Master's theses (NEGST)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dlibrary.aiu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/666

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Start date: 2013End date: 2019

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    THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH AND DEVELOPMENT:
    (2015-07-30) OKIRING, PATRICIA FANNY
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    INVESTIGATING THE SPREAD OF ISLAM IN THE EASTERN REGION OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)
    (Africa international University, 2017-07-02) Néhémie, KASEREKA KAVUTWA
    This study investigated the factors and practices that favor the growth of Islam in Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study was prompted by the allegation that the spread of Islam in DRC has been ignored by scholars, due to the low population of Muslims in the country. The study intended to explorethe factors favoring the spread of Islam in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the strategic approaches employed by Muslims in spreading the Islamic religion in this region. This study employed descriptive research methods. Questionnaires and interview question guide were used to do data collection. Data were then presented using frequency tables while relationships were examined using cross tabulation to examine approaches taken by different groups based on religion and gender. The study found out that Muslims mostly target women for conversion to Islam and the children born in such marriage become Muslims thus spreading Islam. The study also revealed that people who do not earn much money (poor) are targeted by Islam through the offer of employment. The study found out that migrant Muslims deliberately reached out to convert them to Islam by giving aid and support and sponsoring projects such as construction of mosques. Alpers 1975 and Brode 1969 stress that the Swahili-Arab traders did not have religious conversion as their main goal, but were interested in the vast amount of ivory and slaves that could be obtained in Congo. The study established that Muslims offer conditional scholarship and employment to people of other faiths as well as engaging in TV debates to enhance the growth of Islam. The study therefore concluded that the spread of Islam is slowly growing in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is because Muslims have well-calculated strategies of growth, individual Muslims are zealous and empowered to spread Islam and that Islam has financially integrated its faith such that their operations are well funded. As the growth of Islam increased, people still remained ignorant of strategies for responding to Islamic growth. Based on this study, the researcher recommended the need of inclusion of Islamic studies in Christian Colleges and the need for Christian evangelism among Muslims.
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    THE CONTROVERSY OF WOMEN ORDINATION FOR MINISTRY
    (Africa international University, 2019-06-06) WENDOT, BETTY T.
    The Study sought to investigate the factors that affect Women ordination in Africa Inland Church (AIC) Kenya. The research focused on Nairobi South West Region. The design of the research was a mixed one in which part of the data (demographic) was collected using a questionnaire and the rest was collected using personal interviews. Personal interviews entailed in depth face to face interviews. Both methods of data collection were used for all the respondents .The research design was based on Grounded Theory which is a method used to discover a theory to explain a particular phenomenon. The research targeted to interview 20 respondents but achieved a response rate of 15 (75%). The findings indicate that the two key factors that hinder women ordination in the church under review are Church tradition (73.3%) and African culture (60%). It was established that the church has held onto the position of the Church founders (African Inland Mission) whose inclination was complementarianism. This is where women in ministry play a supportive rather than a key role. Contrary to the researcher’s hypothesis, the interpretation of Scripture by the church is not one of the key reasons for not ordaining women. As indicated by the findings African culture in which men play the leadership role while women remain subordinate is a major influence on the position the church has continued to assume about women ministry. Most lady pastors interviewed believe that church ministry and leadership, has been influenced more by African culture than Christian world view. On the basis of the findings, the research recommends that the church should consider reviewing its long held tradition that views women in ministry as playing supportive role. It should instead consider adopting Egalitarian view like Jesus did. In this view, both men and women are seen to be equally gifted and therefore pastors of both genders should be treated equally by the church. It is a process which of necessity begins with review of the Church Constitution. The provision for women ordination consequently enables them to participate at all levels of church leadership and ministry .This in effect gives women a voice in terms of influencing church policies among other things. The expected benefits to the church include reduced pastor’s turnover, church growth and increased motivation and commitment of lady pastors to ministry. The study recommends that similar study be undertaken in other regions in rural set ups where AIC is represented to compare the results of the study.
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    FACTORS THAT HINDER DISCIPLESHIP IN MISSIONS: A CASE OF CHURCH OF CHRIST IN NATIONS (COCIN) COMMUNITY MISSIONS SHIRORO ZONE NIGER STATE IN NIGERIA
    (Africa international University, 2019-07-03) AKEBOK, HARUNA
    The study is streamlined to investigate factors that hinder discipleship in Nigeria Evangelical church. It became apparent that the results of this undertaking make available theoretical and useful platform for the improvement of sound mission strategies that would cause the church to advance towards God’s purpose. The research is centered on factors that hinder discipleship in Shiroro zone. The study adopted qualitative research methods through phenomenological design. The target population is missionaries, pastors, and elders all amounting to a total of 20 persons. The data collected through interviews were analyzed using Nvivo version 12, presented using diagrams. The second method was through participant observation method where the researcher has lived among the people under the study. When the data was collected and analyzed the findings revealed that strategies, church resources, culture, and leadership practices hinder discipleship in COCIN community missions. The mandate of the church is to grow by fulfilling the Great Commission given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ through making discipleship. It is important for those interested in the growth of the church and who desire their churches to grow to examine the factors that hindered discipleship. The purpose of this research is investigating the factors responsible for hindering discipleship among the churches in the CCM Shiroro zone of Niger State in Nigeria. It will also help the leaders of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) to identify the areas of the factors that are hindering discipleship to make redress. It will serve as a roadmap to those who desire for the church to sustain and preserve the foundations that the church is built on in regards to discipleship.
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    THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN SHAPING POLITICS IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF CHRIST IS THE ANSWER MINISTRIES (CITAM)
    (Africa international University, 2019-06-07) KARANJA, MUGANE CHARLES
    The study has examined the role of the Church in response to the political issues that are affecting Christians in Kenya in general and specifically in Nairobi. The study was structured on the belief that the Church lacks strong prophetic voice in shaping the dreadful politics occasionally affecting Christians. This has led to bad policies making, political hatred and negative ethnicity amongst Christians in Nairobi. The study was envisaged since people are comfortable in their lives when there is good political atmosphere and agreements in Kenya. However, when something awful in the politics happens that turns their lives upside down, then that is the time people will blame the church for not doing enough in preaching unity amongst the people and addressing the national leaders. However, in order to know this phenomenon and give a suitable theological and biblical response, the core cause of the role of the church has been explored. The research discusses the role of the Church and Christian perception on how the Church needs to respond to the social political issues affecting Christians resulting to the poor policies, killings, displacement of people, marginalization, hatred and bad ethnicity amongst Kenyan.
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    THE ROLE OF CHURCH LEADERSHIP AND ITS IMPACT ON MISSIONARIES SERVING AMONG THE UNREACHED PEOPLE
    (Africa international University, 2019-06-08) SIRENGO, SHEILA WAMBANI
    This study focused on the role of church leadership and its impact on missionaries serving among the unreached people: A case study of leaders at CITAM (Christ is the Answer Ministries). CITAM is a missions-oriented church, this is well explained in its mission statement which is “to know God and make him known through Evangelism and discipleship.” The church has mission stations in the Northern Kenya among the Rendile, Samburu, Turkana and Borana and they all exist to make transformation through the gospel. But it appears like there are unresolved challenges between the church leadership and the Missionaries. It could be that the real situation on the ground in the mission field, the experiences of these Missionaries and the expectations of Church leadership have not been addressed. That thinking was based on the researcher’s observation as an active member of CITAM as well as a passionate missionary who has experience in the mission field. The topic was very important because it was to shed light into the role and impact the church leadership play in reaching out to the unreached people. The research was also to provide knowledge to the church leadership and broaden their vision of their role in missions to the unreached people and in turn sensitize and encourage the congregation to be involved in missions to the unreached people. The research was carried out using qualitative method of research where 33 respondents were interviewed using open ended questions. After the analysis was done, it was found out that the church leadership’s role and effect to missionaries was indispensable. Some of the leadership roles that were identified were training missionaries, putting them on a monthly salary and visitation by the leadership and church members among others.
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    THE RELEVANCE OF SPECIAL REVELATION IN AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCHES: A CASE STUDY OF THE AKURINU CHURCH IN NYANDARUA COUNTY – KENYA
    (Africa international University, 2019-07-04) GITAHI, DANIEL NJAGI
    The African Independent Churches (AICs) phenomenon also known as ‘independency’ appeared in the African continent in the late 19th century and early in the twentieth century. It occurred as a result of the Africans being dissatisfied with the way Christianity was introduced by the western missionaries. The missionaries did not understand the African worldview and assumed that Africans were irreligious. They therefore disregarded anything African. They required the African believers to discard all their cultural practices not knowing that the African religion was embedded in their culture. The missionaries who were leaders in these churches were also seen to collaborate with the European colonizers, something that did not please the African Christians. Some of them also misinterpreted the bible. These and other factors resulted in the Africans initiating their own churches where they would feel free to express Christianity the African way and also to champion the liberation movement which was the major political issue at the time. The interesting thing is that the independency did not end with the political independence of African nations from their western colonial masters. The independency is a common reality up to today. However, the orthodoxy of these churches was put to question from the onset and these churches were criticized for practising syncretism by the missionary churches from which they had separated and also by some theologians. This criticism necessitated that a sympathetic study be carried out to establish the relevance of the Bible in African Independent Churches with a view to determining whether these criticisms were justified. It is in this spirit that this research study was conceived and carried out. A case study of the Akurinu Church in Kenya was carried out toward this end. Nyandarua County of the Republic of Kenya was selected as the location of the study. A total of 100 respondents were sampled from five sub-counties out of the seven in Nyandarua County. 71 out of the 100 questionnaires were returned which translated to a questionnaire return rate of 71%. The data from the questionnaires was analyzed using SPSS computer software. The findings were presented in frequency distribution tables, bar graphs and pie charts. The findings from this study have revealed that the criticisms leveled against the African independent churches are not always justified. Recommendations for the reforms of the Akurinu Church and further research have also been made.
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    THE PERCEPTION OF CHRISTIANS LIVING AMONG UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS TOWARDS THE GOSPEL.
    (Africa international University, 2019-07-13) MUEM, JOHN MUTINDA JOSEPH
    This study explored how Christians living among unreached people groups understood the gospel in regard to their indigenous Christian lifestyles as influenced by their cultural settings, practices and traditional religious beliefs. It is based on a case study of Samburu Christians at Christ Is The Answer Ministries (CITAM), Olturot Mission Station in Marsabit County in northern Kenya whose Christianity illustrates observable cultural influence. The data was collected through one on one semi-structured interviews guided by open-ended questions. Due to the high level of illiteracy, the researcher used an interpreter to bridge the language barrier during the interviews. The findings from the study indicated that, the Samburu traditional religious concept of God has a substantial similarity with that of Christianity. Although, the Samburu traditional religion is monotheistic in nature, the Christian mystery of the Holy Trinity is well understood in the singularity of Nkai. Prayer was found to be a highly treasured practice in the Samburu community and believers. Unexpectedly, the findings showed that the Samburu Christians highly appreciated the teaching of the word of God. They attest this appreciation of the Biblical teachings to the enlightenment that has come through scriptures about God and His relationship with individuals an aspect that lacks in the Samburu traditional religion. As evidenced in their personal, church and community transformation, the findings doubtlessly indicate that the Samburu Christians view CITAM’s missionary work at Olturot as the one the true religion. Christianity has offered the COMS Christians solutions to their spiritual, physical and social needs on the basis of acknowledgement of sinfulness, repentance, forgiveness and commitment to personal relationship and walk with God through Christ in a contextualized manner that challenges syncretism.
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    AN INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS THAT AFFECT MORU WOMEN IN THEIR CHRISTIAN WITNESS:
    (Africa international University, 2019-06-08) WARILLE, ACKLINE BENJAMIN LIBOJ
    The purpose of this research is to investigate what affects Moru Christian women in their Christian witness. The idea is to find out these factors so that suggestions can be made on how to effectively involve women in Christian witness. Women form the largest part of the population in South Sudan and they are also the majority members in many of the churches, as for example St. Andrews Parish the church which this research investigates. This research was carried out using qualitative research methods where 50 people filled out questionnaires, and 12 were interviewed. The researcher also used participant observation for data collection. After the data was analysed, it was discovered that their understanding of Christian witness influenced the way Christian witness is done at St. Andrew’s parish. However, there are some positive factors that if women use adequately will enable them to witness. These include being prayerful, God-fearing, counsellors, and caring people. The fact that the church encourages contextualization of songs and the increasing numbers of women in the church are all positive factors. Amongst the negative factors are the attitude towards women who found themselves in a polygamous marriage, belief in evil spirits and witchcraft, extended bereavement period, lack of training, the low place of women in the society, lack of knowledge amongst others. One of the conclusions is that women are interested in Christian witness but they need to be trained in how to do it. Since there is a willingness on their part, they will be able to do it if the church can address some of the negative factors that are hindering them.