An examination of the role of a parachurch organization in equiping churches for missions : a case study of Scripture Union in Kenya

Abstract

Howard Snyder recommends "All Para-church structures should be subjected to continuous, vigorous sociological and theological analysis to determine their fidelity to the biblical concept of the church and their effectiveness as instruments of the church" (Snyder 1977, 168). This research investigates ways in which the ministry of Scripture Union in Kenya as a Para-church organization has contributed to the equipping of the Church in Kenya so as to fulfill the great commission of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The aim of this study is to help Scripture Union in Kenya and other similar Para-church groups to discover and emphasize their unique roles in equipping the local churches for missions.

It is a case study and field-based research using a descriptive method of study to investigate the role of Scripture Union Kenya in equipping the local churches for missions.

The population of study was the staff and voluntary workers of the Scripture Union of Kenya. The researcher adopted questionnaires and documents from archives as an instrument to facilitate the collection of data. In addition, he carried out face-to-face interviews of three key role players in Scripture Union of Kenya

The researcher used the decision rule with a Likert-Type Scale to obtain a dichotomy of opinion or decision on whether to accept or reject an issue raised in the closed-ended question items/categories.

Two major findings in this study were: Local churches in Kenya need external resources and the complementary role of Para-church groups like Scripture Union Kenya. Para-church groups like Scripture Union of Kenya are autonomous; however, local churches could be influencing their roles in missions.

It was recommended that Para-church groups like Scripture Union of Kenya be doing social anthropological research of the local churches in their fields of operations. In addition they should be doing regular research evaluation of their ministry activities with respect to the local churches they intend to serve.