The Influence of the Practical Implementation of the Great Commission Missiological Praxis on Church Growth Among Mainline Churches in the Busoga Region

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of the practical implementation of the Great Commission missiological praxis on Church Growth among mainline Churches in the Busoga region. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The target population consisted of 20 church leaders and 100 laity members from 20 mainline congregations in the Busoga region. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. This study employed a fixed sample size of 95 respondents, drawn from 20 mainline Protestant congregations in the Busoga region. From each congregation, a minimum of 5 participants were selected, comprising 1 church minister, 1 lay leader, and 3 committed members actively involved in the church's ministry, particularly in areas of discipleship and evangelism. A pretest of data collection instruments was done in a nearby Buganda region that has similar conditions of church decline to the Busoga region. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of SPSS version 22. The results were presented using frequency tables, percentages, and charts. The study found that the practical implementation of the Great Commission missiological praxis is not widely adopted among mainline churches in the Busoga region, with many churches practicing it at a minimal level. Despite this, almost all respondents (98.7%) agreed that such implementation is crucial for church growth. Although most respondents (76.3%) had accepted Christ, many (73.7%) indicated that there were no deliberate altar calls for new believers, and 78.9% asserted that the church largely relied on biological growth rather than outreach. Additionally, over half (53.9%) of the respondents were unsure about experiencing God's presence during church Sunday services, with 60.5% further agreeing that they became church members through marriage and family subscription, and a significant portion (82.9%) noted the absence of a systematic training program for new believers. Fulfilling the Great Commission by practically implementing the missiological praxis is crucial for both spiritual and numerical growth of mainline churches in the Busoga region. The more these churches apply the missiological practices, the more they are likely to experience growth and establishment. However, many of the mainline churches sampled in this study appear to neglect this approach, which has negatively impacted their influence on church growth in the region. The Church must actively facilitate the fulfillment of the Great Commission by implementing its missiological praxis. This involves developing strategies to engage members in local congregations, encouraging active participation in church activities, and fostering both spiritual and numerical growth through discipleship and outreach initiatives.