Motivation in Church Governance, and its impact on Church Growth and sustainability

Abstract

Church governance is a crucial element when it comes to the growth and development of the church as a physical organization as well as a spiritual institution which taps into individuals’ livelihood. The research sets out to evaluate the impact of church governance to the growth and sustainability of churches. Further, it delves into highlighting motivation in church governance. Through thematic analysis the findings highlights that motivation is a crucial factor in the governance of churches and need not be monetary reward or compensation rather motivation in terms of effort recognition and appreciation. Governance in churches was further found to be crucial not only to the churches physical growth as an organization but also to its spiritual growth in the aspect of impacting the livelihood of the congregation. A church with a critically developed governance structure and highly motivated individuals in the governing positions is guaranteed of growth and sustainability both spiritually and physically.

Introduction

Church governance unlike most other organizations are unique in a sense that most of the individuals who take up the positions of governance do it out of their own need and calling and as such generally need very limited motivation for them to carry out their tasks. This is because most of these leaders and individuals in position of governance within churches are motivated by their faith and belief in God as well as their desire to serve and encourage others towards believing and accepting the salvation which is often the main agenda within a church setting or religious environments. Through an extensive primary research from various church members, some of who are in governance positions while others just members the findings and their analysis is herein presented.

Findings

Respondents Background

The findings from the study highlight an almost equal number of individuals of both genders with 62 respondents being males while the remaining 70 respondents were female respondents. Further the age groups of the respondents despite being from upto 6 different churches were fairly distributed; this was done by the respondent deliberately to be able to capture results from different age perspective and experience. 18 respondents were below the age of 20 years, 35 respondents between 21 to 30 years, 40 respondents between 31 to 40 years, 40 respondents between 31 to 40 years while 22 respondents were between the age group of 41 to 50 years, the remaining 17 respondents were elderly above the age of 51 years. The research further looked to collect information from different Christian churches and as such the researcher focused on submitting questionnaires to 22 members from each of the 6 churches: Presbyterian, Catholic, Pentecostal, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist and charismatic churches. As such the resulting findings highlight common practices in governance and motivation in Christian churches all across the country and not just any single church set up.

Further the respondents’ background according to the findings highlight that most of the respondents are effectively educated reaching the levels of university and college. Up to 74 respondents making up 56% of the sample confirmed having attended universities while another 4 respondents making up 30% of the sample confirmed having reached the college level of education. 9 respondents had effective high school education while another 9 respondents had not completed their high school education yet. This highlight that a majority of the adult respondents had had sufficient education and actually aware of what entails governance and motivation as such provided a suitable sample for the research. The sample was further fairly distributed between married and single individuals with up to 80 respondents being married while the remaining 52 respondents were still single. This is crucial given that within the church institution, marriage is held to high standards and in fact believed to influence some sense of responsibility which impact governance and subsequently effective church growth. The background of the respondents generally highlights an effective sample for the dissection of the topic of church governance as well as its impact to the growth and sustainability of the respective churches.

Church Experience

The research further went to inquire from the respondents regarding their various personal experiences within their respective churches, especially with regards to the period of time they have been members within these churches as well as how these time has impacted their perception of the church leadership and whether or not they hold any position of leadership or governance within these churches. A wide range of respondents based on the findings have actually been members of their respective churches for substantial periods of time and this highlights their inherent understanding of the church leadership and governance. Up to 70 respondents making up 53% of the respondents pointed out that they have been members of their respective churches for more than 20 years. It is crucial to highlight that the majority of these respondents are also the elderly members interviewed within the age group of 30 to above 50 years. 16 respondents making up 12% of the respondents have an experience with their churches of between 16 to 20 years; another 20 respondents have been members for up to 15 years while 21 members have been church members for up to 10 years. 6 of the 18 teenage respondents highlighted that they have only been attending their respective churches for less than 5 years. This highlights a majority of the respondents having been members of their respective churches for more than 5 years and thus should possess adequate information and experience on the church leadership and governance making them suitable for the study.

In addition, up to 118 respondent making up 89% of the respondents highlight holding a singular position of leadership or governance within their leadership ranging from Youth Leaders, church clerks, Elders, Pastors, stewards, women leaders, choir masters and many more. While a significant number of these respondents also highlight holding more than one position of governance and leadership within the church the remaining 14 respondents highlighted that they are only members within these churches. The extensive experience in the positions of leadership and governance by a wide majority of the respondents highlight their effectiveness in the research.

Motivation in Church Governance

The findings highlight that 68 respondents highlighted that they would actually need some form of motivation to be able to carry out their duties in church leadership and governance effectively. A further informal interview with some of the respondents pointed out that these motivations needs not be in monetary form or any gain whatsoever, rather, expressions and acts of kindness. Attributes such as showing humility and appreciation for the work done went a long way in being able to motivate individuals to be involved and indulged in management and governance of the various prospects within the church. However another 64 respondents making up almost 50% of the respondents highlighted that they needed no motivation to be involved in church leadership and governance highlighting that such duties are callings and as such Christians should be ready, able and capable to carry out such roles whenever called upon. They highlighted that the message preached in the bible regarding servant hood for salvation of the masses was enough motivation and compensation for any work they carried out within these churches.

In addition, giving was one of the major characteristics and attributes relevant for a church leader or an individual in a church governance position. Respondents highlighted a wide range of characteristics and virtues needed for good church leaders and governors further emphasizing that possessing these characteristics equally made the individual highly motivated and ready to take on governance positions. Some of the numerously mentioned characteristics include commitment to serve, humility, integrity, honesty, faithful, trustworthiness, patient, loving, caring and many more. These attributes highlight an individual who would be able to sacrifice not for any particular gain but rather to be able to provide effective guidance and care to the various congregations and stir them towards growth, development and sustainability. The motivation in church governance as such is more about the need to serve and impact individual lives rather than receiving material gain at the end of service. This ensures effective growth and development of churches as well as intended and suitable sustainability of the same.

Church Governance

The findings point out that a wide range of individual respondents have actually been involved in positions of governance at their respective churches before. Up to 118 respondents have taken up different positions of governance and leadership within their churches in the period that they have been members of these churches. Filling up spiritual leadership positions such as pastors, choir leaders, Sunday school teachers as well as managerial and governance positions such as Clark positions, financial administrators and advisors as well as secretaries. All these positions inherently contribute to the church’s spiritual as well as physical growth and development and given the wide range of individuals who take up these positions willingly, church governance and the motivation to take up these positions present a crucial element on the growth, development and sustainability of churches all across the country.

Up to 53 respondents strongly agreed that they are quite motivated when it comes to carrying out their duties as church leaders, pointing out that this motivation is what guides their success and ability to effectively carry out their duties and part of the church governance committee. 41 other respondents agreed that they are often quite motivated when it comes to carrying out church governance duties, while another 22 respondents were neutral with regards to their individual motivation when it comes to carrying out church governance related duties. The findings as such highlight that a wide range of individuals who occupy governance position in churches are actually quite motivated in being able to carry out their duties as church leaders and this highlights the importance of motivation in church governance for increased growth and development as well as the sustainability of the physical as well as spiritual growth of the church. 16 respondents strongly disagreed to being motivated when it comes to church governance functions, majorly pointing out the lack of compensation or any gains from the services provided. As such they rarely engaged or involved themselves in their governance duties.

Impact of Church governance

The research further looked to uncover the real impact of church governance to its growth and development. Whether or not governance structures and mechanisms influence actual growth or they are just a form of bureaucracy. This was specifically so as to ensure that the measure of motivation in this governance structures is the key variable being measured. 75 respondents making up 56% of the sample population strongly agreed that indeed church growth and sustainability are impacted by governance structures and mechanisms put in place by churches. They point out that most churches that grow effectively both physically and spiritually have effective governance structures in both facets. Often with a hierarchy of spiritual leaders separately developed and defined from physical growth and sustainability leaders. Another 31 respondents agree with regards to governance structures enhancing growth and sustainability while the remaining respondents all picked a neutral position with regards to governance. These respondents pointed out that indeed a church can still be in existence and grow with proper leadership of a single spiritual leader. These findings however uncover than governance in churches is quite a crucial factor to its continued growth and development as well as sustainability.

Governance ensures planning and proper execution of various church endeavors that may range from simple prayer services by the spiritual leaders to out of church spiritual responsibilities like neighborhood visits and attending to other occasions such as weddings and funeral services. management of this spiritual responsibilities of churches equally requires proper logistics and planning which may crop right out of church construction, development of church property, travel and transport expenses as well as management of church finances, all these tasks and duties define the governance structures of the church and owning to the fact that churches are not considered as businesses and therefore not liable to annual reports, individuals in these governance positions are often not obliged to a salary or any compensation. This highlights the need for characteristics such as integrity, honesty and humility from the individual in the governance positions as well as the critical need for personal motivation to inspire growth and sustainability.

Impact of church governance on spiritual growth

The impact of governance on physical growth is clearly defined by organization structures. For growth and sustainability of churches just like any other organizations, management of the finances and their proper use are critical. However how does church governance impact spiritual growth and sustainability? Up to 60 respondents strongly agree that their church leadership and governance is transparent regarding all the activities, tasks and duties taken up within their respective churches. This is a crucial factor in the congregations’ spiritual growth and development. The functionality of churches is that the congregations trust and faith in the church is the most crucial factor. Individuals will only be members of a church where they feel safe and protected. As such being transparent with the individual church members enhances individuals trust and faith in the church and enables their continuous attendance and desire to contribute and help the physical as well as spiritual growth of the church. 49 other respondents also agree that the leaders in their church keep them informed regarding the daily activities and occurrences as well as church expenditure.

A wide range of the respondents were also in agreement that the leaders in their respective churches have communicated a vision that motivates them. Up to 120 respondents making up 90% of the population agree that the message taught within their churches is not only encouraging and motivating in the spiritual aspect, but also the physical aspect. They highlight that the message taught in their church motivates them to do better in their endeavors in the church as well as in their personal livelihoods which enhances personal growth and development. This subsequently enhances the churches reputation which in turn impacts increased congregations which also enhance church growth, development and sustainability.

Further 91 respondents highlight the availability of support groups within the church that not only ensure increased localized spiritual guidance, but also enables maintenance of active membership which subsequently impacts overall church growth and development. These groups which are managed by and also inform part of the church governance structures provide individuals with a sense of safety and belonging which enhances prolonged membership and belief in the church and its message married couples further brig in friends and their children which enhance the churches growth development and sustainability. 100 respondents agree that most of the governance structures and systems set up in the respective churches effectively support them in their endeavors whether spiritual or physical. These systems are managed and made effective through efficient governance structures within the church further emphasizing the crucial role of governance in both physical and spiritual development and sustainability.

Impact of motivation in church governance

Up to 88 respondents strongly agreed that motivation plays a significant role in the governance of churches and by extension impacts greatly its growth and development. 31 respondents agreed and ranked motivation as a crucial factor in the effective and efficient governance of a church. Another 23 respondents were neutral with regards to motivation as a factor in church governance. The findings as such highlight that up to 83% of the population agree that motivation is indeed a crucial factor in the governance of churches. The respondents further highlighted that motivation need not be monetary compensation or any form of compensation at all, rather motivation in this sense is highly personal for every single individual. 75 respondents highlighted that their churches often recognized and appreciated leaders or any individuals for any contribution made towards the growth and development of the church highlighting that often this is the key motivation individuals in governing positions within the church. Often individuals take up activities and leadership roles voluntarily out of the need to be of some help to the growth and development of the church and being appreciated often keeps them going back which enhances growth and sustainability of the church over long periods of time.

Analysis

The findings not only highlight the importance of governance structures within a church but also the impact of motivation on this structures and subsequently how they eventually impact the growth and development of the church itself leading to its sustainability overtime.

A majority of the respondents include grownup adults between the age of 20 and 50 years, while they are equally divided into both genders as well as marital status, a huge majority of the respondents also have adequate education backgrounds of up to university or college levels. These individuals highly contribute to the church leadership and governance highlighting that the governance structures in the church are occupied by educated and experienced individuals. A majority of the individuals have also been members of their respective churches for periods of more than 5 years highlighting virtues such as commitment which go ahead to point out the potential of growth of all the churches in question.

While more than half of the respondents point out the need for motivation in order to participate or take up a governance position within their churches, another half of the population require no form of motivation to carry out these duties. A wide majority of the motivation required however as stated by the respondents is non monetary. Appreciation, recognition and the knowledge that their work is helping other people who need the help but are short of it is as much motivation required by a majority of the respondents to be able to take up positions of governance within their churches. In addition a wide range of characteristics highlighted by the respondents as a prerequisite for individuals in governance position include: integrity, humility, trustworthiness, modesty, and leadership, charismatic all highlight individuals who are self motivated as well as motivated by their love for others and need to be of help to them. These attributes highlight an individual who would be able to sacrifice not for any particular gain but rather to be able to provide effective guidance and care to the various congregations and stir them towards growth, development and sustainability. The motivation in church governance as such is more about the need to serve and impact individual lives rather than receiving material gain at the end of service. This ensures effective growth and development of churches as well as intended and suitable sustainability of the same.

Eventually church governance is crucial for the growth and development as well as sustainability of the church both in the physical as well as spiritual perspectives. Governance structures in the church are divided into two sections including spiritual governance as well as physical governance. For effective physical governance honest individuals with integrity are required to manage the church’s finances and logistical requirements as part of a regular organization, while for spiritual governance, clergy men, pastors and teachers are required. The church basically being a service oriented institution, the governance framework is meant to provide service to the congregation and funded by the same congregation. As such self motivated individuals are crucial to make up the governance structures for adequate success in the growth and development of the church. The level of effectiveness and efficiency with which these governance structures are operated as well as the amount of motivation these individuals possess towards trying to ensure success determines the growth development and sustainability of the church itself.

Conclusion

The research highlights governance as a crucial element in a church organization, not only for the purpose of enabling physical growth and development but also to enhance spiritual growth and nourishment as well. Given that churches are not considered as businesses, but rather societies which are meant to bring individuals together for spiritual nourishment and encouragement which enhances their healthy emotional growth, it is not controlled by any external body and as such any one providing their services to it are not guaranteed any remunerations. As such any resources of the church are managed internally by willing individuals and especially ones who do not expect any compensation or returns. This subsequently points out therefore that governance in churches require a lot of motivation which is not in the form of rewards. Individuals have to be self motivated and driven by the need to offer their services for the general good of other individuals rather than for specific gains in return. This highlights the need of individuals with specific characteristics, key among them, honesty, integrity and trustworthiness in order to be able to effectively govern different phases of the church. Motivation therefore is a crucial factor in the governance of the church and significantly contributes to the growth, development and sustainability of a church.