The role of Fellowship Groups in Church development in Kenya: a case of Africa Gospel Churches in Ainamoi Sub-County, Kericho County, Kenya.

Abstract

The focus of the study was to investigate the role of fellowship groups in church development. Africa Gospel Church (AGC) places emphasis on establishment of fellowship groups as a growth strategy since its inception in 1905.The focus was on fellowship group leadership, culture and interpersonal relationship. The specific objectives of the study were: to examine the role of fellowship group leadership, investigate the influence of fellowship group culture and to assess the effects of interpersonal relationship on church development. The study was built on Lewin’s theory of change and Stakeholders theory by Freeman. Descriptive research design was used to determine the effects of variables. The target population was the fellowship, church leaders and members of fellowship groups in AGC churches Anaimoi sub-county, Kericho County, Kenya. Anaimoi is divided into 6 wards with each having an average of 10 AGC churches. The fellowship groups in 18 churches were used as a sample. Strata random sampling was used to select the respondents. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and interviews. The study was analysed through descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS and presented in pie charts, tables and graphs. Interpretation was made based on research objectives. A pilot study was carried out by choosing one small group fellowship to determine the reliability and validity of research instruments. Cronbach's alpha technique was also used to test the reliability of the questionnaires’ items. Multiple regression models were used to test the relationships between the study variables. Conclusion and recommendation were thereafter made based on all research objectives and questions. Results indicated that there was a positive relationship between the dependent and independent variables in church development in Kenya as the reported p value is higher than the critical value. They also showed that the goodness of fit was adequate which means that a high percentage of the variations in church development units were explained by variables such as leadership, culture and interpersonal relationships. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated that leadership, culture and interpersonal growth are good predictors of church development in Kenya. The study found that leaders in the fellowship involved members in decision making, though the process for the final decision may be varied depending on the leadership style employed by the leaders. The study also established that most of the AGC churches in Ainamoi have had leadership changes occasionally. According to the study, the leaders engaged the members on decision making process by encouraging participation and collaboration with the members. As a result, the members worked together as a team to help in implementing the development programs in their group as well as in the main churches. The members collaborated as they were united in purpose, in evangelism, participation in community work which also translated into increased membership and participation in the church development. Another aspect that was observed was that the fellowship groups had manageable number of members in the fellowship that blended easily and form trust among themselves. The working together as a team was greatly enhanced where a member of the fellowship groups was involved in the operations. The fellowship groups act as cornerstones of progressive management for the foreseeable future. There was synergy in working as teams; ideas by individuals encouraged healthy discussions that creating adoption and acceptance of ideas which initially seemed strange. The study therefore, recommends a study on the internal and external factors that affect the decision-making process in church development in Kenya. This will analyse critical factors that leaders ought to consider in order to make their decisions on certain factors in the church development. The study was expected to benefit church organizations, and specifically Africa Gospel church leadership, fellowship groups and future researchers.