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07030248044CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The development of a church as a charitable group is heavily dependent on its leadership. The leader is a change agent who must tailor management techniques to the characteristics and behavior of his or her followers (Băeşu & Bejinaru, 2013). Many factors influence a conflict resolution as seen from a management perspective (Băeşu & Bejinaru, 2013). The church's leader takes decisions, interacts with stakeholders, and manages the transition process. The favorable influence of church leaders on church development has not lately been obvious in churches in Nigeria since churches have witnessed a fall in membership and, as a result, many churches have closed(Rainer, 2013).
Church expansion, according to McIntosh (2015), is "everything that is determined to bring men and women who do not have a personal connection with Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into appropriate church membership." In other words, church expansion is a way of effective evangelism, not membership growth.Data on church attendance revealed a disparity of opinion among adults about the importance of attending church; 49 percent thought it was very or very significant, while 51 percent thought it was not at all relevant (Barna Group, 2014). These findings revealed a striking disparity between those who are faithfully involved and those who are reluctant to visiting church; this disparity has had an impact on American society, morals, politics, and religion (Barna Group, 2014).
Although churches can be represented theologically using a variety of metaphors or models, a church is fundamentally similar to any other charitable organisation in that it is a group of individuals who gather together to work toward a common, specified goal (Banks, 2013). The structure of an organization is made up of parts such as vision, mission, values, objectives, and beliefs, which offer meaning and purpose to its existence (Banks, 2013). In other words, all kinds of organizations have these aspects, and all leaders have an effect on these factors as an organization goes through the necessary process of change.
Continuous expansion is a crucial aspect in defining a church's future, and the work of church leaders is equally vital. Church leaders must create organizational and leadership structures for church groups with the goal of promoting church development, transformation, and productivity (Banks, 2013). Church membership and attendance have declined in recent years, with 59 percent of churches in the Nigeria having less than 100 fellow people (White, 2015). To reverse this trend, church leaders may need to alter their style of leadership and means of reaching out to members of the church and community. Churches' leadership structures differ, and there is no uniform or set type of leadership. The application of resolution of conflict in churches is determined by the church's condition or needs (Banks, 2013). Conflict resolution may change dependent on its needs, and leaders must meet the requirements of the future church while keeping trends and change in mind so that the church may continue to develop and spread (Banks, 2013).
In a global sense and with respect to conflict resolution, every organization has its system of operation. This has been applied in the church le has been as conflict resolution style has been reported to aid in church growth. Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest of group (e.g., intentions; reasons for holding certain beliefs) and by engaging in collective negotiation.According to Burns (2014), conflict resolution is the process of pursuing common goals by mutually accessing leaders' and followers' incentive bases toward the attainment of the desired change.
In this post Christendom era, where participation is increasingly based on personal preference more than on social convention or residential location in a particular parish, individual Christians have become highly mobile and congregations are more concerned about retaining their membership. When conflict avoidance is both the cause and effect of high mobility (in other words, when people leave rather than address a conflict or when conflict is avoided in order to retain members), a congregations unpreparedness for addressing conflict is intensified. Hence, while a conflict may arise over a communal issue such as worship style, the fuel that feeds the conflict comes from the memberships general inexperience in peacemaking as a response to conflict.The issues which fuelled those conflicts were not too dissimilar from those that fuel congregational conflicts today: factions and congregational polarization around different leaders (1 Cor. 1-4), sexuality (1 Cor. 5 and 6), lawsuits (1 Cor. 6), marriage (1 Cor. 7), dietary concerns (1 Cor. 8-10), the conduct of worship (1 Cor. 11-14), anddoctrinal/theological disagreements (1 Cor. 15).
Church attendance at Christian churches in the United States has fallen during the last two decades (Bruce, 2011; Coleman, Ivani-Chalian, & Robinson, 2004). Several reasons contributed to this collapse, including a lack of leadership, vision, and communication, as well as an inability to reach millennials (Barna Group, 2014; Rainer, 2013). In addition, church attendance by those with religious ties continues to drop in these technology times. Fewer and fewer Nigerians are attending church or any other place of worship (Yates, 2014). Advances in technology, like as computers, mobile devices, and the Internet, are causing substantial changes in the social lives and worship practices of Christians (Yates, 2014). Individual dependence on these technology is obviating the necessity for traditional religion and attendance at conventional places of worship (Yates, 2014). Between 2014 and 2021, the percentage of Nigerians who visited church on a regular basis fell from 43 percent to 36 percent (Barna Group, 2014). In the Nigeria, 50% of churches had less than 100 independent worshipers, 40% had between 100 and 350 attendees, and 10% had more than 350 worshippers. The smallest group featured rising churches with the most members, while the bottom 90% included fading churches with fewer members (Rainer, 2015). The leader is the change agent in any religion, and preparedness for change is more probable in organizations with leaders that members trust and respect (Allen, Smith, & Da Silva, 2013).
Despite the fact that tens of millions of Nigerians attend churches every weekend, church worship practices have diminished in recent years (Barna Group, 2014). According to Allen et al. (2013), the issue may indicate that church leaders are unable to embrace or adjust to change. The specific issue was that church leaders, such as pastors, deacons, and ministers, did not consider conflict resolution and how their application might boost church membership development in Nigeria.In order to address the issue of declining church membership, current leaders must be willing to advocate and allow change (Allen et al., 2013). Given the contemporary problems that churches face, innovative problem solving and change attempts by leaders may be critical for organizational survival (Allen et al., 2013). The purpose of this research was to address a gap in the literature about the impact of conflict resolution practice on growth in Yagba West local government area of Kogi State, Nigeria.
The Great Commission requires the Church to expand in both qualitative and quantitative ways. "Go then and make disciples of all countries, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to follow all that I taught you," Jesus said (Matt. 28:18-20). Christ intended his followers to lead the church via rapid development.Unfortunately, despite the reality that churches in Nigeria use best practices and plan numerous church events for their congregations, they do not experience advancement. This dynamic expansion in the church frequently failed not because church leaders did not comprehend or even utilize the greatest strategies and programmatic breakthroughs with the flock. Rather, studies observed that development has been stifled because we have either forgotten or are unaware that the quality of the pastor who leads is the cornerstone to any ministry.The absence of good leadership practice in today's churches has resulted in a slew of issues that have hampered the church's healthy growth. This research looks at the benefits of conflict resolution practices on church growth inFour Square Gospel Church, Yagba West local government area of Kogi State, Nigeria.
The main objective of the study is to examine the effect conflict resolution on church growth in Yagba West local government area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study include;
From the objectives of the study above, the following questions were derived to give direction to the present study;
1.5 Research Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1
Hypothesis 2
The study is significant for the following reasons. It is hoped that the findings of this study will help shape the minds of pastors, church members and leaders on how to lead, deriving their leadership example from the Bible so as to used adequate conflict resolutions.
The study's goal is to raise awareness and prevent avarice, power struggles, and disaffection among churchgoers. It will also serve as a reminder to modern Christians that the church is not a place to generate money, but rather a place of worship for Yahweh.
The findings may help church leaders have a solid grasp of how church conflict resolution relate to the church's success as a nonprofit organization. The statistics may also give significant information on prevalent conflict resolution strategies and how they help the church's future in a nonprofit organizational context. The findings of this study might be used in Pentecostal churches in Nigeria to develop the conflict resolution styles of leaders and members, as well as to get a better understanding of their function as church leaders.
Findings of this study may also prove useful as the church continues its efforts to serve as the cornerstone organization for meeting the needs of diverse communities (Watkins, 2014). After the completion of this study, the administration of upper and mid-level church leadership in Pentecostal churches in Nigeria may become more relevant in a culture that threatens to leave the church behind. Also, in this study, Foursquare church leaders could gain a new outlook on their conflict resolution practices, obtain tools that will help them build their organizations effectively, and support their members’ efforts to create a positive influence that could change their communities and cities.
The findings of the present study will also enable church members to know the merit of conflict resolution practicesin the development of church and as such elect such leader to lead the affair of the church.
Also, the study will form a basis for further research for academicians and scholars. The study will expose the Pentecostal church leaders to the problems in their conflict resolution styles and proffer solutions to such problems.
The scope of the study is based on the effect of conflict resolution on church growth inFour Square Gospel Church, Yagba West local government area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Participants consists of members, leaders, pastors and workers in the church.
The following are the limitation of the present study;
First, questionnaires and individual face-to-face interviews with chosen churches in Nigeria were used to collect data for this study. Furthermore, the study was confined to church leaders and members of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria; these limitations meant that the study's conclusions would only apply to churches in this geographical region.
Another possible disadvantage of this study was that researcher bias might restrict the study's conclusions, because personal bias can arise from a researcher's prior connections or associations. It is important to note that case study researchers are prone to bias since the approach requires the researcher to identify the premise of the issue in advance. Despite the fact that the researcher is a member of a local Pentecostal church in Nigeria, the church's officials and people did not engage in this research study.
Furthermore, the researcher had no personal or professional relationship with any of the sample participants since he preserved the confidentiality of the study participants' names and communication and used ethical measures to minimize bias. Continuously checking for and detecting biases aided in the accomplishment of appropriate depth and relevance of data gathering and analysis.
1.9 Operational Definitions of Terms
Conflict: Conflict can be defined as any disagreement or incompatibility between two or more parties, such as individuals, groups, or organizations.
Conflict resolution:Conflict resolution is the process of finding a peaceful solution to a dispute or a conflict between two or more parties.
Church: Church is commonly defined as a building used for public worship. However, many people refer to a church as an organization. Examples are the Catholic Church, the Church of Christ, and the Southern Baptist Church amongst many others.
Church Growth: Church growth as all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into responsible church membership.” In other words, church growth is effective evangelism, not a methodology for increasing membership.
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OTHER SIMILAR THEOLOGY PROJECTS AND MATERIALS