Tanzania Grace Bible Institute was started in 1992 as a joint effort between the Grace Church of Tanzania and Grace Ministries International.  As the church expanded due to evangelistic efforts it became apparent that a higher level of formal pastoral education was needed in order to train pastoral families to sheperd the churches that were being planted.  A three year residential program was developed with both Tanzanian and North American staff.  
    Families were brought to the TGBI campus as one of the early values was the training of both the husbands and the wives.  The first class of 24 students graduated in 1995.  Four other classes graduated before TGBI made some significant changes in its program in 2003 (1996 - 16 graduates; 1998 - 24 graduates; 1999 - 19 graduates; 2002 - 24 graduates).
    In 2003 TGBI decided that it was necessary to expand its training to include lay leader training.  Rather than accepting new pastoral students that year the staff worked on developing a curriculum for two-year Bible Schools that were intended to reach a much larger student base. The goal was also to help equip church members for all aspects of the church's ministry.  In 2004 seven Bible Schools were launched with 120 students enrolled.  The Bible School program continues to operate now in nine different locations.  Not every school operates every year but rather the locations in session rotate based upon student availability and funding.
    TGBI's pastoral college did not re-open until after the first graduation of the Bible Schools since it had become a prerequisite to complete the two-year Bible School program before enrolling in the Pastoral College.  In 2006 the Pastoral College was reopened with an all Tanzanian staff.  Another change was that the school had changed to a module format instead of a residential format.  Now the students alternately study for two months and go home for two months for the three-year program.  In 2010 TGBI's Pastoral College graduated 25 more students under the new format.  These students had completed two years of Bible School and three years of Pastoral Training for a total of five years.