Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of strategic leadership on church growth in Kenya. The study was guided by the following research questions: How does the determination of church’s strategic direction influence the expansion of its infrastructure in Kenya? How does the development of the church’s human capital influence the growth of its social ministry in Kenya? How does an effective church culture influence the numerical increase of its members in Kenya? How do ethical practices influence the operational efficiency of the church in Kenya? And how does the establishment of balanced organizational controls influence the financial growth of the church in Kenya?
This was a descriptive correlational study which adopted a positivist philosophy. The study population comprised of one hundred and twenty six (126) Bishops and four thousand, nine hundred and fourteen (4914) clergy. A stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 95 bishops and 387 clergy from the total population. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Frequency distributions, percentages and means were used in descriptive statistical analysis while correlations, Chi square and Analysis of Variance were used for inferential statistical analysis. Regression was used to test the different hypotheses. The statistical program for social sciences (SPSS) was used as a tool for statistical analysis.
On the first research question, linear regression test carried out to determine the relationship between the setting of the church’s strategic direction and the church’s infrastructural growth established that the setting of the church’s strategic direction was a strong predictor of the church’s infrastructural growth at R2=.453; F (4, 297) = 61.468; p<.05, implying that 45.3% of the variance in infrastructural growth was due to strategic direction. On the second research question, regression test revealed that there was a significant relationship between human capital development and the growth of the church’s social ministry, with the results showing human capital development as a strong predictor of the different aspects of the church’s social ministry at R2=.734; F (4, 268) = 184.6; p<.05), and as a result proving that 73.4% of the variance in different aspects of the church’s social ministry was due to human capital development.
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Regarding the third research question, the study revealed that sustaining an effective church culture was a strong predictor of the numerical growth of the church membership at R2=.665; F (6, 239) = 78.91; p<.01), which implied that 66.5% of the variance in the growth of the church membership was due to sustaining an effective church culture. On the fourth research question, a regression test to establish the relationship between the emphasis on ethical practices and the church’s operational efficiency established that the emphasis on ethical practices was a strong predictor of the church’s operational efficiency at R2=.371; F (5, 274) = 31.765; p<.01. This proved that 37.1% of the variance in operational efficiency was due to ethical practices. On the last research question, linear regression test carried out to determine the relationship between the establishment of balanced church controls and the church’s financial growth revealed that balanced controls was a strong predictor of the church’s financial growth at R2=.215; F (2,273) = 61.468; p<.01. This implied that 21.5% of the variance in financial growth was due to balanced church controls.
In conclusion, there was a significant relationship between the determination of the church’s strategic direction and its infrastructural growth; between the church’s human capital development programs and the growth of the church’s social ministry; between the effective church culture and the numerical growth in the church’s membership; and between emphasis on ethical practices and an increase in the church’s operational efficiency. Therefore, the study recommends that Churches should place an emphasis on training and development to upgrade the existing skill and knowledge base of the employees for effective performance. The study further recommends a research to determine the impact of internal and external controls on the church’s financial performance.