Factors Influencing Sustainability of Church Initiated Income-generating Projects: a Case of Kihumbui-ini Presbytery in Kandara Sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Church-initiated income-generating projects are important in mitigating the daily challenges of livelihood which confront members of church and society at large. However, sustainability of church projects has not been without its fair share of shortcomings. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing sustainability of church-initiated incomegenerating projects in Kihumbu-ini Presbytery in Kandara Sub-county, Kenya. The objectives included; influence of stakeholders’ training, church leadership support, availability of resources and monitoring and evaluation strategies on sustainability of church-initiated projects. The study was guided by the Resource Based Theory. The study applied mixed methods approach. The study employed explanatory sequential research design. The target population comprised of 70 members of the Youth Department Committees, 90 in Women’s Guild Committees, 55 in Men’s Fellowship Committees, 30 members of Church Committees and 92 members in the Pastor’s Office all totaling to 337. Using The Central Limit Theorem, 100 respondents, that is, 30% of 337, were sampled. Stratified sampling was applied to create 5 strata based on the number of departments within Kihumbu-ini Presbytery. From each department, between 10% and 30% of the targeted population were sampled using simple random sampling to eliminate bias. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the Youth and Members in Pastors’ Office whereas focus group discussions for Women’s Guild Committees, Church Committee Members and Men’s Fellowship who were divided into 5 convenient groups each consisting of 10 respondents. Piloting was conducted to establish validity and reliability of the research instruments. Data analysis began by identifying common themes. Irrelevant information was discarded whereas relevant information was assigned codes and labels. Frequency counts of the responses were obtained to generate descriptive information about the respondents and to illustrate the general trend of findings on the various variables that were under investigation. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically along the specific objectives and presented in narrative forms whereas the quantitative data was analyzed descriptively using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS 23) and presented using tables. The study may benefit the church members in gaining insights on how churches can partner with local communities in identifying, implementing and managing projects to ensure sustainability. The study established that church stakeholders’ training, leadership support, availability of resources and monitoring and evaluation influence sustainability of church-initiated projects. The study thus recommends that the churches should organize for suitable, relevant, appropriate and quality training before initiating projects. Church leadership, members and other stakeholders should accord the necessary support to the projects. Churches should ensure prudent use of the availability resources aimed towards sustainability of such projects. The churches should also seek other sources of financing to guarantee sustainability of church projects. Churches should adopt monitoring and evaluation mechanisms which are effective in guaranteeing further funding and eventual sustainability.