| dc.description.abstract | This study is an investigation of the role of Anglican Church of Kenya in ministering to contemporary African Single Mothers in Embakasi Archdeaconry of the Diocese of Nairobi. It creates awareness to the Church that African Single Mothers form a sizeable group of Church membership and an attempt,to ignore them in shepherding is a serious ministerial gap.
The study identifies various categories of African Single Mothers in Embakasi Archdeaconry and the varied challenges they experience in the life of the Church. The study reveals the peculiarity of this ministry which requires a specific ministerial approach which takes into account the pluriformity of the categories of Single Mothers each with respective challenges. While acknowledging the impact of family apostolate of Anglican Church of Kenya in Embakasi Archdeaconry, nevertheless, the study reveals that African Single Mothers continue to suffer marginalization within the Anglican Church owing to the inadequate in-effective Pastoral care they are subjected to. It will be shown that in some cases they are either undermined or neglected all together. With this in mind, the study conscientizes the Pastoral agents to take the above with the seriousness it deserves as part and parcel of their shepherding obligation to all and in a more meaningful way.
The model of the Church as 'Family of God' is central to tracing the place of Single Mothers within the Body of Christ. The Traditional African perspective of family as central institution of socialization process also goes handy with the study. All these were utilized to accomplish the goal. The soul searching question is whether the Anglican Church of Kenya in Embakasi can claim to be propagating the ministry with the understanding of the Church as Family of God when at the same time isolating part of that Family i.e. Single Mothers' families.
The study establishes that the impact of modernization has left African Single Mothers. torn up. They find themselves in a dilemma- between the traditional African life and contemporary life. It is from this perspective that the study challenges the Church ministering agents to take their rightful place and tend the
flock of Jesus Christ indiscriminately amidst perceived disorientations. Clear Biblical teachings on family and related issues such as marriage, sex, and parenthood- as the study elaborates - are central to addressing the plight of Africans Single Mothers in the Anglican Church of Kenya. The study observed that the early missionary approach - i.e. implantation method of evangelization _ and rigid Church tradition require a lot of flexibility the ACK Church is going to be relevant in her ministry to contemporary African Single Mothers and their respective families. | en_US |
