Developing a model for membership retention in the district of Moronou, Cote d’Ivoire

Abstract

A detailed investigation found that a sizable portion of people who have lapsed or moved away from the Moronou area, Cote d'Ivoire Conference, have either joined Sunday churches, disassociated themselves from all other Christian affiliations, or converted to Islam. It is, therefore, crucial to implement extensive metrics and models created to serve as a guide for the retention of its members as the church sincerely considers effective tactics for growing its membership. This study, therefore, aims to draw data-driven retention strategies using advanced metrics and models to identify membership growth factors and analyze the factors affecting growth for membership stability. Due to the unique challenge of the Moronou district, the study employed key concepts from various reviewed theories to serve as the basis for the theoretical framework. The study was conducted in the Moronou district in the Cote d’Ivoire Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The study employed simple random techniques and sampled 217 members. However, 110 were engaged in the data collection process. Data was gathered using a questionnaire and analyzed using multiple regression and factor analysis. The reliability analysis underscores the robustness of the three constructs in measuring aspects of church engagement and member awareness. The results suggest that the variables—active participation, church involvement, and member awareness—were reliably measured to know appropriate church retention strategies and interventions. The multiple regression analysis found that church involvement and satisfaction, active participation and involvement, and socioeconomic awareness are substantial predictors of religious engagement which formed the basis for framing the retention model. The study informs further research and practical applications in enhancing church engagement strategies and implementation of the membership retention model.