of the Gospel of Signs and Wonders, as well as for the distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
– To build students’ capacity for ministry work in Tanzania and globally.
– To identify and consecrate individuals who demonstrate ministry gifts.

Bishop Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa, when he founded the church under WMI in 1992, faced the challenge of shepherding a congregation of a few believers in the large city of Dar es Salaam. For a period of ten years, the local church did not grow beyond 200 members.

Church congregation known as PMC at Dar Es Salaam Technical College, down town in 1994.

Eventually, he decided to conduct research with leaders of mega churches worldwide, including those in South Korea. His research inspired him to initiate campaigns for healing prayers and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He set a goal to bring at least 1 million people to Jesus, famously known as “One Million for Jesus.”

This was a special strategy to preach the full Gospel of salvation, supernatural healings for diseases and chronic problems, setting the captives free from the power of evil spirits, and praying for baptism in the power of the Holy Spirit as a movement of “Back to the ACTS” of the first church.

Prof. Gamanywa started broadcasting invitations through WAPO RADIO FM and Msemakweli Newspaper. This evangelistic strategy of Deliverance Campaigns known as HAKUNA LISILOWEZEKANA was officially launched on 9/5/2003.

150 first harvest for the first evangelistic indoor meetings.

From that day on, the response has been tremendous! Thousands of people from all over the city have attended these healing services, from those who were desperately ill to those suffering from paralysis.

From May 2003 up to June 2004 the congregation attendance grew in number from 80 up to 2500. This rapid attendance growth is a result of WAPO RADIO FM advertisements and “Live” Preaching programs of HAKUNA LISILOWEZEKANA.

After two months we moved outside in tents.

In June 2004, due to the limited space at WAPO MISSION premises, these meetings were shifted into a larger Hall, formerly known as PTA at Sabasaba Grounds. It was over there, where the number of attendance increased from 2500 up to 6300.

Three months later tents were not enough, people had to stand outside the tents. From there, we shifted to Sabasaba Grounds, Kurasini.

However, after shifting from PTA Hall to a new center at Mbezi Beach, the number of attendance decreased from 6,300 up to 4,200 per week. This is due to the fact that at every major shifting change of any congregation from one location to another the attendance always drops from 30% up to 70%.

The Second Phase Revival At Mbezi Beach (2005-2015)

The following is an example of a brief statistical report of the major events of thousands of people inside the BCIC Mbezi Beach auditorium for a period of 10 years (2005-2015).

The conclusion of church growth from a small church to a mega church is illustrated by the experience of WMI in Dar es Salaam. Established in 1992 with only 17 members, the church faced limitations that capped its growth at 200 members for a decade.

However, in 2003, Bishop Prof. Sylvester Gamanywa implemented a new management style that prioritized addressing the spiritual, health, social, and economic needs of the congregation. This strategic shift led to significant growth, resulting in a current network of 2,848,452 members who have believed and been baptized over a span of 33 years (1992-2025).