Membership Nurture and Retention in the Freetown Central District of Seventh-day Adventists, Sierra Leone

Abstract

Over the years there has been a great loss of new converts in church attendance in the Freetown Central District (FCD). This negative aspect has affected the growth of the church both numerically and financially. Membership Nurture and Retention is a vital church program that enhances the growth of the church both spiritually and numerically. But there is sharp decline in church attendance over the years. This shows a concern for the church’s administration. The nurturing and retaining process of new converts is perceived and supported by both Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy and other Christian writers. If this issue is not properly addressed, the growth of the church will be stagnated and the salvation of members (both old and new) will be at risk. The decline in church attendance by members led the researcher to this project in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. However, to improve church attendance by new converts, a program of nurture and retention was developed and implemented in the two selected churches (Three Angels’ Messages SDA Church and East End SDA Church) of the FCD in a bid to resolve the problem. In connection with the above topic, data were collected and relevant literatures were reviewed. More so, for this research other methods were engaged to validate the nurturing process of new members in the church. This included both qualitative and quantitative approaches by administering questionnaires and also focus group discussion for both churches. The findings of the study carried out in the two organized churches in Freetown Central District of the Seventh-day Adventist Church were analyzed. The results derived from the findings helped in designing the various interventions in the two churches to enhance membership nurture and retention. At the end of the post-implementation period of the intervention, it was obvious that the church attendance had improved in both churches in the district and the spirituality of members was also improved. In order for the churches to sustain the project, seminars and training of both old and new members will be carried out by the elders on a quarterly basis. The implementation of the intervention for membership nurture and retention is a key for the growth of the church, not only in FCD but the entire Mission and beyond. The officers of the churches appreciate the fact that nurturing of new members in healthy church programs will enhance their stay in the church and also involve them in church activities to continue discipling others.