EFFECT OF MISSION STRATEGIES OF EVANGELISM AND SOCIAL WORK ON CHURCH GROWTH IN PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN MOLO SUB-COUNTY NAKURU COUNTY

Abstract

The church is an assembly of the professed believers under the discipline of the word of God,
organized to carry out the great commission, administer the ordinances and minister with
spiritual gifts and has to have a strong mission purpose and give priority to evangelization
and witnessing. Despite the attention given by scholars on the church‟s mission strategies of
evangelism and social work, very little is known about the effects of the strategies on church
growth in Protestant churches. The general objective of the study was to determine the effect
of mission strategies of evangelism and social work on church growth in protestant churches
in Molo Sub-County Nakuru County. The study specifically sought to establish to determine
the availability of mission strategies of evangelism and social work in Protestant churches in
Molo sub-county Nakuru County the study also sought to establish the effectiveness of the
mission strategies of evangelism and social work on church growth in Protestant churches in
Molo sub-county in Nakuru County. The study made use of stakeholder‟s theory to explain
the role of various groups of individual in the missionary work. The study made use
descriptive research design. The target population was examined in the view of the unit of
observation and unit of analysis. The unit if observation was churches in Molo Sub-County
while the unit of analysis was 116 pastors and Church leaders. The study sample size was
determined using Yamane formula of 1973 to get a sample of 89 respondents. Primary data
was sourced from the respondents through questionnaire. Data collection process commence
by first getting a formal letter from Kenya Methodist University and NACOSTI. After the
necessary authorization, the questionnaires were delivered to the respondent on drop and pick
later method. Data processing was done through editing, coding, classification and tabulation.
Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 24 statistical software. The extracted data
was quantitative in nature and was presented in tables due to ease of interpretation
information presented in tables. The researcher concluded that majority of the churches are
involved in social work which is the calling of the churches by Good to proclaim the good
news and to minister to the needy in the society. The churches which participate in the social
welfare of the needy individuals in the society have social amenities like children homes,
hospital and boreholes. From the findings the researcher concluded that the share the gospel
of Christ by visiting the sick in the hospital, visiting the elderly and organizing for free
medical check-ups. Basing on the findings of effective mission strategies adopted by the
churches today, it can be concluded that majority of the churches adopt open air crusades to
the mission of the body of Christ, some adopt door to door mission, other espouse seminars