An inquiry into the factors that render Christianity ineffective in influencing the Lifestyles of Kenyans in Nairobi

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Christian Education programs in the Christ is The Answer Ministries (CIT AM), with a view of finding out how effective are the members in witnessing to the society. To do this, 383 members of the three constituent Churches of Christ is The Answer Ministries (CITAM) namely NPC Woodley, NPC Buru Buru, and NPC Parklands, the senior pastors of these Churches, and focus groups were interviewed. The focus groups included a youth and a men fellowship group. Both qualitative and quantitative data was obtained. The quantitative data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The qualitative data was collected from the focus group discussions and the in-depth interviews from the senior pastors. In evaluating the effectiveness of Christian Education programs of the Churches on focus the research found out that: There is a relationship between commitment to the Christian work and spiritual growth that Christian commitment can be seen in one's involvement in evangelism, and that true Christian commitment leads to the desire to disciple others in the Christian faith. The researcher therefore concludes that effective Christian witness depends on seriousness in the discipleship process. The programs of the Church must be geared to this end. The researcher also found out that evangelism or the effective attempt to bear witness to the community is a by-product of effective discipleship or Christian education programs in the Church. The researcher recommends; special programs in the Church to reach the middle and upper ages. These are ages above 40 years. More intentional efforts in equipping and guiding these members on how to be involved in the ministry, re-evaluation of the Church-programs periodically to ensure that they are practical, establishment of reading libraries and research centres where believers can borrow Christian material, and short term or part time on-going training for the workers as opposed to long - term training.