How church owned businesses promote sustainability of the church: Case of Selected churches in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to find out the role of church owned businesses on sustainability of the church. Church organizations have over the years been faced with many challenges for survival and sustainability. As such, many churches today have ventured into businesses with an objective of enhancing their going concern. This move has been received with mixed reactions with some churches perceiving it as a good initiative for self-reliance while others perceiving it as an endeavour which is not within the church mandate. The study adopted descriptive research design. For primary data collection, questionnaires were administered and interview conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings. The results of this study indicate that church businesses do contribute to the sustainability of the church. The financial stability also implies that the church is put in a good position to achieve its biblical mandate in terms of reaching out, evangelising and also supporting the needy in the society. The study concludes that church businesses play a critical role in promoting sustainability of its operations. However, precaution has to be exercised so that the core mandate of the church which is about reaching out with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughworship, discipleship, evangelism, missions and social action is not compromised at the expense of business pursuit.