Church Growth and Youth Retention in West African Diaspora Churches

Problem Statement and Purpose

It has been observed that effective pastoring is often absent in The Apostolic Church of the West African diaspora in the United States. Without proper leadership — specifically, the absence of good pastoring — young people do not find a meaningful connection with the church and are consequently difficult to retain. The membership of young adults has been declining, hurting both the church community and its ministers.

The purpose of this research is to create awareness about effective pastoring and its importance for retaining young church members, specifically within The Apostolic Church of the West African diaspora. The study also aims to encourage ministers to adopt good pastoring practices that infuse motivation in youth during congregations. An additional purpose is to test the assumption of whether good pastoring is genuinely missing in the selected church and among its ministers.

Research Questions and Background

Keeping the project aims in mind, the following research questions were developed:

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 actually receive in these churches? If so, what is the nature of that disconnection?

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

Research has suggested that spiritual connections for youth are significantly beneficial in reducing stress and anxiety and are helpful for leading a healthier life (Goeke-Morey et al., 2014). More than 60,000 young people were baptized in Southern Baptist churches across America in 2004; however, afterward, the number of youth attending congregations was quite low (Alexander, 2017). The question of how to increase youth attendance — despite investments of several dollars in youth programs — has remained unanswered. Whether the decline is attributable to busy lives after college admission, declining motivation, or shifting interests, the debate continues (Alexander, 2017).

Youth demonstrate higher intensity in religious association and could be more effective workers for the cause of faith (Alexander, 2017). Passing church leadership to young, energetic individuals is one of the most frequently discussed priorities among church leaders, meaning that future sustainability depends heavily on retaining youth interest. While previous churches worldwide have used various coping mechanisms, this research focuses specifically on West African diaspora individuals residing in the United States. This focus is grounded in findings showing that African American young adults' psychological well-being is closely tied to their religious involvement, which they use as a coping strategy. Because the church's role as a healing institution is central to much of the relevant literature, African American individuals — and particularly the West African diaspora — are the primary focus of this study of the retention problem in churches.

Context of Ministry and Project Goals

Twenty-four months of experience as a District Youth Leader and Pastor qualifies the researcher to undertake this project and establishes it as a genuine concern for the ministry. As a member of the National Executive Council for the youth and young adults of the church, and having been born and raised in the church, the researcher is an eyewitness to the effects and impacts of both good and poor pastoring on the church's effectiveness in retaining youth.

The project outcomes and goals are:

· To gain knowledge about good pastoring practices in West African churches, using The Apostolic Church as a case example.

· To gain knowledge about what young adults are currently receiving in the form of pastoring and what their actual perceptions are about church leadership.

· To outline steps for bridging any perceived gap between what young people seek and what the church provides.

Biblical and Theological Foundations

The role of youth is vital for the flourishing of the church across all ethnic and racial groups. The Bible offers no basis for discrimination, and the relationship between God and youth has consistently been portrayed as strong throughout scripture. For example, God appointed Timothy to pastor the Ephesian Church, and Timothy led it with determination during his teenage years. 1 Timothy 4:12 states, "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 states, "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, the church, and young individuals carries profound theological significance.

Three theological writers whose works lay foundational grounds for this research are:

· Andrew Root and Kenda Creasy Dean — authors of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry, published in 2011 (The Presbyterian Outlook, 2012). Root has conducted extensive theological work in youth and family ministry, while Dean is a professor of youth ministry and its relationship to contemporary culture. They argue that youth are not uninterested in theology itself but fail to find its application in real life, particularly in modern times. Young people are, in their view, disengaged by the way theology is delivered through traditional church structures that seem to have lost the heart and soul of God's work (The Presbyterian Outlook, 2012).

· Joseph Kett — author of the groundbreaking 1977 work Rites of Passage: Adolescence in America, 1790 to the Present (Pahl, 2003). His work subtly highlights the notion that the construction of adolescence by Christian leaders often obstructs young people's real-life experiences. As a result, the intellectuality and spirituality imposed on youth do not align well with their independence and freedom of choice, creating a significant barrier to engagement (Pahl, 2003).

The researcher's experience as a District Youth Leader already reflects a leadership foundation; however, the transformational dimension of the project extends further. The aim is to bring creativity and find new ways to build networks that invite more young people into church gatherings. This research will help identify where the gap exists so that innovation can be introduced to restore the vitality of young individuals within the church. The researcher envisions encouraging church leaders to become new ideals in the minds of youth — a direction that this project is designed to advance through both evidence and theological grounding.