THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN SOCIAL-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY: FOCUS ON REDEEMED GOSPEL CHURCH IN MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v5i4.885Mots-clés :
healthcare, agriculture, education, Redeemed Gospel Church, socio-economic, spiritual transformationRésumé
Across the globe, questions have emerged on the role the church should play in enhancing community development. A majority of scholars have agreed that the Church has an integral responsibility in creating an environment fit for socio-economic development in any country. For instance, churches have been seen creating awareness through seminars. Nonetheless, some countries have recorded the participation of the church in quite a number of educational and healthcare facilities that are rooted to the Church. The Roman Catholic and the Lutheran churches are some examples that have enormously influenced the lives of many in socio–economic development. This paper seeks to explore the role played by the Redeemed Gospel Church (RGC) in socio-economic transformation of the community in Makueni County besides its evident spiritual transformation. In achieving this objective, the paper uses empirical qualitative "ethnographic" design. With a sample of 30 churches across the County, participatory ethnographic interviews and questionnaires were used as the main methods of data collection. Analysis of the collected data was then done qualitatively, and the results presented in themes. The study finds that education, healthcare and agriculture are among other sectors in which the Redeemed Gospel Church has played a role in development.
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