Abstract: According to Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commissioned His disciples saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that He has commanded them. He promised to be with them always, even to the end of the age. Jesus’ disciples accomplished the task in their time, but Jesus’ work continue. According to Pew Research Center (2017), only 31% of people worldwide have heard the gospel of salvation to get life, with a share of 26% living in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire by Constantine (312 A.D), no significant progress was made towards world evangelism as commissioned by Jesus. Despite the high rate of Christianity among African populations, his influence may not be enough perceived while Christian denominational churches are in multiplication over many African countries, Rwanda included.
Many Christian denominations in Africa, even in Rwanda preach religious gospel that do not transform heart and mind of their members from carnal to Christ-like character. False doctrine is preached, spread and believed as true in some denominational Christian Churches. Many Christians ignorant of Jesus’s gospel struggle with the relationship between their spirituality and indigenous beliefs and religions, and their spirituality became a blend of native beliefs and traditions with some Christian’s expressions. Pentecostal church of Rwanda-ADEPR birthed in 1940 among Christian denominations with the purpose to accomplish the great commission following the New Testament model. In view of evolution of the Pentecostal church of Rwanda since its setting, his growth in quality have dramatically decreased from 2010 up to now, and his physical growth have no significant impact. His servant leadership influence seemed to be not enough perceivable. The existing literature does not avail any research work about Christian churches’ achievements towards the fulfillment of the great commission.
This study contributes to fill the gap, aiming to investigate the influence of servant leadership on church members towards the fulfillment of the great commission in the Pentecostal Church of Rwanda-Gasabo District. The research question of the study was: Does servant leadership of the Pentecostal Church of Rwanda/Gasabo District influence Church members towards the fulfillment of the great commission? The objectives of the study were: to identify the influence of servant leadership on church members towards the fulfillment of the great commission in Pentecostal Church of Rwanda, Gasabo District; to assess the characteristics of servant leadership that influence church members towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission among the church leadership of the Pentecostal church of Rwanda, Gasabo District; to analyze strengths and weakness in the influence of servant leadership on church members towards the fulfillment of the great commission in Pentecostal Church of Rwanda, Gasabo District; to give conclusion and recommendation about the implementation of the Great Commission.
The study was a case study and qualitative, with a sample size of one hundred people.
The results of the study showed the influence of servant leadership on church members towards the fulfillment of the great commission in the Pentecostal church of Rwanda in Gasabo District was very bad.
The recommendations were:
- Eradicate ignorance of doctrinal knowledge of Christianity among the majority of his church members by using effective doctrinal teaching strategies.
- The Church leadership should envision offering well molded mentorship on behalf of all believers to ensure their spiritual growth.
We suggested for further research to explore effective ways for the church leadership to raise a qualified servant leadership influencing church members towards the fulfillment of the great commission;
And for the church leadership to explore effective methodes and strategies to train and equip members for an authentic christian life intentionally and effectivelly participating to fulfill the great commission.
Keywords: Servant Leadership, Church Members, Christian denominations, Christian churches.
Title: The Influence of Servant Leadership on Church Members towards the Fulfillment of the Great Commission: A Case of the Pentecostal Church of Rwanda- ADEPR in Gasabo District
Author: Léopold Harindintwari
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Vol. 12, Issue 4, October 2024 - December 2024
Page No: 392-406
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 19-December-2024
