Master of Arts in Mission Studies

Exploring Determinants of Men’s Absenteeism from Church at Pcea Nyeri Presbytery, Nyeri County, Kenya

2026-02-27T12:02:19Z

Exploring Determinants of Men’s Absenteeism from Church at Pcea Nyeri Presbytery, Nyeri County, Kenya Priscillah, Ndumia Men’s participation in church has raised concerns about the sustainability of congregational engagement, spiritual leadership and community development efforts. In recent times, churches, researchers and religious analysts have recorded absenteeism and a declining trend in the attendance of men in the church both on Sundays and/or weekly church activities. Despite the central role men play in church leadership and family spiritual life, their diminishing presence in church activities remains poorly understood, especially in local Kenyan contexts such as Nyeri County. This study thus sought to examine the factors contributing to men’s absenteeism at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Nyeri County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to evaluate the contribution of church structure, evangelistic strategies, social-cultural practices and economic factors, to men’s absenteeism at the Nyeri Presbytery. Further, the study sought to explore the intervening influence of family commitments and personal beliefs on men’s absenteeism in church today. Understanding these determinants would enable church leaders formulate effective strategies that promote inclusive and sustainable church participation. The study was guided by classical secularization and the economic theory of religious belief. The study employed a descriptive research design, using stratified sampling to select 131 respondents. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews, then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. Quantitative data analysis entailed descriptive (percentages and means) and inferential (regression) statistical methods with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences. The qualitative data was analyzed through themes and patterns. Presentation of analyzed data was through charts, tables and graphs alongside discussion to enable inference, conclusion and recommendations. The study findings indicate that among the key determinants, economic hardship and religious commitment had the most significant influence on absenteeism, with economic struggles discouraging men from active church involvement. Additionally, ineffective lay preaching and evangelistic approaches further contributed to disengagement. Thus, the study concluded that personal religious commitment, though an intervening factor, had the strongest and positive relationship with absenteeism of men in church. To address absenteeism, the church must restructure its evangelistic approach, incorporating more interactive and inclusive fellowship programs. Additionally, social-economic empowerment initiatives should be integrated into church activities to support men facing financial hardships.

Examination of Transitional Challenges Experienced from Junior Church to Youth Ministry in the Methodist Church in Kenya

2024-08-07T09:06:59Z

Examination of Transitional Challenges Experienced from Junior Church to Youth Ministry in the Methodist Church in Kenya Julius, Mercy Mukongari There are major challenges facing youth in the contemporary Kenyan society. These challenges have been propagated by urbanization, secularism, mass media, family, parenting issues and peer pressure. In addition, church leadership is providing blockages where some leaders say there is no space for youth program and children are not permitted to run up and down destroying the church properties. The Specific Objectives of the study was to; find out the effects of youth programs from junior church into youth in Methodist church in Kenya, Machungulu circuit, to find out the impact of church leadership in support of transition from junior church into youth in Methodist church in Kenya, Machungulu circuit, to find out the impact of recreational facilities programs from junior church into youth in Methodist church in Kenya, Machungulu circuit and to examine the impact of peer pressure in the transition period of junior church into youth in Methodist church in Kenya, Machungulu circuit. The study adopts a descriptive survey design. The target population for the study consisted church leaders, pastors, head of departments, parents and the youth in MCK Machungulu circuit. A total of 541 respondents were selected to participate in the study. Simple random sampling was used to pick the respondents. The researcher used questionnaires and Interviews schedules as the research instruments. The findings also showed that the majority of the respondents were aged between 31-55 years. Findings also showed that most employees are degree holders with a few being, diploma, post graduate and form four leavers indicating that respondents in churches are informed and can make sound decisions and thus level of education has a direct influence on the transition from junior church into youth. Study findings show that Youth programs greatly impacted on transition, with a mean score of 3.37. Youth programs ensure teaching and counseling are well done hence there is a smooth transition from junior to youth. This was followed by peer pressure with a mean score of 3.16. This was followed by recreation facilities programs with a mean score of 3.04. Lastly was church leadership with a mean score of 3.00. Some of the leadership styles may be not effective to transition. Future research should focus on more than four parameters of transition. Future studies should focus on other transition parameters and their effect on transition. Approval to carry out the study was obtained from Kenya Methodist University Ethics research committee (KeMUERC) and National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI). The data was analyzed according to variables and objectives of the study. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze, present and interpret data. Descriptive analysis was Applied, the frequency distribution tables and cross tabulation which generated values between dependent and independent variables in the study.

Factors Hindering Christian Evangelism to Muslims: A Case of Mck Nyambene Synod, Meru County

2024-01-10T05:22:35Z

Factors Hindering Christian Evangelism to Muslims: A Case of Mck Nyambene Synod, Meru County Kananu, Gitonga Faith Witnessing to Muslims and people of other faiths has faced challenges in the past and in present times. Ministering the word of God to Muslims has been hindered by several factors in Christians’ evangelistic mission. These factors include ministers and lay preachers’ potential to evangelize to Muslims, lack of theological training ministers and lay preachers, and lack of receptiveness to the gospel by the Muslims. Due to such factors, the work of evangelism has realized less impact on Muslims. Regarding MCK Nyambene Synod Maua town, not much has been achieved by the Christians as far as reaching out to the Muslim community is concerned. This can be attributed to a lack of preparedness among the ministers and lay preachers (MCK Nyambene Synod minute book 2018, 2019, and 2020). The main reason for doing this thesis was to seek out what is hindering the evangelization of Muslims by Christians in MCK Nyambene Synod Meru County, intending to come up with a recommendation on the best ways of doing evangelism among the Muslim community. This is because there are many Muslims in Maua Town, which is in MCK Nyambene Synod, and there is no or little evidence of any of them converting to Christianity, yet there are so many Christians and churches in the Synod. This is an indicator that ministers and lay preachers who are involved in the work of evangelism are not impacting the lives of Muslims living in MCK Nyambene Synod as far as making them disciples of Jesus is concerned. This thesis therefore searched for the theological training of ministers on evangelism to Muslims in MCK Nyambene Synod. It was necessary also for the researcher to find out the receptiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ by Muslims in MCK Nyambene Synod. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The researcher used questionnaires as data collection tools. The researcher preferred qualitative research which used Questionnaires to collect the data. Random sampling was done to ensure the representation of the sample. The research used the theory of communication by S.F. Scudder which seemed to fit well in this type of research. This study relied on a call for setting a framework for the success of communication of the good news of Jesus Christ. The researcher used communication theory because communication penetrates all parts of human life which gives the understanding of human behavior and lead to healthy behavior change among individuals, populations, organizations, communities, and societies. The findings were tabulated, analyzed, and presented in the form of tables and percentages for comparison of responses. The study is on findings on factors hindering Christian evangelism in reaching out to the Muslims living in MCK Nyambene Synod. On the outline of the outcome, the thesis revealed that there was a need for the empowerment of Christians involved in the work of evangelism with the necessary skills to be able to evangelize to the Muslims. The study therefore recommends that top church leaders and heads of institutions of higher learning come up with a curriculum that would empower Christians to be involved in the work of evangelism. The researcher recommends that the church should create an environment that encourages its members to mingle more often with people of other beliefs in Maua Town with a view of getting a better understanding of one another, culminating in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ

Examining the Factors Affecting the Discipline of Pastors’ Children in the Context of Church Mission: A Case of Tigania West Sub-County, Meru County

2022-01-13T10:01:47Z

Examining the Factors Affecting the Discipline of Pastors’ Children in the Context of Church Mission: A Case of Tigania West Sub-County, Meru County Mathiu, Ntarangwi Lichoro Discipline whether of children or adults has a lot of impact in any society. Peace, unity and prosperity of any society is dependent on the discipline of its people. Peace, unity and prosperity of a family or a church or any other institution is also dependent on discipline. Discipline as important as it is, is at times affected to the detriment of the society by some factors. Globally, continentally, nationally and locally there have been reported issues pertaining to discipline of pastors’ children. Discipline of pastors’ children has an effect on the performance of the pastor. Pastors with discipline children are less stressed while pastors with indisciplined children are stressed emotionally and spiritually impacting negatively on their effectiveness in mission. While many studies have been done on the behaviour of pastors' children and the stresses they are subjected to, little has been done regarding factors affecting their discipline and their impact on the church mission. This study, therefore, sought to examine the factors affecting the discipline among pastors' children in the context of church mission in Tigania West Sub-county, Meru County, Kenya. The study had the following objectives; to assess the parenting factors affecting discipline among pastors’ children in the context of church mission in Tigania West Sub-county, to establish the societal factors affecting discipline among pastors’ children in the context of church mission in Tigania West Sub-county , to evaluate the cultural factors affecting discipline among pastors’ children in the context of church mission in Tigania West Sub-county , and to examine the church factors affecting discipline among pastors’ children in the context of church mission in Tigania West Sub-county . Qualitative research approach was used in this study. The target population was 431 people. That is 52, pastors, 191 elders and 188 pastor’s children who were all from 51 Pentecostal church in Tigania West, Meru county. Purposive sampling was used in this study.25 respondents were engaged in this study as follows: 10 Pastors, 10 Pastor’s children and 5 Elders. Open ended questionnaires and interview schedules were used as research instruments. Thematic narrative analysis of data was adopted in this study. The study established that parenting, societal and cultural factors are the main factors affecting the discipline of pastors’ children in Tigania West Sub- county, Meru county. Church factors affected the discipline of children minimally. The study recommended that Pentecostal churches in Tigania West Sub-county, Meru County should have structures in place that ensure pastors are not over burdened with church work at the expense of their families, Churches should initiate programmes that train pastors' children on their roles and on how to face and address challenges posed by their peers, the congregants and the cultural practices that impact discipline negatively. The study recommended that church managements engage counselling professionals who would occasionally provide one-on-one counseling sessions to the pastors' children and always keep in touch with them for their mental and physical wellbeing. The study also recommends that pastors should have training on parenting because it is a challenge to some. Church leaders should be trained on how to handle and encourage a pastor who has children with discipline issues. The study recommended that further study should be done among the female clergy as this study covered only male clergy in regard to the factors affecting the discipline of pastors’ children in the context of church mission in Tigania West Sub-county. Further research should also be carried to establish the impact of pastors’ education to parenting and how pastor’s education impacts discipline.

Critical Factors Influencing Success of Sunday-School as a Mission Field at Bondeni Africa Inland Church, Kenya

2023-06-26T12:11:31Z

Critical Factors Influencing Success of Sunday-School as a Mission Field at Bondeni Africa Inland Church, Kenya Rop, Charles Kipkoech It is indicated that the emphasis of the Sunday-school as a mission field has reduced across churches. The African Inland Church simply mentioned the Sunday-school as one of its functions; however, it fails to show the progress of the Sunday-school and how it presently functions as a mission field. It was of paramount importance to examine the Sunday-school as a mission field in the AIC church as a representative of all other churches that have this mission as part of their functions. The general objective of the study was to have a critical review of mission work at A.I.C Bondeni in Nakuru County, Kenya. Specifically, the study examined how budgetary allocation, competence of Sunday-school teachers and also how administrative support influence Sunday-school as a mission field in the aforementioned church. The study was guided by the Bosch’s paradigm theory of mission. The population of 548 Sunday-school instructors, youth, parents of Sunday-school children, pastors, and administrators at the AIC Bondeni Local Church was studied using a descriptive survey design. Stratified random sampling was used to select 85 congregants from the research population. To obtain data, a detailed self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was pilot tested before being used to collect data for the main study, in order to determine its validity and reliability. Prior to data collection, all necessary permits and consents were obtained. The collected data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively with the aid of the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences software. Results were presented using tables. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. Results revealed that budgetary allocation, teachers’ competence, and administrative support have a positive and statistically significant influence on the success of Sunday-school as a mission field. Teachers’ competence had the strongest influence on Sunday-school success while administrative support had the least. From the discoveries, the study recommends that AIC Bondeni and other churches should create budgetary allocation for teachers’ stipends, assess the theological understanding of Sunday-school teachers, create continual teachers’ training and development programmes, and enhance church leaders’ involvement in the planning and implementation of church activities.

Enhancing Evangelism through Education Sponsorship: A Case of Church Sponsored Schools in Mombasa County

2023-06-26T12:17:34Z

Enhancing Evangelism through Education Sponsorship: A Case of Church Sponsored Schools in Mombasa County Wafula, Eliya Robert Evangelism means proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that people may believe in God through Him, for the sake of their salvation and inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. Evangelism is crucial to the church's mission as a fulfilment of the Great Commission. In order to fulfil this commission the Church applies different ways such as education sponsorship. The purpose of this thesis was to examine how education sponsorship enhances evangelism among church sponsored schools in Mombasa County. The specific objectives of this study were: to establish the role of education sponsorship in enhancing evangelism by church sponsored schools in Mombasa County; to determine how education sponsorship enhances evangelism through church sponsored schools in Mombasa County and evaluate education sponsorship as a means of enhancing evangelism among church sponsored schools in Mombasa County. Descriptive survey research design was applied in this study. The target population consisted of 10 Church sponsored Primary Schools in Mombasa County. A representative sample wasselected using purposive sampling method. These included Pastors, School Principals, CRE Teachers and Church members. To collect data, the researcher used a questionnaire as the research instrument. These questionnaires contained structured questions that were constituted using a likert scale. Questionnaires were either emailed or delivered to the respondents and were picked once filled. Data was analyzed statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22. Descriptive statistics as well as tables were used to present the analyzed data. The study found out that church sponsored schools in Mombasa County provide a conducive forum for spreading the gospel hence play a crucial role in enhancing evangelism. The results also indicated that the church sponsored schools in Mombasa County engage in all three forms of education sponsorship; school ownership and management, funding as well as bursaries and scholarships. The findings also showed that the church sponsored schools in Mombasa County promote evangelism through their curriculum and also integrate spiritual and moral teachings. Christian morals are taught in schools, spiritual teachings are part of the curriculum and clergy regularly give spiritual inspiration to learners. The study therefore concluded that education sponsorship through church sponsored schools in Mombasa County enhances evangelism. The study recommends that more church sponsored schools should be opened in Mombasa County as well as across the country to propagate further Christianity. The study also recommends that the existing church sponsored schools should be expanded to cater for even special needs such as the hearing impaired, sight impaired and physically challenged persons in the society. The study further recommends that the church sponsored schools’ administration should design more programmes that allow the pupils to be taught Christian values. This can involve morning devotions in the school chapels, regular visits by the clergy and Christian youth rallies. Further research should be carried out to analyze the effect of education sponsorship on evangelism by church sponsored schools in other Counties in Kenya to assess whether the outcome will vary or be similar. In addition further research should be carried to establish the effect of church sponsored health facilities on enhancing evangelism.

Assessing factors affecting pastoral leadership transition in church: A case of Pentecostal churches in Kenya Molo Sub-county, Kenya.

2019-09-17T20:50:00Z

Assessing factors affecting pastoral leadership transition in church: A case of Pentecostal churches in Kenya Molo Sub-county, Kenya. Njoroge, Jossy Kamau Due to lack of defined transition structures transition period in many of the pentecostal churches becomes a period which produces considerable anxiety, confusion, ambiguity, and uncertainty. Therefore the study sought to determine factors affecting pastoral leadership transitions among pentecostal churches in Molo Sub-County. The study was guided by the following specific objectives. To find out the pastoral leadership transition mechanism in place in the pentecostal churches in Molo Sub-County, to investigate the extent of the problem regarding pastoral leadership transition within pentecostal churches in Molo Sub-County and to examine factors that affect pastoral leadership transition within pentecostal churches in Molo Sub-County. The finding of the study is of great importance to various stakeholders. The study is of help policy maker in the church to formulate policies to address challenges facing the leadership transition and• enact best policies and procedures in leadership transition. The study employed a descriptive cross sectional research design. This study total target population was 51 pastors and 126 church leaders from pentecostal churches in Molo Sub-County. The pastors and leaders was considered for their involvement in church leadership. The study used Andrew Fishers formula to get ,,<' a sample of 121 respondents. The researcher further used stratified sampling technique to select a sample from each targeted churches. The study used both primary and secondary source of data. The questionnaires contained both open ended questions and closed ended questions. Closed ended questions allow specific types of responses provided by the researcher while open ended type, the respondents stated responses as they wish. Open-ended questionnaire was used to get opinion from the study subjects. After analysis data was presented in tables due to ease of interpretation information presented in tables. From the findings the researcher concluded majority of churches have no constitution, but some of the churches have formal leadership structures for those who have structure the structures are not effective in leadership transition. Criteria used by churches in leadership transition include negotiated leadership, promotion of juniors, making appointments and through vetting but majority of the churches promote their juniors during leadership succession. Consideration made by churches during pastoral leadership include age, education level, year of service and commitment of the aspire but majority of churches consider education level during pastoral leadership. From the conclusion the researcher recommended that church leadership should establish a criteria for leadership transition which ensure smooth leadership transition, this will reduce chances of existence of splitter groups.

Assessment of the role of the church in re-integration of Ex-prisoners to the community: A case of protestant churches in Nakuru town.

2019-09-17T20:49:59Z

Assessment of the role of the church in re-integration of Ex-prisoners to the community: A case of protestant churches in Nakuru town. Ngeno, Stephen Kiprono The church is ordained by God to preach .the Good news to the needy and to heal the broken hearted and proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners .. The church is called of God to provide hope to those who are hopeless and to transform the lives of those who are crooked to come to the light of Jesus Christ. Therefore it goes without saying that the church has a great stake in the rehabilitation of prisoners and in the reintegration of the same back to the community. Kenya prisons have engaged fully in rehabilitation of prisoners by providing them with skills that would help them when they get out of prisons to earn a living. Howe er this has not helped the prisoners who are exiting out of prisons to reintegrate successfully with the community which in one way or the other they offended. There are a lot of incidences reported where ex-prisoners are lynched by the public upon stepping out of prisons and others are brought back to the prisons either because of committing crime or on mere suspicion from the fact that they just came from prison. The study assessed the role of the church in reintegration of prisoners back to the community. The study was guided by three objectives; church programs that are geared towards reintegration of prisoners, the socio-economic activities that the hurch has towards a prisoner and the perception of the church towards a prisoner. The used theories; theory of behavior change, desistance theory and social control theory to gain insights and more understanding of the research. The study adopted descriptive study method. The researcher undertook research among the 50 pastors, 150 deacons from 50 protestant churches in Nakuru town and 40 ex-prisoners. Deacons were subjected to random sampling whereby a sample of 60 was obtained. Therefore, 150 respondents were engaged in the study. Data was collected by use of a questionnaire containing closed ended questions. It was analyzed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques through aid of statistical packages for social science (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive findings showed that Churches perception, programs and social economic activities contributes to reintegration of ex-prisoners. Results further indicated correlation coefficient of (R=0.827) meaning that the independent variables were strong and suitable predictors of the dependent variable. Regression analysis findings indicated that all independent variables taken together (t=3.611; p<0.01) had strong and significant relationship with Reintegration of ex-prisoners. It was recommended that Churches should consider putting reintegration programs into the list of their important operations and expand involvement into social economic activities for the prisoners.