Church decline: A comparative investigation assessing more than numbers

Ferreira, Ignatius W.; Chipenyu, Wilbert

doi:10.4102/ids.v55i1.2645

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(1 reference statement)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Globally, the church leadership is struggling with the challenge of decline in spiritual growth, with one example being the United States (Keita, 2019). There are challenges affecting church leadership and spiritual growth in the western countries (Ferreira & Chipenyu, 2021). In Africa, there is a noticeable decline of church spiritual growth evidenced by unethical conduct, corruption practices in public organizations, greed for power, and selfishness witnessed among believers resulting to poverty, civil wars and genocide (Ishola & Ayangbekun, 2018).…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Community Building on Church Spiritual Growth

Shaasha,

Msabah,

Kyule

2024

IJCRS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between community building and spiritual growth within Pentecostal Churches in the Nairobi metropolitan counties of Kenya, focusing on the Pentecostal Evangelical Fellowship of Africa (PEFA), Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG), and Full Gospel Churches of Kenya (FGCK) under the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK). Grounded in servant leadership, empowerment, and spiritual leadership theories, the research combines quantitative and qualitative methods to explore how servant leaders facilitate community building and its impact on church growth. Methodology: The study was guided by servant leadership, empowerment and spiritual leadership theories. The study was conducted across multiple Pentecostal denominations within the Nairobi Metropolitan counties, including Nairobi, Kajiado, Muranga, Kiambu, and Machakos in Kenya. Data collection involved 333 church leaders and members, with 173 from PEFA, 80 from KAG, and 80 from FGCK, resulting in a response rate of 91%. Additionally, two discussion groups comprising pastors and elders from PEFA and KAG churches in Kajiado County were interviewed using an interview guide, totaling 17 members. The total response rate of church leaders and members was 304 (91%). The descriptive cross-sectional survey research design and exploratory designs were adopted for data collection and analysis where respondents provided relevant data. The research was anchored on the pragmatism philosophy. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis, where Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29 was used. Thematic analysis was employed in analyzing qualitative type of data. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were employed to select the sample, ensuring representation of subgroups within the population. This approach facilitated efficient and cost-effective data collection while maintaining the integrity of the study's findings Findings: Data collected from 304 respondents, including pastors, elders, and members, reveals a significant positive association between community building and spiritual growth, with volunteer services rating relatively low. The results showed a positive significance of community building in affecting church spiritual growth. The study findings in all the three models: Model summary, ANOVA and Coefficient confirm the significance of community building in church spiritual growth. The correlation coefficient results yielded a positive relationship of 0.580. However, descriptive statistics on mean scores of how respondents views the practice of community building in their churches, the sub variable of voluntary community services was ranked the lowest (3.7) amongst the other constructs. Nevertheless, there is a need for enhancement of voluntary services by the Pentecostal churches in areas such as health, free cleaning and training services to give back to the community. When church leadership participate in welfare activities such as helping the vulnerable in society, this positively affects church growth both spiritually and numerically. The findings emphasize the importance of enhancing volunteer engagement to foster both spiritual and numerical church growth. This study contributes to theoretical understanding and practical implications for Pentecostal church settings, addressing research gaps and advocating for servant leadership practices that empower church members and promote community building for holistic church growth.Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study supported servant leadership, empowerment and spiritual leadership theories. Servant leaders play a crucial role in empowering of church members through community building causing effect on church growth. The study revealed and filled a number of conceptual, theoretical, contextual and empirical glaring research gaps in area of servant leadership attribute of community building and church spiritual growth. The most noticeable gap is the contextual gap where many studies on church growth only delved on numerical growth and leaving out spiritual growth of which this study addressed. The study also revealed a gap in volunteer services with a mean of 4.1. Pentecostal churches therefore need to put more efforts to improve volunteer services as well as promotion of spiritual formation so as to enhance church spiritual growth.

show abstract

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Community Building on Church Spiritual Growth

Shaasha,

Msabah,

Kyule

2024

IJCRS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…25 Ferreira and Chipenyu further elucidate the global nature of this phenomenon. 26 These insights emphasise the urgency for mainline churches to comprehend the underlying causes, enabling them to address challenges proactively and continue to play a meaningful societal role. A parallel challenge is the departure of youth from traditional churches, a phenomenon that transcends geographical boundaries.…”

Section: Impact On Youth Development: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…33 On the other end of the scale is Generation Z's (born 1997-2012) prominence as consumers. 34 The demographic shifts, pose a central challenge in youth ministry as the coexistence of millennials (ages [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] and Generation Z within the church reflects an evolving landscape at the intersection of youth and faith.…”

Section: Impact On Youth Development: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling Shadows: Tracking Youth Disengagement from the Church [Menyingkap Bayangan: Melacak Penyebab Keterpisahan Kaum Muda dari Gereja]

Ntsanwisi

2024

DILIGENTIA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

<p>The idea of human belief in curses poses a problem for the curse part in Psalms. Problem of misunderstanding the curses part of Psalm 83:1-19 arises among believers. Quite often, critical evaluation addresses the correct understanding of the curse part of Psalms because it contains such complex values. Critical evaluation is a part of revelation that creates ethical issues in the lives of believers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide a critical evaluation to understand the curse part of Psalm amidst the phenomenon of ethical issues in the lives of believers in order to knows the purpose of a psalmist in the actualization of God's morals through this study and enrich the church's understanding of the curse part of Psalm that are rarely understood correctly.</p>

show abstract

“…Although this perspective should be pursued in more detail, we will not embark on this matter. Ferreira and Chipenyu (2021) implicitly force a very acute question to the fore: Is membership decline the real decline of the church or are there other dynamics at play as well?…”

Section: Aims and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observing systemic conflict: The emotional affect on pastors in the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa

Labuschagne,

Steenkamp

2023

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (NRCA) did not escape this existential crisis of conflict. It manifests in various ways resulting in the bleeding of congregations, the exodus of congregants and the closure of congregations, as many congregants that declare themselves as members of the Church do not attend worship services or participate in the Holy Communion and exit the church. The study was conducted in the NRCA to determine the effect and response formation of observed conflict by ministers in their respective congregations. The results of the study indicate that pastors and/or ministers do suffer emotional trauma because of the conflict in the congregation which, according to their own statements results in a loss of role performance. We provide an overview of the problem statement and methodology of the study. We discuss an abbreviated, theoretical perspective on conflict as a social phenomenon. We present the findings of our study and conclude with an abbreviated process to equip pastors with the necessary emotional maturity and self-management.Contribution: This study uncovers emotional trauma experienced by ministers, affecting their role performance. We offer a succinct problem statement, research methodology, and propose a scientifically informed process to enhance ministers’ emotional resilience within the NRCA.

show abstract

Church decline: A comparative investigation assessing more than numbers

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 publications

Effect of Community Building on Church Spiritual Growth

Effect of Community Building on Church Spiritual Growth

Unveiling Shadows: Tracking Youth Disengagement from the Church [Menyingkap Bayangan: Melacak Penyebab Keterpisahan Kaum Muda dari Gereja]

Observing systemic conflict: The emotional affect on pastors in the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About