Effect of Community Building on Church Spiritual Growth

Isaac Shaasha, Dr. Barnabé Anzuruni Msabah, Dr. Alexander Katuta Kyule — Thu, 09 May 2024 00:00:00 +0300

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.

Social Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance and an Anthropological Approach: Analytic Review

Jawad M. A. — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to devise a comprehensive and layered framework to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It aims to weave together the strands of ethnomedicine, healthcare system analysis, and anthropological perspectives on illness, aligning with universal healthcare principles to encourage community participation and address the societal roots of health inequalities. The framework seeks to address AMR through a lens that views health disparities not merely as medical issues, but as complex phenomena shaped by cultural, social, and structural factors.

Methodology: The research employs a single-case study design to synthesize and analyse interdisciplinary insights into AMR. This approach facilitates an in-depth understanding of how various elements, such as cultural beliefs, healthcare practices, and community dynamics, interact and influence the spread and management of AMR. By focusing on a single case, the study intends to meticulously document and interpret the nuanced interactions between these factors, providing a detailed narrative that captures the essence of the AMR challenge in a global health context. The study utilizes 66 varied references, such as journal articles, book excerpts, theses, reports, and websites, sourced from academic venues and the internet, published between 1946 and 2023.

Findings: Through its investigation, the study presents a healthcare approach that marries the traditional wisdom of ethnomedicine with the precision of biomedicine, underscoring the significance of cultural competence in formulating AMR mitigation strategies. It dissects the intricate relationship between the three primary health sectors—popular, professional, and folk—and disentangles the sociocultural concepts of 'disease' and 'illness' as distinguished by medical anthropologists. The research calls for a reconceptualization of healthcare systems that goes beyond the biomedical model, advocating for an integration of the sociocultural, economic, and political dimensions that influence health and illness manifestations.

Unique contribution to theory: This study's unique theoretical contribution lies in its interdisciplinary approach to health disparities and AMR. It proposes a model that balances the rigor of scientific research with the insights gleaned from traditional health practices, placing a premium on the dynamics of community involvement and the myriad influences on health. By doing so, it offers a more equitable, sustainable, and contextually relevant paradigm for health practices and policies. This paradigm shift is intended to provide actionable insights for policymakers and health practitioners, enabling them to devise strategies that are not only scientifically sound but also culturally sensitive and broadly applicable. The framework envisages a future where health interventions are tailored to the lived experiences of diverse populations, potentially transforming the landscape of global health and AMR strategy.

International Journal of Culture and Religious Studies

Effect of Community Building on Church Spiritual Growth

Social Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance and an Anthropological Approach: Analytic Review