Church Growth Religion and Theology

Religion and Theology: Church Growth

Problem Statement

It has been observed that good pastoring is often absent in The Apostolic Church of West African diaspora in the United States. Without proper leadership, which is missing in the form of good pastoring, young people do not find a connection with the church, hence are hard to retain. The membership of young adults is witnessed to reduce hurting the church and the Church ministers.

The Purpose

The research purpose would be to create awareness about good pastoring and its importance for retaining young church members, specifically The Apostolic Church of the West African diaspora. It would also teach moving the ministers to change themselves and bring good pastoring practices that infuse motivation in the youth during congregations. The purpose is also to test my assumptions about whether good pastoring is missing in the selected church and among its ministers or not.

Research Questions

Keeping the project aims in mind, the research questions developed are:

i. What would good or effective pastoring look like in West African Churches that largely involve West African Pastors and congregants?

ii. What would young people of West African descent look for in the church?

iii. Is there a disconnection between what young people are searching for and what they deliver in these Churches? What is the disconnection?

iv. Are my assumptions correct, and what could be done with the results?

The Background

Research has suggested that spiritual connections for youth are significantly beneficial in reducing their stress and anxiety and helpful for leading a healthier life ahead (Goeke-Morey et al., 2014). More than 60,000 were baptized in Southern Baptist churches all over America in 2004, whereas afterward, the number of youth attending the congregation was quite low (Alexander, 2017). The question of increasing youth attendance despite investing several dollars in youth programs has remained unanswered. Whether it was their busy lives after getting admission to colleges or due to their motivation or interests in congregations, the debate still exists (Alexander, 2017).

Youth have higher intensity in religious association and could be better workers for the work of faith (Alexander, 2017). Passing on the Church leadership to young, energetic individuals is one of the most talked about interests of the Church leaders. Hence, future sustainability heavily relies on youth interests and keeping them retained. Previous Churches have used coping mechanisms worldwide; however, West African diaspora individuals residing in the US are the focus of research here. The focus has been set based on the finding from the background that African American young adults and their psychological well-being depend on their closeness to their religion, used as a coping strategy. The church’s role as a healing institution is studied in most pieces of research; therefore, African American individuals are of primary interest in studying a lingering retention problem in Churches.

Context of Ministry

I believe that my 24-month experience as a District Youth Leader/Pastor qualifies me to do this project and makes it a concern for the ministry as I have been a member of the National Executive Council for the youth/young adults of the church. I have been close to church as I was born and raised there. I am an eyewitness to the effects and impacts of good and bad pastoring on the church and its effectiveness in retaining youth.

Project Outcome/Goals

The project outcomes or goals would be:

· To gain knowledge about good pastoring practices in West African Churches by taking The Apostolic Church as an example

· To gain knowledge about what young adults are gaining in the shape of pastoring and what their actual perceptions are about church leadership

· Outlining steps for bridging a gap in any perceived gap

Methods of Research

Since opinions and thoughts of young people coming to the Church and Pastors of the selected church are to be tested, a qualitative research design is selected to fulfill research goals. For this intent, surveys are deemed best as information would be collected from Pastors and young people that come to at least 6-8 congregations of The Apostolic Church located in Washington DC, particularly the metropolitan area.

There would be two question sets; one set would be aimed at Pastors and the other set for congregants. The answers to all questions would be seen and reviewed anonymously.

The triangulation method would be used as I would be the primary researcher. The congregants and pastors are the inside people involved in the study. The outsiders would be two to three seasoned ministers whose good pastoring has been found credible based on the outcomes of their congregations. My academic committee would also approve of the seasoned ministers, which would add to the credibility of the research.

Biblical and Theological Basis

The role of youth is vital for the flourishing of the church for any ethnic or racial group. No discrimination comes from the word of God in the form of the Bible, where the relationship between God and youth has always been found to be strong. For example, God appointed Timothy to pastor Ephesian Church and led it with determination in his teen years. Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech” (Abraham, 2016). Similarly, Matthew 18:2-4 cites, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Abraham, 2016). The relationship between God, Church, and young individuals has value.

The three theological writers whose work lay foundational grounds for current research are:

· Andrew Root and Kenda Creasy Dean- authors of the book “The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry,” published in 2011 (The Presbyterian Outlook, 2012). Root has theological works done in youth and family ministry, while Dean is the professor of youth and ministry and their relevant culture. They believe that youth does not feel uninterested in theology but does not find its application in real life, especially in modern times. They are bored with how theology is fed to them by traditional Church leaders that seem to have lost heart and soul of God’s work (The Presbyterian Outlook, 2012).

· A ground-breaking book of 1977, Rites of Passage: Adolescence in America, 1790 to the Present, was authored by Joseph Kett (Pahl, 2003). His work in the book subtly provides a highlighted notion that the construction of adolescence by Christian leaders seems to obstruct their real-life experiences. For this reason, their intellectuality and spirituality do not seem to match with the youth’s independence and freedom of choice, creating a limitation (Pahl, 2003).

Contribution of Project to Transformational Leadership

My experience in the role of District Youth Leader is already a certification of my leadership; however, how that would add to the transformational dimension of the project is the prominent agenda. I intend to bring in creativity and find new ways to form a network where youth could be invited more to the Church gatherings. Current research would help me find a way where the gap exists so that innovation could be infused to bring back the vitality of young individuals.

I have a clear vision of the project and where its aims would lead me. I am passionate about triggering motivation among Church leaders and assisting them in retaining youth. I believe forming a relationship between the two would help revitalize the lost respect or faith in Churches from the youth’s side. Conceptualizing the Church leaders as new ideals in youth’s minds would be an influential direction that I plan to inject with the help of this project.

Assessment

Different assessments are involved based on different research questions the proposed study inculcates. The first assessment would be looking at what young people are looking for versus what they receive in Churches. The point of addressing the contrast would also be included in the same assessment.

The second assessment would be to evaluate whether good pastoring bridges the gap of disconnection for young adults observed by them in Churches. If yes, then how.

The third and last assessment would look at how the bridge can facilitate a change in pastoring for better church leadership.

Proposed Outline

The proposed outline of the actual project is as follows:

· Introduction and significance of the study: A general idea of the problem under study and what importance it would bring to the discipline