Institutional Governance and Religious Mobility: Understanding Member Migration in Traditional Churches of Dar es Salaam

Abstract

Religious mobility in urban Tanzania is often discussed through spiritual experience and socioeconomic aspiration, while the relationship between everyday church governance and decisions to remain, leave or return requires closer examination. This study explored that relationship in eight selected Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican congregations in Dar es Salaam. Guided by Hirschman’s Exit–Voice–Loyalty framework and Institutional Theory, it employed a qualitative case study design. Data collected between April and July 2025 comprised 32 in-depth interviews, six focus group discussions, document review and non-participant observation. Thematic analysis identified four interconnected dimensions: transparency and accountability, participation and inclusivity, pastoral responsiveness, and spiritual expectations. Participants associated delayed financial explanations, restricted opportunities to question decisions, and the exclusion of women and youth with weakened trust. Some described Pentecostal and revivalist congregations as offering greater recognition and accessible care. Others valued traditional churches’ sacramental continuity, while returnees linked renewed affiliation to disappointment with financial demands and leadership practices elsewhere. These accounts indicate that mobility involved continuing evaluations of institutional credibility rather than a uniform movement away from traditional Christianity. The study extends the analysis of exit and loyalty by treating return as a possible renegotiation of belonging. It identifies financial dialogue, meaningful participation and responsive pastoral arrangements as practical priorities, while recognizing differences within denominations and the limits of retrospective qualitative evidence.