Strategic Leadership Elements and Growth of Selected Churches Affiliated With Evangelical Alliance of Kenya in Nairobi City County, Kenya
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Date
2024-07
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Churches affiliated with the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya encounter challenges with their growth as they cannot effectively implement their strategies, even though formulated. In Kenya, several churches have been indicted for commercialization of faith and not sticking to their goals of serving the community since 2014. 121 churches in Kenya have been deregistered and banned from operation due to over-exploitation and mismanaging the congregants between 2018 and 2023. Churches have faced unaccomplished goals, inefficient church programs and activities, less impact on humanitarian needs, and low offertories. The study examined how strategic leadership affected the growth of churches affiliated with Evangelical Alliance of Kenya. The specific objectives included the evaluation of how core competencies, organizational culture and balanced organizational controls influenced the growth of churches in Nairobi City County. The study was based on the following theories: balanced scorecard, upper echelon theory, and resource-based view model. The study considered a descriptive research design to investigate 153 participants to help with the study. The descriptive research design was appropriate as it presented a comprehensive analysis of the data results instead of just the breadth of the study. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires administered by respondents, including leaders, pastors, administrators and personnel in the churches under study. A pilot study that involved 16 respondents from Agape Fellowship Church were considered to establish the reliability using the Cronbach alpha value of above 0.7 as the acceptable threshold. The study determined the content, construct, and expert validities of the data collection instrument. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics techniques and presented in tables and figures, whereas qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The analysis of demographic information showed a balanced inclusion of both genders, diverse educational backgrounds, and varied experience levels among church leaders. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between organizational growth and core competencies, organizational culture, and balanced organizational controls. Regression analysis indicates that core competencies, organizational culture, and balanced organizational controls collectively explain 52.8 percent of the variance in organizational growth. The study concluded that strategic leadership significantly affects the growth of churches affiliated with Evangelical Alliance of Kenya. The regression coefficient of the growth of churches was determined as 61.5 percent. Moreover, the study determined that core competence, organizational culture, and BOC had coefficients of .403, 0.32, and 0.661, respectively. The study concluded that varying core competencies within these churches significantly influenced decision-making processes, responsiveness, and adaptability, ultimately enhancing overall growth. Secondly, the study revealed that sustaining organizational culture, characterized by adherence to values and continuous development through training, positively affected church growth. Lastly, the establishment of balanced organizational controls, involving long-term focus, alignment of processes with goals, and continuous monitoring, was found to significantly contribute to heightened growth in churches affiliated with Evangelical Alliance of Kenya.