elected for a four-year term from amongst the nishops of the dioceses. The ELCT's current presiding pishop is Fredrick Onael Shoo. Presiding bishops Clergy and Church Body The ELCT employs 1360 ordained pastors (28 of them overseas), 3000 lay evangelists, and 300 community officers to aid the work of the church (2014 figures). Women are not ordained in all ELCT dioceses; however, as of 1990, the national church does ordain women. Ordination of women is a sensitive topic in the ELCT and the church is largely split. Currently, local dioceses make their own decision on whether to ordain women or not. The ELCT is one of the fastest growing churches in the world, with an annual growth in baptized members of around 8%. Social Services Social service programming is central to the mission of the ELCT. The social services offered by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania include the following departments: Education (Secondary and University) Finance and Administration Health and Medical Care (21 hospitals and numerous local pharmacies) Mission and Evangelism Planning and Development Social Services and Women's Work HIV/AIDS Program Disaster Response Dioceses The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania consists of the following regional dioceses: Central Diocese Dodoma Diocese East of Lake Victoria Diocese Eastern & Coastal Diocese Iringa Diocese Karagwe Diocese Konde Diocese Lake Tanganyika Diocese Mara Region Diocese Mbulu Diocese Meru Diocese Morogoro Diocese Mwanga Diocese Northern Diocese North-Central Diocese North-Eastern Diocese North-Western Diocese Pare Diocese Ruvuma Diocese Southern Diocese South-Central Diocese South-East of Lake Victoria Diocese South-Eastern Diocese South-Western Diocese Ulanga Kilombero West Central Diocese Beliefs Lutheranism Lutheranism is associated with the theology of Martin Luther, with its official confessional writings found in the Book of Concord. Lutheranism generally accepts the unaltered Augsburg Confession (not the variata) as a true witness to the Gospel. Lutheran clergy tend not to subscribe to a doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, but see validity in various scholarly methods of analysis to help in understanding the Bible. This is in concord with most moderate Protestant bodies and in contrast to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in the United States, which practices the historical-grammatical method of biblical interpretation. Like other Lutheran church bodies, the ELCT confesses two sacraments: Communion (or the Eucharist) and Holy Baptism (including infant baptism). Confession and absolution is often included as a sacrament; however, as it is a return to the forgiveness given in baptism, strictly speaking, there are only