Towards effective integration of single parents in discipleship, Thamanda Seventh-day Adventist, Central Kenya Conference

Abstract

Christianity is anchored on Christ’s command to carry the message of salvation to the ends of the earth. This can be done by ensuring that all adherents are involved appropriately and effectively in all Church activities. The Church is expected to be the place where all members have a sense of belonging, acceptance, and inclusivity. This implies that every Church member should get an opportunity to serve his or her master freely in the ecclesiastical programs of the Church. This research was based at Thamanda SDA Church and sought to explore ways through which single parents could be effectively integrated into the discipleship programs of the Church at Thamanda. In this survey, the researcher attempted to find out the theoretical foundations for single parents’ participation in discipleship. So, research adopted a qualitative research paradigm that is anchored on exploring the respondents’ views in a particular setting, in this case, at Thamanda SDA Church. The investigation also used a document analysis method whereby various literature and documents were analyzed and reviewed for coherency and contribution to the present research. The research revealed that single parents have long been left out of the Church programs. As a result, the researcher developed and implemented a Missiological method that single parents can use as a means of discipleship as they go for mission. The strategy involves a volunteer perspective for soul winning activities under the strategy by the name “Faith Mission Strategy [FMS]” which entails trusting in God for discipleship. The evaluation carried out on the discipleship program verified that it was greatly successful. This was evidenced after single parents conducted a two weeks gospel campaign that resulted in more cooperation among Church members.