Competitive Strategies Adopted by Mainstream Churches in Nairobi County

Abstract

In the formulation of an organization corporate strategy, researchers have emphasized the importance of fitting or aligning the organizations strategy with an appraisal of the organization‟s internal and external environmental opportunities and threats. The objective of this study was to determine the competitive strategies adopted by the mainstream Churches in Nairobi County. The descriptive and research adopted the descriptive and cross sectional design. The population of the study was all the seven mainstream Churches in Nairobi County. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics to summarize and relate variables which were attained from the administered questionnaires. A multiple regression model was developed to describe the relationship between the strategies adopted and the extent at which they are adopted by the mainstream Church. The findings of the study were that differentiation, Low cost leadership, Focus differentiation, diversification and clears strategic direction were used as the competitive strategies within the mainstream Churches. The studies found that the base for member‟s choice of one Church against the others is the clear specific direction, wide range of programs that are customized to meet the diverse needs of the members. Engagement of well-trained pastors and other qualified professionals in the operation of the Churches contribute greatly to the competitive positioning of most of the mainstream Churches. Future research could therefore investigate extent to which these findings can be generalized to other Churches, evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic Churches, and other Church related institutions. The sample used focused on mainstream Churches only. Further research is recommended on all the Churches using a larger sample for the purposes of generalizations. A cross sectional study across of a number of denominations within the sector can also be done to make comparative analysis. This being a cross sectional survey design, the researcher responses were limited to the 7 mainstream Churches. A generalization of the findings to represent a wider and more diverse sample of Church sector would have provided a broader insight on the subject and especially reveal any industry specific differences.