Retaining Literature Evangelists in North East Tanzania Conference

Abstract

The Publishing Ministries Department in Northeast Tanzania Conference has been faced with the challenge of retention of Literature Evangelists. About 50% of those who join the ministry as literature evangelists quit within six to twelve months. Since Literature Evangelists play a significant role in winning souls to the kingdom of God, retaining them in Literature Ministry is automatically to support the mission of the church. Through Bible study, writings of Ellen G. White, and other authors, a training program was developed by the researcher focusing on the retention of Literature Evangelists in Northeast Tanzania Conference. Data was collected from the said conference. Forty three Literature Evangelists and 4 APDs were involved from the five zones of NETC. Three retirees (two former Publishing Directors and one former APD), and one conference officer were the leaders who were involved. Data from Northeast Tanzania Conference Publishing Department office was collected. The researcher used SPSS computer software to analyze data. The program was implemented for ten days, five days at a time at the interval of one year involving 43 Literature Evangelists and 4 Assistant Publishing Directors. Evaluation was done after two years of work from the first training session and one year after the second training session. After the training program Literature Evangelists were more satisfied with their career, managed to plan their schedule of work, more increased their financial stability, more practiced capital investment plan, more APDs managed to work with LEs on a regular basis, and as a result more Literature evangelists were retained.