Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy as a means for Improving Pastoral Ministry in Anambra-Imo Conference

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has played a huge role in the spread of Christianity throughout history. However, the huge burden on pastors serving in Anambra-Imo Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church calls for attention. In 2015, the membership of the church in Anambra-Imo Conference was 9,805 compared to the 19 field pastors. This places an enormous task of reaching out to the members on every pastor serving in the area. This has been a great challenge for the field pastors serving in Anambra-Imo Conference and formed the basis for this study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized in this research. Two sets of questionnaires were administered. 180 questionnaire were distributed to church members, out of which 116 (70.3%) were returned. All of the fifteen (100%) administered to the pastors were completed. Parts of the data collated from the pastors were gathered through face to face and group interviews.All fifteen (100.0%) pastors interviewed indicated that the evolution and acceptance of ICT are part of prophecy fulfilment. Eleven (73.3%) of the pastors interviewed thought they would most likely be more successful in their pastoral ministry if they would begin to apply ICT in their ministry. The results from this study show that pastors in Anambra-Imo Conference need the application of ICT to improve their pastoral ministry. This work thus recommends that the leadership of the conference organise routine ICT training for both pastors and the members of the local churches. This may increase the interests of the church members in the application of ICT and may enhance pastoral ministry in the region.