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UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
YOUTH DRIFT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE YOUTH MINISTRIES DIRECTORATE OF THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA, ACCRA DIOCESE
SETH NANA KWABENA KODUAH
DEPARTMENT FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS
JULY 2018
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UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
YOUTH DRIFT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE YOUTH MINISTRIES DIRECTORATE OF THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA, ACCRA DIOCESE
BY SETH NANA KWABENA KODUAH
(ID. No.10599245)
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPY IN THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS
DEPARTMENT FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS
JULY 2018
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DECLARATION
I, SETH NANA KWABENA KODUAH, hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is the result of my own investigation and that except for other peoples’ works, which have been duly acknowledged at the reference section, this dissertation has never been presented to this university or elsewhere for any degree.
SETH NANA K. KODUAH …………………… ……..…………..
(STUDENT) Signature Date
DR. BEN-WILLIE GOLO …………….…… ……...………… (SUPERVISOR) Signature Date
DR. ERNESTINA NOVIETO ……………… ………………… (SUPERVISOR) Signature Date
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DEDICATION
This dissertation is first and foremost dedicated to Almighty GOD for his protection and guidance throughout the work. Also, I dedicate this work to my wife, Rosemond Koduah for her immense effort, motivation and encouragement which saw me through this piece of work and to my daughter, Piesie Nana Yaa Frimpomaa Koduah. I also dedicate this work to my brothers and co-workers in Christ; Bro Isaac Yeboah and Bro Kwame Owusu Gyimah who supported me throughout the course of this project and my studies.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My greatest and sincere gratitude goes to God Almighty for the strength, wisdom and ability bestowed on me to go through this exercise peacefully and successfully.
I wish to acknowledge the help of my supervisors, Dr. Ben-Willie Golo and Dr. Ernestina
Novieto for their patience, candid suggestions and corrections through the whole process of this work. May God richly bless them all.
Much gratitude also goes to my wife Rosemond Koduah for her support, Bro Edward Kwei
Williams, Very Rev. Henry Apau Asiedu, the Superintendent Minister Taifa Circuit, Very Rev.
Dr. Kwesi Arthur Mensah, the Superintendent Minister New- Achimota, Very Rev Eric Asante
Danquah,the Superintendent Minister Abeka Circuit and Very Rev. Andrew Mbea-Baiden,
Superintendent Minister, Kaneshie North Circuit for their support and contributions into this research.
I am grateful to all Circuit Youth Organizers in the Methodist Church Accra Diocese, especially, Bro Adomako Bempah Dweteh of New Achimota Circuit, Bro Bampoh Aye of
Taifa Circuit, Bro Jonathan Acquah of Kaneshie North Circuit, Bro Francis Bonney of Abeka
Circuit, Sis Deborah Cobblah, Accra Diocesan Girls Fellowship Secretary and Bro Enoch
Mintah for their contributions and support.
I am also grateful to the Head of Department and all the Lecturers of Study of Religions, and the entire staff of the department and colleagues (MPhil, Year group 2018) for their encouragement.
Finally, to the authors and publishers whose journals, articles and books I have used as references in this work, I cherish your ideas and wisdom.
God bless you all.
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ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of young people drift from churches is a complex problem since it involves multiple dimensions that are sometimes difficult to unravel. This study explored the experiences of the laity and clergy of the Methodist Church on youth drift within the Church.
The target population were ministers, young people and youth who have drifted from the
Methodist Church, Accra Diocese to either Pentecostal or Charismatic Churches. A mixed research design was adopted and a purposive sampling technique used to select the desired sample. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from 10 participants.
Survey was used to collect data from 80 young people affiliated with the Methodist Youth
Fellowship.
The study found that young people are leaving the Methodist Church, Accra Diocese due to poor leadership, liturgical challenges, peer influence, unmet spiritual and social needs and liberal form of parenting. The implications of the youth drift on the Methodist Church include financial constraint, leadership challenges and decline in membership of the Church. The study established that most of the participants were not aware of the structures and policies of the church to curb the youth drift. Nevertheless, the response of the church towards the drift include spiritual renewal programmes, scholarships, Youth Support Fund and Campus Ministry of the
Methodist Church.
There are considerable number of young people who drift from the Methodist Church to either
Pentecostal or Charismatic Churches. Most of the young people who drift to other churches feel that their needs are unmet. For the Methodist Church to remain relevant in contemporary society there is the need for the church to be adaptable to change. Programmes and policies that will whip up the interest of the young people in the church should be introduced to sustain their interest in the church.
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Table of Contents DECLARATION ...... i DEDICATION ...... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...... iii ABSTRACT ...... iv CHAPTER ONE ...... 1 1.1 Background Introduction ...... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ...... 5 1.3 Objectives of the Study ...... 6 1.4 Research Questions ...... 6 1.5 The Scope of the study ...... 7 1.6 Conceptual Framework ...... 9 1.7 Methodology ...... 11 1.7.1 Sample and Sampling Procedure ...... 11 1.7.2 Sources of the Study ...... 13 1.8 Literature Review...... 15 1.8.1 Christianity in Ghana ...... 16 1.8.2 Methodism in Ghana ...... 18 1.8.3 Youth Ministry in the Methodist Church ...... 20 1.8.4 Pentecostalism and its Influence on the Youth ...... 22 1.8.5 Switching within Churches in Ghana ...... 24 1.9 Justification of Study ...... 26 1.10 Organization of Chapters ...... 27 1.11 Ethical Considerations ...... 28 1.12 Definition of terms ...... 27 CHAPTER TWO ...... 29 Religious socialization and Youth Drift ...... 29 2.0 Introduction ...... 29 2.1 Socialization ...... 29 2.2 Religious Socialization ...... 33 2.2.1 Primary Religious Socialization ...... 36 2.2.2 Secondary Religious Socialization ...... 38 2.3 Youth Socialization in Ghanaian Christianity ...... 44 2.4 Conclusion ...... 47 CHAPTER THREE ...... 48 THE YOUTH MINISTRYAND THE METHODIST CHURCH, GHANA ...... 48 3.0 Introduction ...... 48
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3.1 History of the Methodist Church, Ghana ...... 48 3.2 Structural Hierarchy of the Methodist Church Ghana ...... 51 3.3 Youth Ministry in the Methodist Church Ghana ...... 52 3.3.1 The Methodist Church and the formation of Youth Organizations ...... 54 3.3.2 Contribution of Youth Workers in the Methodist Church ...... 64 3.3.3 The Youth Ministry and Youth Development in the Methodist Church, Ghana .... 67 3.4 Methodist Church and Youth Drift ...... 69 3.5 Summary ...... 81 CHAPTER FOUR DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS ………………………….82 4.1 Introduction ...... 82 4.2 Presentation of Findings ...... 82 4.2.1 Age of Respondents ...... 82 4.2.2 Marital Status of Respondents ...... 83 4.2.3 Educational Level of Respondents ...... 84 4.2.4 Youth in Church Activities ...... 85 4.2.5 Youth Drift ...... 86 4.2.6 Reasons accounting for the drift of youth members ...... 89 4.2.7 Implications of Youth Drift on Youth Ministries ...... 90 4.2.8 Implications of the Youth drift on the Methodist Church ...... 91 4.2.9 Perceived structures and policies of the church ...... 91 4.2.10 Response of the Church towards the Youth Drift ...... 92 4.3 Discussion ...... 93 4.3.1 Reasons accounting for the youth drift ...... 93 4.3.2 Implications of youth drift on the Methodist Church ...... 106 4.3.3 Response of the church towards drift of the youth ...... 107 4.4 Conclusion ...... 108 CHAPTER FIVE ...... 109 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ...... 109 5.0 Introduction ...... 109 5.1 Summary ...... 109 5.2 Conclusion ...... 110 5.3 Recommendations ...... 111 5.3.1 Recommendations for the Church ...... 111 5.3.2 Further research needs ...... 112 APPENDIX ...... 113 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 113 INTERVIEWS ...... 113
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BOOKS ...... 114 Survey Questionnaire ...... 118 INTERVIEWE GUIDES ...... 122 Interview Guide for Circuit Youth Organizers ...... 123 Interview Guide for Young People not within the YMD ...... 124 Interview Guide for Young People who have left the Church ...... 125
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Structure of the Youth Ministries Directorate ...... 67
Figure 2 Connexional Christian Community Membership for 2012-2017 ...... 74
Figure 3 Christian Community Membership For Accra Diocese ...... 75
Figure 4 Growth of the Christian Community of Accra Diocese between 2012-2017 ...... 75
Figure 5 Comparisom between membership and attendance to church of Accra Diocese ...... 76
Figure 6 Average attendance to church in Accra Diocese in Accra between 2012-2017 ...... 77
Figure 7 Growth of societies and membership over the period 2012-2017 ...... 79
Figure 8 Membership drive of youth organization in Accra Diocese 2012-2017 ...... 80
Figure 9 Growth of Youth Organizations in Accra Diocese over the period 2012-2017 ...... 81
Figure 10 Perceived youth involvement in Church Activities ...... 85
Figure 11 Church Activities involved by Youth Members ...... 86
Figure 12 Young People's Perception about the response of the Church towards youth drift 92
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Societies and membership of Accra Diocese 2012-2017 ...... 78
Table 2 Percent Distribution of respondents by age ...... 83
Table 3 Distribution of respondents by marital status ...... 83
Table 4 Distribution of respondents by highest educational qualification ...... 84
Table 5 Existence of Youth Drift ...... 87
Table 6 Reasons accounting for youth drift ...... 89
Table 7 Implications of youth drift on Youth Ministries ...... 90
Table 8 Implications of youth drift on the growth of the church ...... 91
Table 9 Perceived structures and policies to keep young people in the church ...... 92
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background Introduction
It is generally known that religious switching and drift are common in nations that have religious pluralism and heritage that emphasizes voluntary faith.1 For the purpose of this discussion “switching, movement, drift and drift are used interchangeably. Matthew Loveland quoting the work of Wade Roof suggested that in the United States, although most people remain adherent of one religious faith throughout lifetime, nearly one-third of them have switched religion at least once.2 Loveland also, posited that this movement can be attributed to many factors including marriage; because individuals who marry outside their religion or denomination are believed to be more likely to switch.3
Again, Sherkat, in his work "Leaving the Faith” argued that geographical migration can also be attributed to religious switching because mobility breaks old ties and introduce movers to new options or exclude previous options and this results in religious switching.4 This happens when an individual moves to a new location and joining your former denomination becomes difficult because of distance. Their inability to find their preference denomination at their present geographical location may lead to joining a new denomination which looks similar to their former denomination.
However, in Ghana, during the early 1980s, the regular movement of Christians from one church to another affected mostly the traditional mainline churches. The mainline churches
1 Roof, Wade Clark. "Multiple religious switching: A research note." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 28, no.4 (1989): 530-535. 2 Loveland, Matthew T. "Religious switching: Preference development, maintenance, and change." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 42, no. 1 (2003): 147-157. 3 Loveland, Matthew T. "Religious switching: Preference development, maintenance, and change." 147-157. 4 Sherkat, Darren E., and John Wilson. "Preferences, constraints, and choices in religious markets: An examination of religious switching and apostasy." Social Forces 73, no. 3 (1995): 993-1026.
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refer to the historical European mission churches including the Methodist, Presbyterian,
Anglican, Baptist etc.5 Foli affirms that, whilst membership trends in the mainline churches were declining, Charismatic churches, on the other hand, sprang and grew by leaps and bounds.6
Gifford is of the view that those affected most in this drift is the youth in the mainline churches.
One of the reasons for the drift of the youth in the mainline Churches is that, leadership positions in these mainline churches were perceived as the preserve of the older generation, who cling to them and try to keep the youth in their place. This became an affront to the young people who wanted to create their own space where they can exercise some responsibility.
Failure to have this space led to the young people leaving the mainline churches to newer churches.7 Another perspective is that the newer churches are youthful churches and is characterised without any oppositional stance towards older generation and addresses the preoccupation of the youth. The attraction of these churches, notably Charismatic and
Pentecostal churches, to the upwardly mobile youth cannot be soft-pedalled.8
Further, Asamoah-Gyadu, quoting Kwesi Dickson (former President of Methodist Church,
Ghana), opined that Christianity offered by the charismatic ministries has caught on with the young people, they address their message to the aspiration of the young people.9
5 Adjei, Margaret. “Mobility of Christians within Churches in Accra (1980-2009).” Thesis, University of Ghana, Legon. June, 2011 6 Foli, Richard, Christianity in Ghana: A comparative church Growth Study (Trust Publication Accra,2006)p.3 7 Gifford, Paul, African Christianity: Its Public Role (London: Hurst and Company, 1998)p. 88-9 8 Gifford, Paul, African Christianity. 88-9 9 Asamoah-Gyadu. Johnson “Traditional Missionary and New Religious Movement in Ghana:A Comparative Study of Attitudes towards each other’s faith and practice”Mphil Thesis, Legon, 1994. 70-73 2
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The youth have been at the forefront of the birth of Methodism in the Gold Coast. For instance, when Rev’d Joseph Rhodes Dunwell came to sow the seed of Methodism in 1835 young people who had graduated from the castle school in Cape Coast had already prepared the grounds.10
According to Abekah, Mfantsipim School, the premier school for secondary education,
Methodism is what it is today due to the youth who were determined to keep it running even when there were no teachers to sustain it. He suggested that the youth gave birth to Methodism in Gold Coast and were influential for its growth in the first fifty years, and have since made significant contributions and sacrifices to the development and expansion of Methodism in
Ghana. Abeka states again that, “with the combined effort of the Methodist Guild and the
Methodist Youth fellowship, the whole Church was propelled forward to take its rightful place on the land; and the business of spreading scriptural holiness in the land was given a boost.
11This shows that the youth played very important role in the establishment and the expansion of Methodism in Ghana.
However, between 1971and 1973, youth work in the Methodist church Ghana at the local levels started declining owing to lack of interest of the young people in the activities of the church12.
This led to the proposal from the Conference of the Methodist Church for the creation of a youth department not youth ministries at the Head office to direct the whole programme of the youth in the church. The activities of the Youth Department were to be coordinated by a minister for youth work13 The Youth Ministries Directorate in the Methodist Church has the
10 Abeka, Nana Isaac. The Youth and Development of Methodism in Ghana. (Accra: Max Associate limited, 2012), 30-31 11 Abeka, Isaac. The Youth and Development. 30-31 12 Abeka, Isaac. The Youth and Development. 31-32 13 Methodist Church, Ghana. “Minutes of the Conference” 1973. P. 23 3
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mandate of maintaining and helping every young people to become active members of the church.14
The Youth Department (Youth Ministries Directorate) also have a responsibility to coordinate and monitor the various youth organizations of the church such as Methodist Youth Fellowship
(MYF), Ghana Association of Methodist Students Union (GHAMSU), Association of
Methodist Brigade (AMB) and Methodist Girls Fellowship (MGF) and all young people from ages 12 to 35.15 Again, the Youth Ministries Directorate helps the young people, especially, the teens in the larger intergenerational community of the Church. The Youth Ministries also focuses on inviting those who are not already part of the Church through rigorous evangelism.
During the late 1980s there was a massive movement of women and youth in the Methodist
Church, Ghana.16 The antidote provided by the Methodist church to protect its members including the youth from drifting, was the introduction of Methodist Prayer and Renewal
Programme (M.P.R.P).17
In recent times, anecdotal evidence suggests that there are growing concern in the Methodist
Church Ghana about the phenomenon where the number of young people who have been active in the church’s activities while in children service, decline when they become young adults.
Abeka has attributed the decline in numbers of members of children service in the church’s active involvement to the challenges of modernity as against ‘orthodoxy’ (orthodoxy refers to
14 Board of Education and Youth. The Policy and Bye-Laws for the guidance of the youth work,4 15 Abeka, Isaac. The Youth and Development. p. 30-31 16 Cephas Narh Omenyo, Pentecost outside Pentecostalism: A Study of the Developments of Charismatic Renewal in the Mainline Churches in Ghana (Zoetermeer; Boekencentrum Publishing House, 2006), 155 17Omenyo Cephas Narh, Pentecost outside Pentecostalism, 155 4
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the mainline churches and the way they do their things) in the church. The phenomenon has been termed by the older members of the Methodist Church as ‘Pentecostal enthusiasm’
It should be noted that, organizations under the Youth Ministries Directorate in the Methodist
Church Ghana raise challenges to the directorate such as, youth drift from the church, lack of youth being given positions and lack of interest in church activities. At the 15th Biennial Youth
Delegates Diocesan Conference held at the University of Ghana Campus, most of the Circuits reported lack of interest in members attending meetings.18 Again, GHAMSU in their report to the 2017 Accra Diocesan Synod stated that the challenges facing the student wing of the church is the drift of their members to other Unions”.19 To buttress this point, the Connexional
Research and Planning Committee of the Methodist Church Ghana in their report to General
Purpose Council in June, 2017 also raised concerns on the drift of the youth from the church.20
All these factors, albeit without statistics, point to the fact that there is a visibility of youth drift from the Methodist Church, Ghana.
Therefore, the researcher seeks to examine the activities of the Youth Ministries Directorate as a coordinating body in relation to the drift of the youth, its implications on the youth ministries and the church and the response of the church to the drift.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
One of the challenges facing the mainline churches including the Methodist Church Ghana today is the drift of the youth from these churches, usually into the Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. It has been proven that Pentecostalism and Charismatic churches have an influence
18 Methodist Youth Fellowship, Accra Diocese. 15th Biennial Delegate Conference Report, 2017 19 Methodist Church Ghana, 56th Synod Agenda for Accra Diocese. 2017. Pg 169 20 Methodist Church Ghana, “Directorate for Planning Research and Growth Report to July 2016 General Purpose Council (GPC) Meeting.” Pg 226 5
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on the drift of youth in mainline churches. The Youth Ministries Directorate in the Methodist
Church which has been established purposefully for the implementation of youth policies and programmes thereby keeping the youth within the church, has not been able to surmount this challenge.
There are scanty studies on how activities of a youth body contribute to the drift of its members to other churches. Therefore, it is prudent to carry out an investigation that goes beyond the influence of Pentecostalism and look at the structure and the activities of the Youth Ministries
Directorate in relation to the youth drift from the church.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of the study is to examine the reasons why the youth drift from the
Methodist Church irrespective of the establishment of the Youth Directorate and what are the implications for the function of the Youth Directorate.
The Specific objectives are;
1. To examine the phenomenon of religious socialization of the youth in the Methodist
Church
2. To identify reasons why the youth drift from the Accra Diocese of the Methodist church
to other churches
3. To discuss the implications and response to youth drift in the church to the Youth
Ministries Directorate
1.5 Research Questions
The following are research questions, which will guide the researcher in the bid to achieve the objectives of the study.
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1. How is religious socialization situated among the youth of the Methodist Church?
2. Why are young people leaving the Methodist Church in Accra diocese to other
Churches?
3. What are the implications and response to the drift on the Youth Ministries Directorate
and the Church?
4. What is the response of the Youth Ministries Directorate and the Church to the drift?
1.6 The Scope of the study
The research was undertaken in the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana. The reason for choosing the Accra Diocese is its geographical location as it hosts a great number of
Charismatic and Pentecostals churches. In addition, there is a high rate of youth drift of members of the Methodist Church to other Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. This research was undertaken in four circuits within the Accra Diocese: New Achimota Circuit, Taifa Circuit,
Kaneshie North Circuit and Abeka Circuit. Recently, the new administrative demarcation will have both New Achimota Circuit and Taifa Circuit in the newly created diocese, Northern
Accra Diocese while Kaneshie North Circuit and Abeka Circuit are still in the traditional Accra
Diocese of the Methodist Church.
1.2 Definition of terms
In order to understand the religious context of the study, a brief section has been devoted to definitions of terms within the Methodist Church, Ghana.
i. Diocese
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A Diocese in the Methodist Church Ghana is composed of a number of Circuits in the same area.
ii. Circuit
A Circuit in the Methodist Church Ghana consists of one or more Societies under the Pastoral care of one or more Ministers. It is a distinct authoritative unit within a Diocese, in which several Societies conveniently situate for a purpose, mutual support and Christian Service. iii. Society
A society in the Methodist Church is the local organization of the Methodist Church, meeting as a congregation for public worship. iv. Youth Ministries Directorate
The Ministries Directorate is one of the four divisions under the Coordinating Office for
Education and Youth Development (CEYD) mandated by the Church to oversee youth work in the Methodist Church Ghana. The ministry is responsible for the implementation of youth policies and programmes within the Methodist Church Ghana. It plans projects as well as co- ordinate the work of various youth organizations in the Church.21
v. Youth
Youth is a concept that is difficult to define. The difficulty has arisen due to the fact that the concept could be defined by chronological, biological, psychological and even in socio-cultural terms. This work, however, adhered to the chronological term and state that the youth as referred to in this policy statement, are people who are not far advanced in age; that is, those who are, relatively, young, strong and active (not very old in age). Therefore, the term Youth refers to all persons in the Methodist Church Ghana, aged between 12 and 35 years,
21 The Methodist Church Ghana, Constitution and Standing Orders (SO 239) Pg 64 8
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irrespective, of the organizations they belong to. In this regard, the term ‘youth’, ‘young person’ or ‘young people’ refers to the same class of people in this document and would be used interchangeably. 22
vi. Superintendent Minister
The Superintendent Minister is the Minister whose name stands immediately after the name of a circuit in the list of station. He/she is responsible for the maintenance of discipline in the
Circuit.
1.7 Theoretical Framework
This work was guided by the theory of religious socialization. It is a process by which an individual learns and internalizes attitude, values, and behaviour within a context of religious system of beliefs and practices23
According to Sabe Collet in his work, ‘Crisis in Religious Socialization’, religion like other institution in society depends on transmission of its core values for it continuous existence.
And religious socialization in contemporary societies is characterised by elements like secularization, pluralism, deinstitutionalization, and the new forms of religious identities deeply influence by the socialization of religious belief.24 Lene Kuhle also argue that, if a new generation does not adopt the religious ideas and practices of former generations, a religion
22 Board of Education and Youth. The Policy and Bye-Laws for the guidance of the youth work.(Accra,2006),10 23 Brown, Diane R., and Lawrence E. Gary. "Religious socialization and educational attainment among African Americans: An empirical assessment." The Journal of Negro Education 60, no. 3 (1991): 411-426. 24 Sabe, Jordi Collet. "The crisis in religious socialization: an analytical proposal." Social compass 54, no. 1 (2007): 97-111. 9
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will die out. 25In modern society due to the different cultural and religious practices, members of society are socialized by the numerous belief systems and organizational structures.26
Again, successful transmission of religious beliefs and practices plays a significant role because those who hold weaker beliefs as youth have the tendency to break religious tie.27This implies that if a church fails to teach its younger generations to appreciate their beliefs and practices amidst secularization and pluralism, these values may be disregarded and consequently lead to the drift of church members. In a religious organization like the Methodist Church, it is the responsibility of adult members of the church especially, the Leaders Meeting to ensure that children or junior members of the church are given suitable instructions as and when they are able to receive it, and that, when they are old enough, they are encouraged to become full members.28 There is much difficulty in transmitting these beliefs and value systems of the church to the young ones in that they are exposed to secular ideas, different religious beliefs and orientations, and various forms of religious lifestyles.
Religious socialization can be achieved either through interaction with a socializer or through self-socialization.29 According to Kuhle, socialization allows individuals to participate in societal norms through the existence of a generalised order, a voice in our head which directs our actions. The sources of socialization may take different forms. First, there is the family, schools, and religious organization. These places of socialization, traditionally the most
25 Kühle, Lene. "In the faith of our fathers? Religious minority socialization in pluralistic societies." Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics/Etikk i praksis 6, no. 2 (2012). 26 Kühle, Lene. "In the faith of our fathers? Religious minority socialization in pluralistic societies." Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics/Etikk i praksis 6, no. 2 27 Loveland, Matthew T. "Religious switching: Preference development, maintenance, and change." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 42, no. 1 (2003): 147-157. 28 The Methodist Church Ghana, Constitution and Standing Orders, Revised Edition (2000), 107 29 Kühle, Lene. Religious minority socialization in pluralistic societies. 10
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important ones, are characterized primarily by the presence of adult socializers aiming to transmit religious content to the new generations.30
1.8 Methodology
This study uses cross-sectional data and employs a mixed methods approach; using both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. The study involves the collection of primary data with in-depth interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Yin defined qualitative research method as a strategy for doing research, which involves an empirical investigation of a contemporary phenomenon in its real life context, using multiple sources of evidence.31 Wolcott also explained that the rationale behind the use of qualitative study method is to know, understand and be conversant with the circumstances in order to explain, advice, decide on, defend or reject a given situation, condition and argument, among others. Hence, a qualitative study focuses on understanding a particular case in its complexity.32
In view of this, in-depth interview under qualitative paradigm was used to investigate the Youth
Ministry of the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana.
1.8.1 Sample and Sampling Procedure
Ministers and youth members of Accra Diocese constitute the focus of the data gathering of this research study. Mixed quantitative and qualitative study research deals with large samples but careful selection of respondents, whose views will help explain the issues studied since the focus is on a particular population of interest.33 The target population for this study were members of the Methodist Church, Accra Diocese. The accessible population was made up of
30 Scott, John. Conceptualising the social world: Principles of sociological analysis. (Cambridge University Press, 2011.) 31 Yin, R. K. Case study research design and methods (London: Sage Publications.1994)-104 32 Wolcott, H. Writing up qualitative research (Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage 1990)-77 33 Flick, U. .An Introduction to qualitative ( London: Sage Publications 2006), 19.
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members of the Methodist Youth Fellowship, Methodist Girls Fellowship, Association of
Methodist Brigades, Ghana Methodist Student Union and the laity. They were chosen because they have sufficient knowledge about the study problem, and had meaningful contribution to make to the study. Besides, they could be providing thoughtful and honest answers to questions asked.
The four circuits (New Achimota, Taifa, Abeka and Kaneshie North) were purposively selected for the study. These circuits have a fair representation of young and old adults in the Accra
Diocese. Probability and non- probability sampling were used to select the respondents for the research. Essential characteristic of probability sampling is that one can specify for each element of the population, the probability that it would be included in the samples.34 Members of the Methodist Youth Fellowship in each circuit were given equal chance of being part of the research. In non-probability sampling there is no way of estimating the probability that each element has been included in the sample and no assurance that every element has equal chance of being included.35 The major advantages of non-probability sampling are that they are convenient and economical.
Purposive sampling method is whereby the selection of the respondents is based on the judgment of the researcher, and that those selected are the key individuals who can give the information needed for the study. This method was, used in selecting respondents from the various organizations in the respective societies. In this study, Superintendent Ministers and
Circuit Youth Organizers of each Circuit were purposively selected for this study. Furthermore, former youth members of the Church who had stopped the church were purposively selected for the study. Again, a Diocesan Girls Fellowship Officer was selected for the study.
34 Kvale, S. Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. pp-56 35 Kvale, S. Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. pp-56 12
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Consequently, the sampling techniques used were stratified, quota and purposive. Stratified sampling is a type of probability sampling technique that is used to ensure that different groups of a population are adequately represented in the sample so as to increase their level of accuracy when estimating parameters36. Stratified sampling was used to select the respondents, based on the study area. Quota sampling technique is a type of non-probability sampling, which involves a specific number of respondents selected from the population. For this study, various percentages were used to draw the sample size based on the numerical strength of the strata.
1.8.2 Sources of the Study a. Primary source
The qualitative data collection procedure was used. The qualitative primary data collection procedure involved gathering data on experiences of key informants on the phenomenon of youth drift away from the Methodist Church, Ghana. In-depth interviews was used firstly as a means of gathering data on the youth drift in the Accra Diocese context and secondly to help explain findings from quantitative data. Two male members of the Accra Diocese of the
Methodist Youth Fellowship who have worked as research personnel on other research projects and have previous experience in conducting in-depth interviews were trained to assist with the data collection. As part of the training, the interviewers were introduced to the purpose and objectives of the study; they reviewed the question guide in English and the local dialect and conducted mock interviews.
36 Kvale, S. Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. pp-59 13
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Interviews were conducted during a pilot exercise prior to the actual in-depth interviews, which were conducted between May and June 2018. In all ten in-depth interviews were conducted across the four Circuits. These included all the Superintendent Ministers and Circuit Youth
Organisers in the four Circuits, one Diocesan Girls Fellowship Officer and a youth member who has stopped being a member of the church.
An interview guide was used to gather data on the four Circuits concerning the phenomenon of youth drift from the Methodist Church. The interview guides consist of questions, topics and issues related to the research. Each of these sections correspond to the research questions of the study. The in-depth interviews were conducted by trained field personnel in either the local dialect or English depending on the choice of the participants. The settings used for the in- depth interviews were enclosed spaces in Accra where noise and distractions were minimal including a church building and participant’s homes. The in-depth interviews which lasted for an average of 30 minutes were tape recorded. Field notes were taken during the in-depth interviews and the data were transcribed into English.
Two interview guides were used to collect data from respondents. These include Ministers’ interview guide and lay interview guide. The reason for using the interview guides was as
Kvale indicated, an interview guide is an essential component for conducting interviews. He explained that “an interview guide is the list of questions, topics and issues that the researcher wants to cover during the interview”. Each of them will have sections that correspond to the research questions for the study.37
37Kvale, S. Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 1996) pp-56 14
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Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data from other lay members of the church. Questionnaires were used because not only do they require less skill to administer, it is also an inexpensive way to gather data from a potentially large number of respondents. The item in each questionnaire were structured in such a way that enables respondents to pick alternative answers against their choice of responses. The questionnaire include both closed and open ended questions.
An individual based survey was used to collect data at the individual level. Data on demographic, drift of the youth, reasons for the drift, implications of the drift and response of the church towards the drift were gathered through self-administered interviews using a semi- structured questionnaire. The survey data collection was carried out between May and June,
2018. Prior to the main fieldwork, the survey instruments were revised based on feedback from the pilot exercise.
b. Secondary Source
The researcher consulted documentary materials such as books, journals; conference reports of
Methodist Church Ghana, church class attendance book, leaders meeting minutes books and articles that have bearings on the subject of church growth.
1.9 Literature Review
Scholarly work directed on the youth drift are very few. However, available literature that comes to studying the subject will help to get some information that will contribute to the research. The literature available can be categorized into five.
1. Christianity in Ghana
2. Methodism in Ghana
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3. The rise of Pentecostalism
4. Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church
5. Drift within Churches in Ghana
1.9.1 Christianity in Ghana
Christianity in Ghana has expanded from its original and periodic introduction in the sixteenth century in European trading settlements along the coast, through its nineteenth and twentieth century phase of missions founded churches.38 The Christian terrain in Ghana today includes the churches founded by European missionaries. These are the Catholic, Anglican, Methodist,
Presbyterian, and Evangelical Presbyterian.39According Cephas Narh Omenyo, these missionary churches are referred to as mainline churches.40
In his book Pentecost outside Pentecostalism, Cephas Narh Omenyo, maintains that a more serious deficiency that characterized the mainline Christianity is the official insensitivity to
African worldview and spirituality, thus African traditional religions continued to be frowned upon as mere superstition.41 What created a problem within the mainline churches is the unaccustomed springing up of prayer groups led by lay prophets and prophetesses within some mainline churches that resulted in the emergence of African Independent churches.42
38 Akyeampong K. Emmanuel. “Christianity in Ghana: An Introduction” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History(Accra:Sub-Saharan Publishers,2018),ix 39 Akyeampong K. Emmanuel. “Christianity in Ghana: An Introduction” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History,ix 40 Omenyo Cephas Narh, Pentecost outside Pentecostalism, 39-45 41 Omenyo Cephas Narh, Pentecost outside Pentecostalism, 39-45 42 Omenyo Cephas Narh, Pentecost outside Pentecostalism, 43 16
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Alfred Koduah, argued that the era of classical Pentecostalism also known as Pentecostal
Churches marked the fourth phase of evangelisation of Ghana.43They are marked by several distinctive characteristic, among them the belief that first-century Christian had undergone a renewal experience of receiving the Holy Spirit. Thus a strong emphasis on the need for the individual to undergo the born-again experience before they claim to be Christians, a belief in post-conversion experience called “Baptism of the Holy Spirit” with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, a strong emphasis on the gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit, a belief in the manifestation of signs, wonders and miracles, belief in exuberant, spontaneous and emotional worship characterized by singing, drumming, clapping, praising and dancing etc.44
It should be stressed that the major classical Pentecostal denominations in Ghana include,
Apostolic Church of Ghana, the church of Pentecost, Assemblies of God, and Christ Apostolic
Church International.45 Interestingly, at Abura Dunkwa, an organist of local Methodist church
(one of the mainline church) Joseph Alpheus Cann Anaman in 1940, left the church to serve as an interpreter for McKeown a pastor of Apostolic church Ghana and became his disciple. He also, became very influential pastor of the same church and was able to translate English songs into Fante language.46
Again, according to Sackey Brigit, Neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches is a category of church rapidly growing in the Christian landscape in Ghana and the world at large, particularly in developing countries and it is increasingly being acknowledged. These churches emerged in the 1970’s and it is the fastest significant expression of Christianity in Africa especially in the
43 Alfred Koduah. “Classical Pentecostalism in Ghana” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History (Accra:Sub-Saharan Publishers,2018), 136-139 44 Alfred Koduah. “Classical Pentecostalism in Ghana” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History, 136- 139 45 Alfred Koduah. “Classical Pentecostalism in Ghana” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History, 138 46 Alfred Koduah. “Classical Pentecostalism in Ghana” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History, 141 17
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cities. However, they have gained the label prosperity churches because of the content of their preaching and life-style.47 Christian Action Faith Ministry, founded in 1979 by Bishop
Nicholas Duncan-Williams is claimed to be the first charismatic church to be established in
Ghana, followed by the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) in 1984. Others are the
International Bible Worship Centre, World Miracle Bible International, Victory Bible Church,
Fountain of Life Mission, and Lighthouse Chapel, just to name some of the prominent ones.
These churches are affiliated to the National Association for Charismatic and Christian
Churches (NACCC).48 Classical Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal (Charismatic Church) form about 28.3% of Ghana’s population according to Ghana Statistical Service.49
The foregoing is a brief survey of the development of Christianity in Ghana, which is crucial for a good understanding of the drift within the churches in Ghana. This is because the development had created opportunities and choices for church members especially, the youth to where they think their spiritual needs might be met.
1.9.2 Methodism in Ghana
F.L. Bartels in his book The Roots of Ghana Methodism asserts that Methodism in Gold Coast now Ghana started in 1835 when Rev. Joseph Rhodes Dunwell arrived in Gold Coast. Before him were a number of missionaries who had worked along the coast with similar intention of planting Churches. A good example was the work of persons such as Rev. Philip Quaye and
Rev. Thomas Thompson of the Anglican Church, Captain of the Dutch Reformed Church and
French and Portuguese priests who worked hardly to plant Christianity in Ghana. These were
47 Sackey, Brigid M. "Charismatics, independents, and missions: Church proliferation in Ghana." Culture and Religion 2, no. 1 (2001): 41-59. 48 Sackey, Brigid M. "Charismatics, independents, and missions: Church proliferation in Ghana." 41-59. 49 Ghana. Statistical Service. “2010 Population & Housing Census: National Analytical Report”. Ghana Statistics Service, 2013. 18
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followed by Andreas Riis, of Basel mission, who did most of his work at Akropong. The missionaries set up schools to train people to read and write. This initiative helped in developing the human resources on the path of knowledge, which the Methodist tapped for expansion. After the death of Dunwell within six months period, Rev and Mrs George Wrigley replaced him.
They also did well to build upon the work of their predecessor. Mrs Wrigley for instance opened a girls’ school which later became Wesley Girls’ High School. The Rev George
Wrigley extended Methodism to Elmina, Komenda, Dixcove, Anomabu, Egyaa and Abura
Dunkwa, Dominase and Winneba Circuit. Wrigley asked for support as the work expanded and
Rev. and Mrs. Peter Harrop were sent. However, all these ministers died within a year. Rev.
Thomas Birch Freeman came to continue the unfinished work of Wrigley.50
According to Paul Boafo, as the church expanded, the Gold Coast district became part of the seven districts of the British conference, which included; Gambia, East Nigeria, West Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Togo and Sierra Leone. This significant expansion of the church in Gold Coast reached a state of higher than that of any other district in West Africa, which resulted in the appointment of Reverend Gaddiel Robert Acquaah as the first African Chairman in 1948.51 To
Casely Essamuah, this expansion played a major role in Gold Coast district attainment of autonomy on July 28, 1961; marking the end of British control of the Methodist affairs on the coast of Ghana.52
50 Bartels F.L. The Roots of Methodism (Cambridge University Press, 1986)9-28 51Boafo K. Paul “The Methodist Church Ghana” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History (Accra:Sub- Saharan Publishers,2018), 54 52 Essamuah, Casely, B. Genuinely Ghanaian: A History of the Methodist Church, Ghana, 1961-2000 (Trenton: African World Press, 2010),39.
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The Methodist Church Ghana started its autonomy with five districts that became dioceses, namely; Cape Coast, Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi and Winneba. The circuits in the three northern regions of Ghana were under the headquarters in Accra. Following the expansion and growth in membership of the church, more circuits and districts were created for effective administration. Thus, from the original five districts in 1961, as of October 2016, the Methodist
Church Ghana has nineteen dioceses. 53More on the state of the Methodist church Ghana is discussed under chapter three.
1.9.3 Youth Ministry in the Methodist Church
Nana Abeka in his book The Youth and Development of Methodism in Ghana asserted that the
Youth Ministry has been an influential factor in church growth in the history of the Methodist
Church, Ghana. The zeal of the youth for God’s word is evident in their involvement in evangelism, in the singing ministry, in Sunday school and children’s service and in the diverse ways in which they show their commitment to Christ. He continues that the youth are capable of bringing on board innovations that can bring fortunes to any establishment. And that with the enabling, supportive and informative environment, and effective youth participation in decision-making process in the life of society, nations and churches, there would be tremendous change. 54
The youth has been at the forefront of the birth of Methodism in the Gold Coast. For instance, when Rev’d Joseph Rhodes Dunwell came to sow the seed of Methodism in 1835; young people who had graduated from the castle school at Cape Coast had already prepared the
53 Boafo K. Paul “The Methodist Church Ghana” in Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History,59 54 Abeka, Isaac. The Youth and Development. 12 20
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grounds. Mfantsipim School, the premier school for secondary education is what it is today due to the youth who were determined to keep it running even when there were no teachers to sustain it. He argued that Methodist Church Ghana classifies the young people into three age categories namely; 12-17 years as teenagers, 18-24 years as mid youth, and 25-35 years as young adults. Young people are believed to be persons with needs and concerns peculiar to their age which must be approached, differently, from that of adults.55He again, suggested that the youth gave birth to Methodism in the Gold Coast and were influential for its growth in the first fifty years, and have since made significant contributions and sacrifices in the area of evangelism and church planting, Sunday school Teachers, ministry of songs and as instrumentalists that helped the development and the expansion of Methodism in
Ghana.56These are some of the things that the youth have done are still doing for the growth of the church.
Undoubtedly, the youth are the driving force for both the society and the church. They are a major human resource potential that can contribute immensely to the development of the church. The youthful period according to Lawrence Richardson, is associated with the development of a sense of personal identity and a growing struggle with sexuality. The character of friendship shifts and deepens, and relationships become more important to them.57During these period the young persons are making choice that will shape their religious and economic lives.58 Doug Field also argued that the young people normally leave from their
55 Nana, Abeka. Youth and Development. 8-9 56 Nana, Abeka. Youth and Development. 9 57 Richardson Lawrence, Youth Ministry: It’s renewal in the Local Church (Michigan, the Zonderland Corporation, 1985) pg 17-21 58 Richardson Lawrence, Youth Ministry: It’s renewal in the Local Church, 17-21 21
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churches to another when they become tradition-centered and not focusing on the dynamics of the need of the young people.59
1.9.4 Pentecostalism and its Influence on the Youth
Johnson Asamoah Gyadu in his book “Contemporary Pentecostalism: Interpretation from
African context” argues that Pentecostalism has worldwide form of Christianity that dwell much on the person, power and the work of the Holy Spirit, also belong to the larger Protestant
Church. In the larger sense, Pentecostalism had a link in the traditional evangelical theological emphasis on the authority of the Bible, the centrality of the cross, regeneration as a way to salvation (born again experience), and a call to holiness as the outflow of the relationship with
Christ. Also, to these theological theme; Pentecostalism and Charismatic movement became the “third force” of Christendom at the beginning of the twentieth century because of the additional emphasis they placed on the experience and power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecostalism remain unique in their practices by the conscious affirmation of the experiences of the Holy
Spirit in both the individual and cooperate church life. 60
Asamoah-Gyadu continues that, Pentecostalism has engaged as the most exciting and dominant stream of Christianity in the twenty first century. This is especially so in the western world,
Africa, Asia and Latin America- which is now the focus of Christianity. To him, in the context where Christianity may be declining, such as the Northern continents, Pentecostalism and its historically younger and theologically more pliable offspring are leading the way in the revival
59 Doug Fields, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry: 19 Essential Foundation for Healthy Growth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988. 60 Asamoah-Gyadu, Johnson. Contemporary Pentecostalism: Interpretation from an African Context (Oxford Regnum Africa, 2013)1 22
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of a Christian presence and experience by means of the ministry of what has come to be called
Immigrant Churches.61
Asamoah-Gyadu strongly argued that Pentecostalism emerged because the mainline
Protestantism took an intellectual and liberal approach to the scriptures and in the process deserted the experiential essential of Christianity. He hold that the historic mission churches attitude has been traced as partly due to enlightenment culture in which that which could not be proven empirically by science or experience by logic, reason or rationality was not taken seriously.62
Again, in his unpublished thesis “Traditional missionary Christianity and New Religious
Movement in Ghana” Asamoah-Gyadu asserted that about 90% of members of
Pentecostal/Charismatic Ministries had one time or other time been members of the mainline
Church. He continues that those who drift have mainly been youthful members of these churches between the ages of 16 to 45. And Mensah Otabil sums up the causes of the drift in one word “Relevance” which he (Otabil) explained that the older churches have become irrelevant to the needs of present generation. They have become spiritually irrelevant because they are preaching a gospel which does not bring the people into a personal relationship with
God through Christ. They give the people a “form” which does not work. People want well- being, health, a sense of assurance that they can have a good spiritual and physical life.63
In furtherance of his argument, Gyadu quoted Professor Kwesi Dickson (former President of the Methodist Church Ghana) who submitted that the Christianity offered by the Charismatic
Ministry has caught the attention of young people because “they address their message to the
61 Asamoah- Gyadu. Contemporary Pentecostalism. p- 2 62 Asamoah- Gyadu. Contemporary Pentecostalism -15. 63 Asamoah-Gyadu. “Traditional Missionary and New Religious Movement in Ghana” 66-73 23
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aspiration of young people” Professor Dickson conceded that there are lapses in the set-up of the Historical Churches which must be addressed if we can make services meaningful and encourage our young people to stay in the church. Among the lapses, he specifically mentioned the Liturgy of the Church which he thinks is meaningless in parts and needs a serious review.64
1.9.5 Switching within Churches in Ghana
Margaret Adjei in her unpublished thesis “Mobility of Christian within Churches in Accra
(1980-2009)” opines the effect of movements within Churches. She is of the view that the movement creates the notion that some churches are better than others. This is because when people move they condemn the former church and sometimes lure other members to join their current church. So, the movement that happened in the early eighties in the mainline Churches to Pentecostal and Charismatic churches created the notion that the latter were better than the former.
In addition, there is also the gain and loss factor. When people move from one church to another, the receiving Church benefits, while the giving church loses. This is because when members move, they move with every gift and commitment they possess and the receiving
Church welcomes all these e.g. Singers and Instrumentalists.
She also, discusses that the movement have effect on the individual. This is because usually, people move with expectations from the new church. However, sometimes these expectations are not met, and the individual becomes disappointed. Besides the spiritual life of the individual moving from his or her previous church could be affected negatively. It can also lead to
64Asamoah-Gyadu. “Traditional Missionary and New Religious Movement in Ghana “, 87 24
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problems in the family relationship. Undoubtedly, most Ghanaians go to church with their entire families. Some parents may wish their children remain with them in the church they attend forever. So failure to adhere to may be seen as gross disobedience. 65
The above literature review has been done on five thematic areas which include: brief introduction of Christianity in Ghana, Youth and Methodism in Ghana and Pentecostalism and its influence on the Methodist Church and General drift within churches in Ghana. The literature review on the influence of Pentecostalism and general drift within Churches in this study give an idea of how the young people and other members are leaving the mainline churches for the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches and also the implications of the drift on the
Church.
The literature review on Youth Development and Methodism in Ghana give a background into how the youth have contributed to the development of Methodism in Ghana in the past. This provides this study the background as it sought to investigate further on the structure of the
Youth Ministry directorate. Though this study accept the views on the influence of
Pentecostalism as one of the causes of the youth drift but this work also argues that it seems the structure of the youth ministries directorate as it is now has created a vacuum of improper supervision and monitoring young people in the church which eventually led to their drift.
Thus, the Methodist Church recognizes the youth as persons within the ages 12-35 years. The classification of youth by ages in the Methodist Church poses challenges which is interesting to study.
First and foremost, youth organizations under the directorate such as the Brigade and Girls’
Fellowship have members between 7 and 11 years and between 5 and 11 years respectively
65 Adjei, Margaret. “Mobility of Christians within Churches in Accra.” p 2 25
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who have not been considered in the Youth Ministry Policy structure. Secondly, most young people between the ages of 13 and 17 perceive themselves to be older people from the Sunday school but not fit into the Methodist Youth Fellowship which has the age bracket of 14- 35.
These young people are not catered for within the structure of the Youth Ministry Directorate.
Furthermore, most of the young people within the ages of 28 and 35 years who belong to the working class and are married and considered themselves as young adult do not want to join the MYF or any adult organization like the Women’s Fellowship or Men’s Fellowship and as such are not integrated within the Youth Ministry Directorate.
1.10 Justification of Study
Generally, research results have been used as guide to policy formulation and decision making over the years. Similarly, the findings of this study will be beneficial to the policy makers in the Methodist Church, Ghana. The contribution of every youth towards the growth and development of the church cannot be over-emphasized. On the basis of this, the results of the study can be adopted and used as a guide in terms of taking more pragmatic decisions concerning the Youth Ministry.
Research investigating the drift of members from mainline churches to Pentecostal and
Charismatic churches has focused so much on the reasons why church members move without considering the response of the main church to the drift of members to other churches.
Furthermore, most studies have focused on using secondary data sources to ascertain reasons for the drift of members from mainline churches to Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. The use of a mixed research design addresses the limitations of using secondary data sources. The
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collection of qualitative data provides objective measures of the factors accounting for the drift of members to Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches.
There are some personal views of members within the Circuit concerning youth work. It will, however, be prudent to have scientific investigation into the youth work in the church and some of its challenges. This is, even; more important as the youth constitute the bedrock and future of the church.
The results of the study served as an additional literature to the Youth Ministry in the Methodist
Church, Ghana, especially, the Accra Diocese. Prospective researchers can make use of such materials for future and further studies of similar interest.
The study aimed to draw the attention of the church hierarchy to execute a thorough review of the structures under the Youth Ministries Directorate in order to provide well defined structure that will cover the ages of 13-35 years in the church.
1.11 Organization of Chapters
Chapter one looked at the background information of the work, statement of the problem, research question, objective of the study, scope of the study, methodology, study population, data handling, source of the study, theoretical framework, literature review, justification of the study, organization of chapters ethical consideration and definition of term.
Chapter two focused basically on the theory of Religious Socialization and Youth Drift
Chapter three looked at the Youth Ministry and the Methodist Church, Ghana
Chapter four focused on data presentation and analysis.
Chapter five comprised of the summary, conclusion and recommendation of the research work.
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1.12 Ethical Considerations
The researcher sought for the permission of church authorities (Bishop and Circuit Ministers) before interviewing both the clergy and lay members. This enabled the researcher to gain support and co-operation from respondents in the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church,
Ghana.
The privacy and confidentiality of the participants were protected by handling participants’ information in such a way as not to leak it to any third party. Respondents were informed about the study so that they could make informed decisions. Any activity in the course of the research that is likely to harm or create deception was avoided. Participation of respondents is voluntary without any form of coercion since research on human being to a large extent, depends on the voluntary spirit of the subjects. Plagiarism was strictly avoided by acknowledging all sources of information used in the study. Respondents were made aware that the information they provided will be used for educational purpose and nothing else.
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CHAPTER TWO
Religious socialization and Youth Drift
2.0 Introduction
The theory religious socialization is relevant to the study of religious drift because it help us to understand the fact that religious organizations like churches have structures to inculcate the values and beliefs of the church in the young members. But these structures are not autonomous from external influences. According to Darren Sherkat, religious preferences are the favoured supernatural explanations about the meaning, purpose, and origins of life – explanations that cannot be proven nor disproved.66
Again, these preferences help drive choices in the realm of religion – motivating religious devotion, public religious participation, and affiliation with religious organizations, and that religious choices are influenced by both preferences and other social factors.67 In making religious choices, religious preferences are not the only factors taken into account. Religious decision making is also influenced by social pressures and experiences. These external socialization provides choices to choose from and sometimes cause individuals to drift from their church to another church that offer them what they are looking for.
2.1 Socialization
Socialization is an absolute key word within the social sciences, although this is not always made clear. Yet the concept of socialization is intimately connected with identity of sociology and sociologists and has played an important part in border conflict with other disciplines, recently in encounters with evolutionary psychology. When a sociologist entrust ‘everything’
66 Sherkat, Darren E. "Religious socialization: Sources of influence and influences of agency." Handbook of the Sociology of Religion (2003): 151-163 67 Sherkat, Darren E. "Religious socialization: Sources of influence and influences of agency.” 152 29
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to socialization, it is not because socialization theories are more important to psychological or other process.68
Within sociology there have been two major orientations toward socialization. The first strand of approaches is based on structural functionalism, personified by Parson, who viewed socialization in terms of learning to perform the role required by society. 69 Functionalism emphasizes a societal equilibrium. If something happens to disrupt the order and the flow of the system, society must adjust to achieve a stable state. According to Durkheim, society should be analyzed and described in terms of functions. Society is a system of interrelated parts where no one part can function without the other. These parts make up the whole of society. If one part changes, it has an impact on society as a whole.70For example, the state provides public education for children. The family of the children pays taxes, which the state uses for public education. The children who learn from public education go on to become law-abiding and working citizens, who pay taxes to support the state. This strand emphasis on social constraint.
The second strand of approaches to socialization is formed by symbolic interactionism, which link socialization with self-concept formation. This strand focuses on negotiation.71 This means that man lives in a symbolic environment as well as physical and can be stimulated to act by symbol as well as by physical stimuli. 72For example, a chair is not merely a collection of visual, aural and tactile stimuli, but it is a means on which people can sit; and if one sits on it,
68 Nash, Roy. “Social explanation and socialization: on Bourdieu and the structure, disposition, practice scheme." The Sociological Review 51, no. 1 (2003): 43-62. 69 Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers? Religious minority socialization in pluralistic societies”. Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics/Etikk i praksis6, no. 2 (2012). 70 Kühle, Lene. In the faith of our fathers? 117 71 Kühle, Lene. In the faith of our fathers? 116-118 72 Manis, Jerome G., Bernard N. Meltzer, and Jerome G. Manis. Symbolic interaction: A reader in social psychology. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1972.) 30
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it will respond by holding him up and it has a value for that purpose. Thus, practically all symbols a man learn, he learns through interactions.
It should be noted that both the interpretive (negotiation) and the normative (societal constraint) position have been criticized for their one-sided emphasis on either agency or structure and work of Wentworth on socialization is one way of bridging the gap between Negotiation and
Societal Constraint research. According to Wentworth, avoiding over socialized individual and over directive society is to distinguish between socialization and internalization because the concept of transmission, internalization, and socialization are used interchangeably.73 When socialization is successful it is said that internalization has occur, people are changed, they become something new, some new behavior, belief, attitude, or value surface. Socialization may be unsuccessful because there is a poor fit between the person to be socialized and the behavior, norm, or attitude to be learned. Again, it can be describe unsuccessful because the individual receives conflicting and contradictory messages from different agents of socialization.
Kuhle, Berger and Luckman for instance define socialization as the comprehensive and the consistent induction of an individual into the objective world of a society or a sector of a society and they distinguish between ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ socialization as the process of internalization.74 But this line of thinking has also been criticized for two reasons, first, it is preoccupied with results of socialization that is the extent to which societal values have been internalized by the individual. Thus, understanding socialization by it outcome has drawn sociological attention away from the interaction that in fact constitute the process. Again, the
73. Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers.” 116 74 Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers.” 125 31
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focus on internalization underestimates the active voice of the individual as Wentworth put it
“we are more than norm followers-we-are-rule-and-system users and rule-and- system breakers as well”75
Berger noted the importance of socialization processes in acquiring a particular world view, and the importance of plausibility structures which help maintain that world view. According to Berger, individuals come to adopt a particular world view through some form of socialization: either early childhood religious socialization, or by switching worlds through re- socialization (i.e. the conversion process). The world is built up in the consciousness of the individual by conversation with significant others: parents, teachers, and peers. The subjective reality of the world is maintained by this same conversation. "If such conversation is disrupted
(the spouse dies, the friends disappear, or one comes to leave one's original social milieu, the world begins to totter, to lose its subjective plausibility). The subjective reality of the world hangs on a "thin thread of conversation".76
In socialization theory, primary socialization was implicitly understood as taking place in the family and during the first part of childhood. In this perspective the socialising agents in the primary process are the parents, especially the mother. However, if we relate socialization agents to their function and position in the socialization processes, the categories into which they fit can be seen as more fluid, others than the parents can also be defined as filling primary functions. While general sociological theory puts the importance of peers in adolescence, particularly in relation to deviant group socialization, others argue that peers are at the core of
75 Wentworth, William M. Context and Understanding: An Inquiry into Socialization Theory. (New York: Elsevier.1980) 76Berger, Peter L. The sacred canopy: Elements of a sociological theory of religion. (Garden City: New York: Doubleday. 1967.) 32
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primary socialization since they are at the centre of children’s development of self- understanding and identity.77
2.2 Religious Socialization
Now, religious socialization is the process by which an individual learns, integrates, and maintains religious attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviours. It is also the process through which people come to hold religious preferences.78 This is a transactional process that requires the transmission of values, beliefs, attitudes, and practices from one person to another.
Religious socialization not only facilitates the reification of values and beliefs, but serves as a primary mechanism by which families imbibe younger generations in relationships, moral communities, and contexts where they can build critical forms of cultural, social, and spiritual capital, including religious knowledge and an array of concrete skills. 79
Religion like other institutions in society depends on transmission of its core values for it continuous existence. Religious socialization in contemporary societies is characterized by elements such as secularization, pluralism, deinstitutionalization, and the new forms of religious identities which deeply influence the socialization of religious belief.80 Transmission of religious values has become very difficult in the late modern world due to global overhaul of collective references. Beyer argues that under global circumstances all other processes- secularization, differentiation, privatization, may be subsumed under the process of pluralisation. Modernity does not necessarily produce a decline of religion; however, it does
77 Harris, Judith Rich. The nurture assumption: Why children turn out the way they do. Adolescence 33, no. 132 (1998): 960. 78 Sherkat, Darren E. “Religious socialization: Sources of influence and influences of agency.” 151-163. 79 Gutierrez, Ian A., Lucas J. Goodwin, Katherine Kirkinis, and Jacqueline S. Mattis. “Religious socialization in African American families: The relative influence of parents, grandparents, and siblings” .Journal of Family Psychology 28, no. 6 (2014): 779. 80 Sabe, Jordi Collet. “The crisis in religious socialization: an analytical proposal. Social compass” 54, no. 1 (2007): 97-111. 33
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certainly produces a deepening process of pluralisation - a historically unprecedented situation in which more and more people live amid competing beliefs, values and lifestyles. The consequence of pluralisation is that religion becomes a choice. Modernity has produced different belief and value systems that makes it difficult for the transmission of values in that people are exposed with competing values and deciding on one is a choice. Individuals have the free will to decide leaving one’s faith or staying in the faith due to the competing beliefs, values and lifestyles that may deem fit to them.
Émile Durkheim theory of rapid social change explains further how social change (an element of modernity) has caused society to transit from simple to complex, from orderly to disorderly, from religious to secular among other changes.81 To him the causes of social changes may originate from the individual or from the society in general. This means that there are internal and external causes of social change. The internal causes are those which the individual inflict upon oneself or the society upon itself. The external causes are those which come from outside so that the individual or society has no control over them. Some of the internal causes which change the individual’s condition include; seeking education, moving into urban areas and acquiring new friends. This makes the individual think in a certain new way.82 In sociological studies, it is proposed that when an individual conceives a new way of thinking, which is also called world view, the individual starts to perceive reality in a different way.
The veracity of rapid social change theory hinges on the belief that the dynamism of the society tends to move faster than some people can cope with. The result of such social change is that people who cannot cope with the society’s pace often become disenchanted and in a way feel
81 Zhao, Ruohui, and Liqun Cao. “Social change and anomie:A cross-national study.” Social forces 88,no 3 (2010):1209-1229 82 Zhao, Ruohui, and Liqun Cao. “Social change and anomie:A cross-national study.” Social forces 88,no 3 (2010):1209-1229 34
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“lost”. This causes misunderstanding between the youth and older members of the church. The old people tend to embrace what they have known strictly and using methods that have worked for them. So they fear change and new ideas. On the contrary the youth are open minded experimenting new ideas, exploring new philosophies and, this includes how the word of God is preached and songs are sung.
The agents of this socialization may take two forms. First, primary socialization refers to the internalization of the fundamental culture and ideas of a society. It shapes the norms, values and beliefs of the child at a time when it has little understanding of the world and its different phenomena, and the basic socialization agent moulding the child is the family.83Secondary socialization is also related to agents as significant others, educational institution, peer, media and religious organization which inducts an already socialized person into a new sector of the society.84
These places for religious socialization, are characterized primarily by the presence of adult socializers aiming to transmit religious content to the new generation. These agents of secondary socialization in particular, education and media have increasingly become arenas for a different kind of religious socialization and Jeffrey Arnett calls them‘self-socialization’. 85
Brown Diane and Lawrence Gary on their work "Religious socialization and educational attainment among African Americans” also viewed religious socialization from at least two perspectives, the first being that of the individual, which looks at the processes by which individuals develop a self-consciousness regarding religion, learn to evaluate their own behaviour, and relate to others from a religious perspective. The second perspective is that of
83 Neugarten, Bernice L., and Nancy Datan. Sociological perspectives on the life cycle. In Life-span developmental psychology, pp. 53-69. 1973. 84 Neugarten, Bernice L., and Nancy Datan. Sociological perspectives on the life cycle. pp. 53-69. 1973. 85 Kühle, Lene. In the faith of our fathers. 117 35
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the group or society, and it examines the process through which social and cultural continuity are achieved as a function of religious institutions. 86
2.2.1 Primary Religious Socialization
The first point of contact for every individual in socialization is the family. The family plays significant role in internalizing the values and norms of a religious body. This sub-section focuses on the relevant role played by the family especially the parents in moulding the child to fit into society.
The Family
Across cultures and history, the family is the primary source of information about supernatural explanations. Parents teach children understandings about supernatural things, and this source of information has temporal and affective primacy – both of which are important for influencing preferences. Surprisingly, many studies in the sociology of religion contended that parents have limited influence on children’s religious commitments.87These studies accepted commonly articulated assumptions about growing generational differences in values and commitments – the generation gap thesis that led many scholars to assume that radical shifts in religiosity were on the horizon.88
However, most systematic research and more studies employing national samples and longitudinal data from parents and children have demonstrated that parental influences dominate religious beliefs and attachments throughout the life course.89
86 Brown, Diane R., and Lawrence E. Gary. “Religious socialization and educational attainment among African Americans: An empirical assessment.” The Journal of Negro Education 60, no. 3 (1991): 411-426. 87 Hoge, Dean R. Vanishing boundaries: The religion of mainline Protestant baby boomers. (Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.) 88 Wuthnow, Robert. Astrology and marginality." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (1976): 157-168. 89 Sherkat, Darren E. “Religious socialization: Sources of influence and influences of agency”. 151-163. 36
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Parents do not simply create their parenting practices rather they are likely to follow to some extent the role requirements for parents in their culture, which they have learned as a result of their own experiences of socialization. So, when Saudi Arabian parents do not allow their adolescent daughter to go out of the home without her face being veiled, or to be in the company of an adolescent boy unchaperoned, this narrow socialization is not something the parents created, but something they learned as a consequence of their own narrow socialization in that culture. It is not simply a choice parents make. It also reflects the expectations of the community, to which the parents feel compelled to conform, and the prevailing cultural belief system.90
Parents in all cultures draw their parenting practices from the culture that surrounds them.
However, cultures vary in the extent to which parents are allowed to vary the cultural socialization theme. In cultures with narrow socialization, there is greater normative pressure for parents to demand obedience and conformity from their children, as in the above example.
In cultures characterized by broad socialization, parents are allowed to a greater extent to modify the general cultural pattern according to their own personalities and preferences.91
Secondly, when considering socialization in the family, it is important to include not only the parents but also the extended family, especially siblings and grandparents. A typical pattern in most of the world, for example in India, is for a new wife to move into her husband's home, where his parents, as well as his brothers and their wives and their children, also live. 92When the young couple has a child, the grandparents form an important part of the socialization environment, not only directly in their interactions with the child but indirectly through
90 Sherkat, Darren E. “Religious socialization: Sources of influence and influences of agency.”151-163. 91 Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. “Broad and narrow socialization: The family in the context of a cultural theory.” Journal of Marriage and the Family (1995): 617-628. 92Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. “Broad and narrow socialization,” 617-628. 37
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instructing the parents and offering their approval or disapproval of the parents' practices
(whether the parents like it or not). Many of these households also include aunts and uncles and nephews and nieces as part of the daily socialization environment.
Also, in many non-Western societies, older siblings, especially the eldest girl, plays an important role in raising younger siblings. This socialization is not only for the younger child but also for the care- taking sibling, as she prepares for the role of a mother she will adopt in the future.93 But in religious minorities as well as majorities, it is likely that parents have less of a monopoly than they used to in relation to religious socialization. This is to the fact that contemporary childhood may involve extensive encounter from an early age to socialization by, for instance, the media and in day care centres. This makes religious socialization by parents a never stand alone, but always happens in interaction with other kinds religious of socialization, and even for many parents the time and effort spent on religious socialization is very limited. 94
2.2.2 Secondary Religious Socialization
This sub-section focuses on the influence of secondary religious socialization agents such as peers, religious organizations, education and media toward youth drift in contemporary society.
Peers
The importance of religious socialization among peers is widely accepted and cannot be downplayed. The influence of peers on religious identity can form a small part of everyday interaction that can provide a foundation for youth development.95 All researches on American
93 Edwards, Carolyn Pope, and Beatrice B. Whiting. Mother, older sibling, and me”: The overlapping roles of caregivers and companions in the social world of two-to threeyear-olds in Ngeca, Kenya." Parent-child play: Descriptions and implications (1993): 305-329. 94 Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers.” 123 95 Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers.” 122 38
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high schools youth demonstrate that they form close knit peer groups which strongly influence their attitudes and behaviour (e.g., Hollingshead, 1949; Gordon, 1957; Coleman, 1961;
Havighurst, et al.,)96 Unlike the family and school, peer groups give an opportunity to children to form relationships with others on their own terms, plus learn things without the direction of an adult. Peers have an incredible amount of influence on the religious growth of the young person, so it's understandable that parents worry about the type of friends that their children choose.97
Joseph Erickson on his work ‘Adolescent Religious Development and Commitment ‘. Peer influence is measured by a scale called Peer Activity Level in Church which looks at the degree that adolescents are enmeshed in a peer group of church youth, and at the young person's perception of the influence these peers have over their lives. 98This scale includes items regarding the young person's participation in leading church programs, classes, or events, a rating of how religious their friends are, and whether these friends have the "most positive influence" on the respondent's religious faith. Peers exert several forms of social influence in the religious domain. First, peers communicate the sub-group norms regarding the appropriateness of a religious faith. 99
Erickson is of the opinion that when a young person believes his or her friends are supportive of practicing a religious faith, he or she is at the very least free to engage in religious behaviour without stigma. Second, peers model appropriate behaviour, communicating not just the norms
96Hoge, Dean R., Gregory H. Petrillo, and Ella I. Smith. “Transmission of religious and social values from parents to teenage children.” Journal of Marriage and the Family (1982): 569-580. 97 Erickson, Joseph A. “Adolescent religious development and commitment: A structural equation model of the role of family, peer group, and educational influences. “ Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (1992): 131- 152. 98 Erickson, Joseph A. “Adolescent religious development and commitment.” 131-152. 99 Erickson, Joseph A. “Adolescent religious development and commitment.” 131-152. 39
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of the group, but teaching how to engage in the behaviour itself. Third, when adolescents engage each other in discussions of important issues, religious issues and worldviews will be part of that discussion if peers have a religious faith. Finally, young people might be dependent on religious institutions for their social life (especially in parochial schools and some small towns). Dance, mixers, ski trips, etc., might be offered by church youth groups as an inducements to get adolescents involved in church activities. If other social activities are limited, social involvement with religious youth could be an adolescent's primary social outlet.100
Religious Organizations
Religious education in terms of Bible classes or Koran schools is probably one of the first pictures which comes to mind, when the concept of religious organization is mentioned. This kind of religious education offered by religious communities may, on the one hand, suffer from the decreasing demand for religious education in a secular society, but it may, on the other hand, re-emerge as the primary agents of religious socialization in an increasingly multi- religious, secularized world, because few others possess sufficient knowledge about religion.101
Again, it can be argued that denominations remain consequential avenues for the transmission of religious schemata, and they help define the local markets for religious choices.
Denominations constitute the vast majority of religious resources, and even the widely touted
“nondenominational” special purpose groups are in fact divided by denominational constellations.102
100 Erickson, Joseph A. “Adolescent religious development and commitment.” 131-152. 101 Giddens, Anthony. Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. (Stanford university press, 1991.) 102 Dillon, Michele, ed. Handbook of the Sociology of Religion. (Cambridge University Press, 2003.) 40
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Denominations influence individuals through their orientations toward beliefs and offerings of opportunities for religious activities. And within denominations, ministers, youth leaders and sunday school teachers will transmit the message to their adherent. Denominational perspectives bound the message transmitted by these denominational agents on supernatural explanations and compensators.103 Denominational agents also are channelled in their influence on people’s preferences by published materials that are generally provided by, or at least approved by, denominational hierarchies. Workbooks for Sunday School, themes for special worship, agendas for denominational age and sex-specific groups (women’s groups, youth groups, men’s groups) are machinations of denominational elites. Indeed, conflict within denominations is often spurred by denominational literature that is at variance with the preferences of the masses. While the denomination may influence the laity, ´elite influence is bounded by the agency of individuals, and congregants’ abilities to engage in collective action.104
More so, the process of interacting with others in religious organizations as well as exposure to religious scriptures, rituals, and fellowship activities serve to influence the formation of values, attitudes, and behaviours that may influence individuals not only in a church setting but also in various secular endeavours. For example, the sermon particularly can play a role in the socialization of teenagers, young adults, and adults by presenting a mode of adaptation to change throughout the life course.105 Similarly, choir members unconsciously exert a socialization influence on one another, albeit in different forms and degrees. For example, the practice of singing a particular song involves working together and consequently produces the
103 Finke, Roger, and Rodney Stark. “Religious choice and competition.” American Sociological Review 63, no. 5 (1998): 761-766. 104 Stark, Rodney, and William Sims Bainbridge. The future of religion: Secularization, revival and cult formation. (Univ of California Press, 1985.) 105 Brown, Diane R., and Lawrence E. Gary. Religious socialization and educational attainment among African Americans: An empirical assessment. The Journal of Negro Education 60, no. 3 (1991): 411-426. 41
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morally reinforcing effect of collectively pro- claiming, through songs, the validity of a particular religious value or norm. An individual's adherence to this particular set of moral values is thereby strengthened.106
Education and Media
Scholars have long believed that reason forged through education would drive out myth and superstition – eventually eliminating religion altogether. Surely, secular scholars believed, once exposed by scientific inquiry religious explanations would become implausible and nobody would believe. This type of secularization theory was the dominant theoretical perspective explaining religious change for the first century of the sociology of religion. From this perspective, educational attainment and the quality of educational reasoning is crucial for driving out myth and superstition, and replacing religion with scientific explanation. Despite the prognostications and hopes of secularization theorists, religion has not gone away, or even declined in importance.107
When secular education makes an attempt to drive out religious belief and sanction religious commitment, it may have an influence on religious preferences and choices. However, religious preferences and religious organizations can counter secularizing influences by leading individuals away from antireligious education and by developing alternative educational institutions.108
106 Brown, Diane R., and Lawrence E. Gary. “Religious socialization and educational attainment among African Americans” 411-426. 107 Sherkat, Darren E. “Religious socialization: Sources of influence and influences of agency.” Handbook of the Sociology of Religion (2003): 151-163. 108 Sherkat, Darren E., and Alfred Darnell. “The effect of parents' fundamentalism on children's educational attainment: Examining differences by gender and children's fundamentalism.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (1999): 23-35. 42
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Adolescence is a period when vital aspects of socialization take place, especially with regards to identity-related issues such as gender role learning and development of set of values.
Adolescents in contemporary societies are immersed in media as part of their daily lives. Media is central to the cultural environment of contemporary societies. The media has become part of social environment and has the role of socializing adolescents. The media are part of the process by which adolescents acquire or resist acquiring the behaviours and beliefs of the social world, the culture, in which they live.109
Arnett Jensen outlined five uses of media including entertainment; identify formation, high sensation, coping and youth culture identification. To Arnett, young people, like adults, often make use of media simply for entertainment, as an enjoyable part their leisure lives.110 As
Michael Brake argues, “The central theme of leisure is fun, a feature often overlooked in sociological studies of mass culture”. Again identity formation, the cultivation of a conception of one’s value, abilities, and hopes for the future. This give premium to the assertion that in culture where media are accessible, it can provide material and avenue for the young in society to use toward the construction of an identity.111
Arnett explained that media consumption give young people a sense of being connected to a larger peer network united by youth specific values and interests. In a highly mobile society, the media provides common ground for all young people. Adults within our societies may be unfamiliar with many of the media products that provide the basis for youth culture identification. Adolescents (young people) identification may be a youth sub-culture. Thus, the
109 Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. “Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties”. American psychologist 55, no. 5 (2000): 469. 110 Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. “Emerging adulthood.” 469 111 Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. “Adolescents' uses of media for self-socialization.” Journal of youth and adolescence 24, no. 5 (1995): 519-533. 43
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youth may use media to establish a subculture, to carve out a subcultural identity that is distinct not only from the larger society but from other youth subcultures, as well. The adolescents have greater control on the use of media than over family, school, community and the legal system.
This could be that social media loosens the extent of parental control and increases the extent to which adolescents choose the materials of socializations.112
2.3 Youth Socialization in Christianity
In the context of Christianity, the process of socialization is called “Christian Education”.
According to John Boojamra, it is the process of Christians, both children and adults, being integrated into an existing Church through experiencing the rites, symbols, and stories of the community. On the one hand, learning the dogmas, the truths necessary for salvation; and, on the other, moral training, the laws of Christian behaviour.113 So in the Methodist church Ghana, the Christian education directorate is responsible for family life education, literacy programmes and the baptism of children and their reception into full members of the church. 114
Every religious group expends much time, energy, and money to socialize its young into its faith and institutions. However, the degree of success varies.115 Baptism is believed to be the general name from the early Christian tradition for the first step of initiation rite to bring new members into the life of the church and into the body of Christ.116 Normally, in Ghanaian
Christianity, the method of baptism differs from one church to the other. For example some of the Pentecostal churches like, the church of Pentecost believes in baptism by emersion and not
112 Burbank, Victoria Katherine. Aboriginal adolescence: Maidenhood in an Australian community. (Rutgers University Press, 1988.) 113John Booiamra, Foundations For Orthodox Christian Education, (New York: SVS Press), pp.30 114 Methodist constitution and Standing Orders, 74 115 Hoge, Dean R., and Gregory H. Petrillo. “Youth and the church.” Religious Education 74, no. 3 (1979): 305- 313. 116 Searle, Mark, ed. Alternative Futures for Worship Volume 2: Baptism and Confirmation. Vol. 2. (Liturgical Press, 1987.) 44
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for members below fifteen years of age.117 But in the traditional mainline churches like the
Methodist and Presbyterian, baptism by sprinkling and for the children are accepted.
To continue transmitting the values of the church in it members, some of the churches, especially, the traditional mainline churches have bible study systems. In the Presbyterian church, Bible study and Prayer Group were established in 1966 for evangelism and Christian education 118whiles Methodist church also have bible classes which every full member of the church must belong.119 The children ministry in the church of Pentecost also have a mandate to train children along biblical precept of balanced growth. The aim of the ministry is to transmit the doctrine of the church and Christian values through lessons of salvation, worship and obedience.120
In the Methodist church for instance, the aim of the Sunday school is to provide for all baptized children, together with all others who are willing to receive it, instruction in the knowledge of the bible and Christian faith and life.121 Again, in the traditional mainline churches, before one is accepted as full member of the church, there is the concept of ‘confirmation’ which take young people through six months of bible teachings, Apostle creed, the doctrine of the church, holy communion and responsibility of membership.
The formation of youth ministries and organizations is another way of socializing the youth in the church. In the Church of Pentecost for instance, the youth ministries take care of the youth members of the church. The ministry carries out evangelism, national youth week celebrations
117 The Church of Pentecost: https://thecophq.org/index.php/youth-ministry/ 118 Nana Opare Kwakye. “The Presbytarian Church of Ghana” Christianity in Ghana: A Postcolonial History. (Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2018). 35-36 119 Methodist Church. Constitution and Standing Orders, 74 120 The Church of Pentecost: https://thecophq.org/index.php/beliefs/ 121 Methodist church. Constitution and Standing Orders, 75 45
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and encourage the youth to participate fully in the programmes and activities of the church and also expose them to the various doctrines and practices of the church.122 The Presbyterian church of Ghana also socializes their youth through the four youth groups in the church namely; the Junior Youth, the Young People’s Guild (YPG), the National Union of Presbyterian
Students and the Boys and Girls Brigade. The YPG, as part of its objectives, seeks to promote the spiritual, moral and social wellbeing of the Young People of the Church. It also serves as a platform for its members to realize their potentials, opportunities and responsibilities within the church and the community. And finally, the YPG encourages the young people of the church to take full responsibility in the Guild, Church and Nation as a whole and to engage in and promote evangelism among members with the view of winning more souls for Christ and into the Church.123
The Methodist church Ghana, which is the focus of this study also socializes their youth through the youth ministries directorate. The directorate have programmes they organize to bring all the youth people together. For instance, the Young People’s week which is an annual programme for the youth discusses topical issues confronting the youth; Youth and Student
Assembly is also another programme which seeks to bring the young people both in the schools and in societies together for fellowship and also review youth work in the church. Again, Teens and Twenties camps are aimed at creating opportunities for the young people in the church to experience life in Christ with peers.124Aside these programmes, the various youth organizations in the church also organize additional programmes in order to maintain and grow their members in the church.
122 The Church of Pentecost: https://thecophq.org/index.php/beliefs/ 123 Quartey,Charles. “The youth and the numerical growth of the Ga presbytery in the Presbyterian church of Ghana.” (Thesis University of Ghana. July, 2016) 124 Methodist Church Ghana, Youth Ministries Directorate Handbook for Youth Workers, 9 46
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2.4 Conclusion
The studies on religious socialization take into consideration four agents, namely; parents, church, religious organization and peers, of which parents constitute the first and primary focus of socialization. It is also clear that as children grow older, peers become increasingly important in the socialization process. Children may learn different things from peers than from other agents of socialization. Peers can reinforce or model religious views and practices or can undermine them, such as when peer group norms are dissonant with those of the family or religious tradition.125 Religious socialization in religious organizations and schools and among peers and the ever growing media also present choices for the young people to make in their religious growth. What is taking place within the family and religious organizations are complicated than a simple pattern of parental and religious transmission because the emphasis may have changed from parents and religious organizations as socializers to self- socialization.126
125 Vaidyanathan, Brandon. “Religious resources or differential returns? Early religious socialization and declining attendance in emerging adulthood.” Journal for the scientific study of religion 50, no. 2 (2011): 366- 387. 126 Kühle, Lene. In the faith of our fathers. 127 47
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CHAPTER THREE
The Youth Ministry and the Methodist Church, Ghana
3.0 Introduction
This chapter provides an overview about the history of the Methodist Church, Ghana. It also explains the administrative structure of the Methodist Church and the Youth Ministries
Directorate. Events leading to the formation of the Youth Ministries Directorate has been expatiated in this section with more emphasis on organizations of the Youth Ministries
Directorate. Finally, this chapter provides the current state of the Youth Ministries Directorate and how young people are drift from the church.
3.1 History of the Methodist Church, Ghana
Methodism in Ghana was introduced to Gold Coast, now Ghana, in 1835 by a Wesleyan missionary called the Rev. Joseph Rhode Dunwell. Before him were a number of missionaries’ activities along the coast of Gold Coast with the aim of spreading the gospel.
Agbeti wrote that the circumstances which led the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society to send their Missionaries to Ghana were demonstrations of the role which Africans played in the establishment of the Methodist work in Ghana.127 Sir Charles McCarthy accepted to supervise
Methodist Churches in Ghana. After accepting this responsibility, he ended up in opening a school at the Cape Coast Castle, purposely to train brilliant African boys for employment in the colonial administration.128
There was a problem in the school set up by Governor McCarthy between the headteacher of the school, Mr Joseph Smith and a brilliant student in his class called William de Graft. The
127 Agbeti, J.K. West African Church History, Christian Mission and Church Foundation 1482-1919. Leiden E.J. Brill. 1986. p 54 128 Agbeti, J.K. West African Church History. 52 48
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disagreement was on the kind of religious teachings in the school. The problem was resolved by dividing the class into old and new class. Joseph Smith took care of the old class and the new class was the in care of William de Graft. He called his new class “Bible Band” or the
“Meeting”. This group later provided the foundation for the growth of Methodism in Ghana.129
Other missionaries were sent to Ghana to help in establishing Methodism.
Joseph Dunwell was sent to Ghana in January 1835. He was one of the nine missionaries sent by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society (WMMS) to work in Africa and overseas.
Unfortunately, Dunwell died within six months of his arrival in the Gold Coast. The death of
Dunwell did not discourage those he led. In his words, Joseph Smith said, “I met the class on purpose to know whether they would continue in the profession they had recently entered into or desire to return to their former ways, in consequences of the death of the missionary. They said they would remain in the profession; for though the missionary was dead, God lives.130
After the death of Rev. Joseph Rhode Dunwell, the Wesleyan Missionary Society sent Rev. and Mrs George Wrigley as the replacement and they committed to build upon the work of their predecessors. For instance, they opened a Girls School which later became Wesley Girls’
High School, and built a Chapel in Cape Coast. Rev. George Wrigley learnt the Fante dialect and translated the Ten Commandment into it and opened new stations at Elimina, Komenda,
Dixcove, Anomabu, Egyaa and Abura Dunkwa, Doninase and Winneba Circuit. 131 The expansion caused Rev. Wrigley to ask for help and Rev. and Mrs. Peter Harrop were sent.
Sadly, all these ministers died within one year.132
129 Edusa-Eyison, Joseph. The History of an Autonomous Methodist Church Ghana 1961-1991. 2 130 Bartels F.L. The Roots of Methodism (Cambridge University Press, 1986), 10 131 Bartels F.L. The Roots of Ghana Methodism, 10. 132 Edusa-Eyison, Joseph. “The History of an Autonomous Methodist Church Ghana 1961-1991”. Mphil Thesis, Legon. 3 49
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The recurrent deaths of missionaries called for wise and permanent solution as it was rightly put by Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton that “The ills of African could be remedied calling forth
African own resources both human and material”133 Thomas Birch Freeman the son of an
African father and an English mother was sent to Gold Coast as suitable and best cure to these ills. Unfortunately, Freeman was immediately attacked by yellow fever. His wife Elizabeth
Freeman who was nursing him, also became infected by the disease and died within six months after their arrival. But Freeman recovered and settled down to continue the work of Rev.
Wrigley. He (Freeman) dedicated a building in Cape Coast started by Wrigley to God on June
10th 1838. In the same year he also founded the church in Accra as well as Abaasa.134
Therefore, we can say that Rev. Joseph Rhodes Dunwell, was the first Methodist missionary to
Ghana, but the expansion and grounding of the Methodist Church Ghana to the other regions of Ghana like Asante, Galand waited till the arrival of Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman.135 The
Methodist Church, Ghana, which was then a district, continued to depend on missionaries though it had Ghanaians committed to the teaching of Methodism in Ghana. Before independence, the Methodist Church, Ghana district was under the authority of Methodist
Church in Nigeria.
According to Joseph Eyison, the first Chairman of the Lagos district of the Methodist Church
Rev. John Milum, proposed autonomy for Ghana District. After all the preparation to this vision of autonomy, the Deed Foundation and Order were signed at Cape Coast on 28th July, 1961.136
133 Bartels F.L. The Roots of Ghana Methodism. 27 134 Edusa-Eyison, Joseph. “The History of an Autonomous Methodist Church Ghana 1961-1991.” 24 135 Abeka, Nana Isaac. The Youth and Development of Methodism in Ghana. Accra, Max Associate, Limited.2012. 136 Edusa-Eyison, Joseph. The History of an Autonomous Methodist Church Ghana 1961-1991. 25 50
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Thus, the Methodist Church, Ghana, was established as an equal and autonomous community
of Believers, in no way subordinate to the parents Methodist Church (though joining with her
in their common faith and heritage) the autonomy was inaugurated in July 1961. The Rev.
Francis Chapman Ferguson Grant became the first President of the Ghana Conference and the
induction was officiated by Rev. Dr. Edwards, President of the British Conference; after which
elaborate and concrete plans were put in place for the consolidation, growth and expansion of
the Church. As part of the church’s attempt to run an effective organization there was the need
to have structures put in place to enhance the efficient administration of the church.
3.2 Structural Hierarchy of the Methodist Church, Ghana
The Methodist Church, Ghana as a democratic institution operates on and encourages
consensus building. The Church is organized along a four hierarchical structure. These
structures operate at the same time in the organization of the church.
The following are the four structural hierarchies:
Table 3.1 Administrative structure of the Methodist Church, Ghana
Conference General Director of Chairman/President Presiding Bishop Board of Connexional Org
Chairman of Chairman/President Synod Diocesan Bishop of Diocese Diocesan Committee
Superintendent Chairman of Circuit Chairman/President Quarterly Meeting of Circuit Minister of a Circuit Committee
Circuit Minister of a Chairman of Chairman/President Leaders Meeting Society Society Committee of Society
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First and foremost, Conference works through Synod and Quarterly Meeting to the Leaders’
Meeting. Secondly, from Presiding Bishop (formerly President of Conference) through to the
Diocesan Bishop (formerly Chairman and General Superintendent of a District) and the
Superintendent of a circuit to the Circuit minister of a society. Again, the General Director of a Board, through the Chairman of the District/Diocesan and the Chairman of the Circuit
Committee of the Committee at the Society level. Lastly, the Connexional President/Chairman of an organization, (example the Youth Fellowship) works through the President/ Chairman of the organization at the Diocesan level and Circuit President or Chairman to the Society level.
137 It would be readily seen that, each of the four organizational structures operates on four levels, that is Connexional, Diocesan, Circuit and Society levels and at each level, there are functionaries who ensure that the organizational structure at their level of operation works effectively. 138
3.3 Youth Ministry in the Methodist Church Ghana
The youth is the pivot towards the establishment of Methodism in Ghana. It is worth noting some names of the group of the young people whose effort gave birth to Methodism in Gold
Coast beginning at Cape Coast.139 They also served as the founding members when the missionary, Reverend Joseph Dunwell inaugurated the church upon his arrival on the first day of January 1835 in Cape Coast. Names like William De Graft, the leader of the group, George
Blankson, John Sam, Henry Brew, John Smith, Brown Neizer, Aggrey, Sackey, Kobina
Mensah and Insaidu can never be forgotten because of their resilience and determination in ensuring that the word of God was read, explained and applied to one’s personal conduct. 140
137 Local Preachers Syllabus of the Methodist Church Ghana, Part One, 120 138 Local preachers Syllabus of the Methodist Church Ghana, Part Two, 139 Abeka, Youth and Development 140 Bartels, Root of Ghana Methodism, 10 52
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Abeka, quoting Rev. Dr. J.M.Y Edusa-Eyison description of the leader of these young people,
William De-Graft and his contribution to the development of Methodism said “William De-
Graft was certainly one of the most outstanding young Methodists who worked in Gold Coast and beyond, in the 19th century. Christian missionary work in the Gold Coast would be incomplete without the mention of him and his invaluable contribution.”141
In her foreword to Nana Abeka’s book on the Youth and Development of Methodism in Ghana,
Araba Ata Sam former Lay President of the Methodist Church Ghana said “The Methodist
Church Ghana might never have come into existence but for the zeal, enthusiasm and commitment of some young men who were thirsty for more knowledge of the saving Grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our youth have never ceased to matter in our Church ever since. Their enthusiasm for God’s word remains credible- whether in evangelism, in the ministry of song, in Sunday school and children’s service, or in the many diverse ways in which they show their commitment to Christ”.142
According to Kofi Amoateng, it took the Methodist Church fifty-five years to recognize the need for a formal special ministry for the young people of the Church. In 1896, the synod of the Methodist Church passed the resolution for the formation of Wesleyan Guild, which became the first young or youth group in the Church.143
141 Abeka, Youth and Methodism, 1 142 Abeka, Youth and Methodism, 20 143 Amoateng, Kofi, “Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church. A search for more Relevance” (Trinity:Long Essay, 2003) 17 53
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3.3.1 The Methodist Church and the formation of Youth Organizations
The youthful hand that guided the formation of Methodism in Ghana gave way to adult leadership by the 1880s.144 But the church saw it necessary to give the youth space to operate and contribute to the development of the church. This brought about the formation of youth organizations in the church.
According to Amoateng, the Methodist Guild was the first recognized youth organization in the church. Rev. K. B. Micah Edu-Buandoh, Minister in charge of Youth Department of the
Kumasi District, argued that the Methodist Guild was first started in Great Britain in 1895 by
Rev. C.H Kelley. He explained that Rev. C.H Kelley was tasked by the British Methodist
Church to draw up a programme which could help to retain young people in the church. So when the Methodist Church identified the need to have a similar organization in the church in
Ghana for the same purpose for young people, they found a ready-made answer in inculcating the Guild idea in the Church’s Christian Education Structure, Rev. Edu- Buandoh concedes.
Though the early beginning of the Guild is uncertain, however, it is believed that the first Guild in Ghana which is the mother Guild was established in Cape Coast in 1899. 145
According to Abeka, the Guild was established to organize and create an attractive fellowship for the Youth. One of its aim was to serve as a link between Christians and Non-Christians and also to serve as the educational faculty of the church, apart from the Sunday school and public schools the church has opened.146 By 1958 there were 113 active Guilds in the District with a total of 5,560 members and were contributing meaningfully to the growth of the Church, and
144 Abeka, Youth and Methodism, 23 145 Amoateng, Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church, 18. 146 Abeka, Youth and Development, 23 54
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that wherever there is a Guild, that society has cause to thank God, for the great contributions the Guild is making in the social and spiritual life of the church.147
However, because the Guild was established in an age when a lot of young people of the Gold
Coast had not been exposed to formal education, a lot of the membership were to a large proportion, illiterates, and their meetings were conducted in vernacular. But by 1944, the members of the educated youth in the church was considerably increased, besides, it was becoming difficult for these educated young people to come together with their illiterate colleagues for Guild meetings. Thus, the need had started to be defined for another youth group148
There are several accounts of how the Methodist Youth Fellowship originated. One school of thought explained that the inability of the church to cater for the needs of the literate members within the church led to the establishment of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. It was noted that the contribution of the Guild to the expansion, social work and spiritual development of the church was mainly on the illiterate members of the church. Though they were providing useful
Christian service the Guild was not catering sufficiently for the need of the growing educated youth in the church.149 It is written in the Youth Manual further, “The Guild provided youthful form of social and devotional fellowship. But one thing which was clear was that the Guild was not catering for the educated young people. The question that rose in their minds as a result of their scientific studies at school were not adequately dealt with. They thought that the church had no answer to their problems and that the church was irrelevant to the modern world. This resulted in spiritual and intellectual loneliness among youth people150 The Methodist Youth
147 Abeka, Youth and Development, 24 148 Methodist Youth Fellowship Manual 1 149 Abeka, Youth and Development. 27 150 Youth Fellowship Manual 1-2 55
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Fellowship was born out of the Methodist church around the second half between 1945/46 for the young people in the Methodist Church who had become literate.
The other account on the formation of Methodist Youth Fellowship is ‘The Kumasi Need for
Revival account’. During the mid-1940s, a few young people in Kumasi decided to form a separate prayer group independent from the Wesleyan Guild to cater for their needs. Therefore, the youth fellowship started in Kumasi because of the need for revival that these young people in Kumasi had, and thus, decided to meet to pray and study the Scriptures. Some of these young people included M.T. Agyeman-Anane, Kofi Adu, K. A. Boateng, Ofosu Ampadu-Kyere, R.H.
Blankson, Aidoo, Addison, David Botsio, Adu-Boi, Nana Appiah Danquah (Asantehene
Anantahene), P.K. Kyei and Sister Bandoh, who later became the wife of the late Otumfo
Opoku Ware, the Asantehene and Agnes Barnie. 151 The Methodist Church in Kumasi did not appreciate them because they saw the organization as unapproved by the synod of the Church.
The group was not discouraged by the attitude of the Church towards them but they rather adopted a new strategy of meeting in the night at a different place. The group took this decision to deceive the authorities about their existence. They were of the view that their meetings would help them to grow spiritually in contributing effectively to the course of the church.
Consequently, the group grew in numbers and were effective through their participation in the church activities. Some of the ministers in the church started appreciating the contributions of the group and decided to push for it recognition in the church. Rev. Peter Kwei Dagadu who was then at the Wesley College in Kumasi is said to be a sympathizer of this group. And this
151 Amoateng. Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church. 19 56
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might have led to his involvement in the synod committee appointed in 1945 to see to the re- examination and subsequent formation of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. 152
There are other schools of thoughts concerning the formation of the Methodist Youth
Fellowship. The first school of thought says that the Methodist Youth Fellowship was started in Kumasi in 1944 or at least, the fellowship of some young people who were searching for revival in the church in Kumasi became exemplary of the Youth Fellowship in the Methodist
Church. Again, the Methodist Youth Fellowship was born out of the need for revival. The interesting aspect of the formation of the Youth Fellowship is with the conflicting information.
The second school of thought explains that the Fellowship started in Cape Coast in 1946153.
But to Amoateng, it is easy to reconcile the two, that is, it may have started in Kumasi in 1944, but opposed by the leadership of the Church. However, even though the fellowship formally started in Cape Coast in 1946, the grounds for the formation had been prepared two years earlier
(1944) in Kumasi. And the reasons for the formation of the Methodist Youth Fellowship were the working together of both the need to break from the illiterate colleagues and to establish a fellowship for young educated members of the church and the need for revival among some young people in the church. 154
By 1957, thirty-six (36) fellowships were fully established with a total membership of one thousand five hundred and three (1, 503) educated youth. When the organization was firmly grounded, they engaged themselves in ensuring that young people grew spiritually and also sought to provide opportunities for bible discussions and prayers. They did not forget providing practical Christian service in the community in which they lived. Out of these numerous
152 Abeka, Isaac. Youth and Development, 25 153 Amoateng Kofi. Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church, 21 154 Amoateng Kofi. Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church, 19 57
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activities, their motto,” We work: We witness: We worship”; a summary of the aims and objectives of the organization was developed. 155
Among the aims and objectives of the MYF were to provide a means of fellowship within the
Methodist Church Ghana suitable to the needs of the young people; help young people to come to a personal faith in Jesus Christ as their saviour and providing opportunities to study, discuss and pray about their growing faith in Him; deepen members understanding of the Christian faith and its application to personal, social and economic life; encourage members to render practical services for and on behalf of the Methodist Church Ghana and; help young people to appreciate the unity of the Church in its diversity and to promote the sense of belonging to a
Christian World.156 In addition, the Youth Fellowship has age range of members who can join the fellowship. Membership of the Youth Fellowship is opened to all young people in the
Methodist Church Ghana between the ages of Fifteen (15) and Thirty Five (35) years.157
In 1964 the need to bring house helps into the salvation plan of God in Christ was initiated through the works of an Irish Methodist missionary by name Irene Morrow, herself a young woman.158 According to Amoateng, Sister Irene Morrow who later became Rev. Irene Morrow worked with the Methodist Church at the Kwadaso Women’s Training Centre and in Secondi, and started the fellowship probably from 1955.159 The fellowship started as a special kind of ministry for young girls who were mostly house-helps staying with the middle class members of the church, who for housekeeping duties in their homes, were often left in the house when their mistresses left for church with their husbands, sons, and daughters.
155 Abeka Isaac, Youth and Development, 31-32 156 Youth Fellowship Manual, 3. 157 Youth Fellowship Manual, 3 158 Youth Fellowship Manual,3. 159 Methodist Church Ghana, Cape Coast Synod Agenda, 1955. 58
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The story goes on to say that Irene Morrow would bring together regularly children and teach them about Christian doctrine, some cookery, home keeping and about how to maintain themselves as women including body hygiene.
In another account by Sis Mabel Amuah, the Girls fellowship was formed in April 1964 in
Sekondi. This account says that Sister Irene Morrow and Sister Dinah Holdbrook-Smith saw a small girl sobbing because her mistress had beaten her for bringing unsatisfying money from sales the small girl had done for the mistress that day. This account gives the objective for the formation of the Girls Fellowship. Therefore, the objective of the formation of Girls fellowship was, “to help the girls to make friends with their elders in the Women’s Fellowship and learn from them skills and craft, and above all to gain knowledge of Jesus Christ.”160
From the two perspectives, Sis Irene Morrow was the founder of the Girls Fellowship and that girls or maidservants were those expected to benefit from the programme of the fellowship.
However, there are some differences in the two accounts: that, it was not Sis Irene Morrow alone that saw the need and vision for founding Girls Fellowship, she did it with Sis Dinah
Holdbrook-Smith. Again, the emphasis for the founding of the fellowship was not put on a situation where mistresses left their maidservants in the house to attend church service as the first account has it. Besides, the Mabel Amuah account says the Girls Fellowship started in the
Sekondi District (now Sekondi Diocese) of the Methodist Church, the other narrative also says it started in Kumasi Kwadaso. But per the programmes of the Kwadaso Women’s Centre and
160 Amoateng. Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church, 21
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that of the Girls Fellowship one can conclude that the Methodist Girls Fellowship started in
Kumasi because there is a similarity in the programme and the objective of the Fellowship.
The Methodist Girls Fellowship finds itself having the potential for influencing positively the girl child in the society. Therefore, it is deeply rooted in the activities of the church in such areas as the Sunday School Teaching; Lay Bible Reading; Leading of Liturgy; Evangelism;
Skills Training in handiwork; Ushering and Christian Moral Training. The organization’s engagement in skills development, such as in handiwork has provided income generating ventures for many of its members. Although at the onset, the organization was meant for disadvantaged girls, it has become a great source of blessing to many young girls today. The organization has become the main place where girls of all backgrounds are given Continuous
Christian Education.161 The activities of the Girls Fellowship are guided by the aims and objectives of the Fellowship.
First, one of the aims and objectives of the Fellowship is to train young women and girls in the church in accordance with biblical truth, the doctrines, faith, traditions, and the principles established by the Methodist Church Ghana. Second, another objective is to make members avowed Disciples of Christ, worthy ambassadors, responsible leaders, and full members of the
Methodist Church Ghana, to participate fully in the worship and service life of the church and to take leadership roles both in the Church and Society. Membership of the Girls Fellowship has age range of those who can join. Membership of the Methodist Girls Fellowship is for all females aged 5-35 years who are confirmed into the Methodist fellowship.
161 Abeka, Youth and Development. 33 60
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This section on Association of Methodist Brigades gives historical account of both Boys and
Girls Brigades. Firstly, according to the Boys’ Brigade Elementary Handbook for Officers and
Boys, William Alexander Smith at the Free College Church Mission in Glasgow, founded the boys Brigade in 1883. The Boys’ Brigade, like all other organizations underwent growth, adaptations and development of organizational institutions and innovations. In the Gold Coast
(now Ghana), the Rev. H.N. Annan started the Boys Brigade in 1911 at Christiansburg. But the
First World War disturbed the rooting of the activities and the growth of the Boys’ Brigade in the soils of Ghana. By 1952, the Boys’ Brigade had re-gathered some vitality for growth. In
1954 Mr. J.A Pickford opened the first company at Sekondi and organized the first training course for officers. 162
Secondly, the Girls Brigade was started by the Union of Organization for Girls, which was confirmed on 10th June, 1968. By 1893, the Girls’ Brigade had been formed in Dublin. Its objective was similar to that of the Boys’ Brigade, the extension of Christ’s Kingdom among girls. Specially, to help girls to become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, through self-control, reverence and a sense of responsibility, and find true enrichment in life. 163
In the 1990s Boys and Girls Brigade operating in the church were supported to project and reflect in strong terms, the Methodist values and to pledge commitment to its activities and not merely carry themselves as ecumenical body (other Christian Churches). The Association of
Methodist Brigades, has contributed immensely to the growth of the church. In the area of evangelism, the Brigades through their marching contingents amidst the melodious tunes of the Wesleyan hymns from instruments accompanied by the parade drums, draw a number of
162 The Boy’s Brigade Elementary Handbook for Officers and Boys, (Ghana: The Boys Brigade,1996), 4 163 The Boy’s Brigade Elementary Handbook for Officers and Boys. 8 61
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children into Brigades and the Methodist Church at large. Apart from the Christian teachings and moral upbringing of these children and the youth, the Association is also into helping the youth to secure employment specially, into the Ghana Armed Forces and Ghana Police Bands.
164
The activities of the Brigade is also guided by aims and objectives of the Association. Aims and objectives of the Association include; deepening members understanding of the Methodist faith and the Christian faith and its application to personal, social and economic life of members, to help members to come to personal faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour, provide a means of fellowship among denominational members and a sense of belongingness within the Methodist Church Ghana, encourage members to render services to the Methodist Church
Ghana, provide activities designed to help members attain physical, mental and spiritual maturity, help in formation of brigade companies within the Methodist Church Ghana, give assistance to the work of the Ecumenical Councils in the fulfilment of their aims, objectives and principles of the brigades, and also to ensure and mobilize companies to fulfil their responsibilities by contributing annually to the funds of the Ghana Councils in accordance with the regulations as laid down by the councils i.e. Assessments, Annual Boys Brigade and Girls
Brigade (BB/GB) week contribution, Annual subscriptions etc.165
Membership of the Association is opened to all members of the Brigades within Methodist
Church Ghana. Also officers, both Enrolled and Prospective are full members of the Methodist
Church Ghana. Finally, members are admitted and enrolled in accordance with laid down regulations of the Ghana councils.166
164 Abeka, Youth and Development, 37 165 Association of Methodist Brigade Ghana, Bye-Laws (2012), 2-3 166Association of Methodist Brigade Ghana, Bye-Laws 3 62
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The Ghana Methodist Students Union was formed in 1965 under the name Ghana Inter-
University Methodist Union (GIUMU) with University of Ghana, Legon, Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology, University of Cape Coast and Trinity College (now
Trinity Theological Seminary) as the pioneer locals. Prof S.N. Quartey and former President of Conference, Most Rev. Prof. Emeritus Kwesi Dickson, were instrumental in its formation.167
This was established and was solely for University students until 1974. At the 9th Annual
Conference, delegates from Trinity College suggested the adoption of the name Ghana
Methodist Students Union (GHAMSU) instead of GIUMU to enable the Union widen its scope of operation and embrace students in other higher institutions of learning other than the
Universities. However, the KNUST branch of the Union went beyond the initial agreement not to include the second cycle institutions to form the Kumasi Methodist Students Union (KMSU) which embraced institution like Nurses Training College and Wesley College. This initiative motivated the main Union to adopt the new name GHAMSU.168
GHAMSU has been the main campaigner for Church members to disassociate themselves from secret societies mainly the lodges. So the administration from 1980 to 1993 under the leadership of Messers. Ben Otchere, Ken Barnes and Jacob Osei-Yeboah championed the cause to outlaw membership of lodges and other secret societies in the Methodist Church Ghana, and as well as the change of Methodist Church Logo which had a dragon seated on the Ghana map.
169
167 Association of Methodist Brigade Ghana, Bye-Laws, 4 168 Abeka, Youth and Development, 34 169 Abeka, Youth and Development, 35 63
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Consequently, the activities of GHAMSU are influenced by the aims of the organization. Aims of the GHAMSU include; to witness the Lord Jesus, lead others to a personal faith in Jesus
Christ and encourage one another to live the Christian life, build on strong foundation of the
Methodist Church and encourage responsible church membership in all the nation’s educational institutions and prepare the individual to be a responsible contributor to the society.170
Full Membership of GHAMSU is opened to Methodist students of all the nation’s educational institutions namely; the Universities, Diploma-awarding institutions, Theological seminaries,
Technical universities, Colleges of Education, Nursing Training Colleges, Post Basic
Educational Institutions, Secondary and Commercial schools and all Post-Secondary Schools.
Such members possess GHAMSU membership cards issued by the National Project Board under the authority of NEC.
Associate membership is opened to Senior Members who are full members of the Methodist church, and former full members of the Union who have completed their respective schools.
Adherent membership refers to students who are not Methodists but share in the aims, mission and vision of GHAMSU. There is a national Coordinator appointed by the Church in consultation with the Union.171
3.3.2 Contribution of Youth Workers in the Methodist Church, Ghana
In 1946 A.W Banks worked with the Rev. Peter Kwei Dagadu in a committee set up by the
Synod of 1946 to look into the activities of youth in the church. A.W Banks contributed to the
170 GHAMSU manual 1 171 GHAMSU 4 64
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organization of Leadership Training Conferences for the training of youth leaders for the Youth
Fellowship in Cape Coast. Again in 1948 they organized another Leadership Training
Conference for the Youth Fellowship in Kumasi. He also worked to recommend the breaking of Youth work in the Gold Coast District into four Sections namely; Central, Eastern, Western and Ashanti sections.172
The Rev. Peter Kwei Dagadu worked as the Secretary of the Methodist Youth Fellowship before taking over from A.W. Banks as Chairman. Rev. Peter Kwei Dagadu served as the
Connexional Youth Worker until he was called to serve at the Christian Council as the General
Secretary in 1952. Rev. Peter Kwei Dagadu used the vast experience he acquired from his studies in youth work in Britain and other places to start youth fellowships “in all the societies of the Accra Circuit”. As the head of Youth Committee, he developed a quarterly programme outline for Youth Meetings. The areas covered by the material included “Bible Study, the study of Christian Doctrine, the Church and Christian Responsibility, plans for Devotional Services,
Debates, Brain Trust etc”. Again, he started the production of syllabus, in addition to the programme outline for Youth Study.173
Rev. A. Gordon Jones served as Secretary of the Methodist Youth Fellowship after he took over from Rev Peter Kwei Dagadu in 1952 as the General Secretary of the Youth Committee.
He also strengthened the running of the Youth conferences and added unto the Syllabus an element of relevance, Christianity and the Beliefs and Customs of the Gold Coast.174 He again introduced games like Table Tennis and other in-door games into the social programme of the
172 1946 Synod Agenda 173 Synod Agenda 1948, 138 174 1952 Synod Agenda, Youth Committee Report, p 163 65
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Methodist Youth Fellowship. Under his leadership some of the fellowship started Drama groups and Libraries.
The Rev. Joseph Kwao Clegg was one of the last students to be trained for the ministry at
Wesley College, Kumasi and the first to the joint Trinity Theological College with the
Presbyterian students. He reminded the 1953 Synod of Rev. P.K. Dagadu’s suggestion of the need for Local Youth Councils, and started establishing such in the Societies and Circuits.
175One of the four groups in the Methodist Youth Fellowship is named after him.176
Rev. Kittoe served as assistant organist to the choir and organist to the singing band. Between
1946 and 1947 he left for Trinity College, Kumasi. From Trinity College, he was stationed at
Wesley Methodist Church, Adum, Kumasi where he became the Junior Minister. 177During his ministerial work at the Wesley Methodist Church in Adum, he was given pastoral responsibility over the Youth Fellowship. At Wesley, he organized some youth around to form the Methodist
Youth Fellowship. He also founded the Methodist Guild at Agona Nyarkrom. According to the
Youth Manual “it was during his tenure of office that he won the competition of the motto for the Methodist Youth Fellowship…….We Work, We Witness, We Worship” 178
The Rev. Kittoe so endeared himself to the Kumasi Youth that many years after he left Kumasi and eventually the ministry and was not healthy and in Winneba, the Youth Fellowship at
Wesley sent him some gifts through a delegation. One of the sections in the Methodist Youth
Fellowship is named after him. 179
175 1953 Synod Agenda, report of the Youth Committee 138 176 Youth fellowship Manual, 5 177 Youth Fellowship Manual, 36 178 Youth Fellowship Manual, 36 179Amoateng. Youth Ministries in the Methodist Church, 21 66
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3.3.3 The Youth Ministry and Youth Development in the Methodist Church, Ghana
The framework below indicates the structure of Youth Ministries Directorate of the Methodist
Church. The Directorate at all levels of the church hierarchy is administered using this structure.
Figure 1 Structure of the Youth Ministries Directorate
Executive council Executive office Supervising office
Conference Office for The Director of Connexional Education and Youth Youth Ministries Youth Council Development
Office of the Diocesan Office of Diocesan Youth Diocesan Youth Education and Youth Council Organizer Development
Circuit Office of Education Circuit Youth Circuit Youth and Youth Development Council Organizer
Society Office for Society Youth Education and Youth Society Youth Organizer Development Council
The above diagram shows that the Methodist Conference in accordance with its Standing
Order, appoints the Director of Youth Ministries Directorate, an ordained minister of the church. The Director works under and reports to the conference through the divisional committee and the Connexional office for Education and Youth Development. The Youth
Director works with the Connexional Youth Council which comprises the vice chairman, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, two co-opted members, three representation from
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Connexional youth organizations, the diocesan youth organizer (DYO), three representation from diocesan youth council and the Connexional GHAMSU coordinator 180
The Diocesan Youth Organizer is appointed by the Diocesan Synod, who is an ordained minister of the church. The Diocesan Youth Organizer (D.Y.O) works under and reports to synod through the Diocesan Office for Education and Youth Development. The Diocesan
Youth Council consists of the vice chairman to the Diocesan Youth Organizer (D.Y.O), secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, two co-opted members, three representative from
Diocesan Youth Organization, the Circuit Youth Organizer (CYO) and three representation from the circuit youth council. Again, the Circuit Quarterly Meeting appoints the Circuit Youth
Organizer. He/she reports to Quarterly Meeting through Circuit Office for Education and Youth
Development. The Circuit Youth Council consists of the vice chairman, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, two co-opted members, the Society Youth Organizer, three representatives from Society Youth Council and three representatives from Circuit Youth Organization181
Lastly, the Society Youth Organizer (S.Y.O) is appointed by the Society Leader’s meeting. He/
She works under and reports to the Coordinating Office for Education and Youth Development.
The Society also have a council which consists of the vice chairman, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, three representative from society youth organization and two co-opted members. It is to be noted that both the Circuit and Society Youth Organizers are not ordained ministers. Also, with the Diocesan structure, there is no GHAMSU coordinator at the Diocese through to the society level.182
180 Board of Education and Youth. The Policy and Bye-Laws for the guidance of the youth work. 181 Board of Education and Youth. The Policy and Bye-Laws for the guidance of the youth work. 182 Board of Education and Youth. The Policy and Bye-Laws for the guidance of the youth work.
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Furthermore, the Society Youth Council works through the Circuit Council to Connexional and the various organization councils/officers work through the Circuit Organizational Council to
Connexion. One can easily say that the Youth Ministries Directorate have one of the bureaucratic systems in the Methodist Church.
3.4 Methodist Church and Youth Drift
Omenyo argued that during the period of the 1970s and the late 1980s, the Methodist church became stagnant and declined in membership, called “Christian Community” in the church.
This was due to the fact that the large numbers of church members, especially, women and the youth were leaving the church while other members became dual members in the church; that is, they would not leave entirely from the church but would rather be associated with other churches that is charismatic churches, ministries and fellowships. This drift and inactive nature of members of the church were attributed to several factors including poor prayer life, inadequate relevant biblical teaching and exposition; insufficient teaching on the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and a dull worship life.183
An ad hoc committee with Rev Professor Kudadjie as chairman was set up by the 1992
Conference of the church held in Wesley Chapel, Accra to study the whole issue and make recommendations to the church. The committee did its work and presented their recommendations to the church at its 1994 Conference held in Kumasi. The Conference decided to organize a renewal programme to revive the church and reduce or to some extent stop the drift of members of which the youth and women constitute the larger portion. The church came out with a renewal programme called “Methodist Prayer and Renewal
183 Omenyo, Pentecost outside Pentecostalism,155 69
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Pragrammme (M.P.R.P)184whose operations are sanctioned and governed by the Standing
Orders of the church, 305.185 After almost twenty four years of the operation of the Methodist
Prayer and Renewal Programme, there is an ongoing concern of the youth leaving the church.
To understand the drift which is manifested either as a decline or stagnation, it would be better to discuss the church and its growth. The word “church” comes from a Greek word “ecclesia” which means a “gathering” or “assembly” of people who are “called out” for special purpose.
So the root meaning of “church” is not a building but of the people.186In his book, Purpose
Driven Church, Rick Warren explains that the church members are the group of official members of a particular church. They have been baptized and have made a commitment to be part of that particular church. They are now more than attenders, and they are committed to the purpose of fellowship.187
When the concept of growth is added to the word church, the question is naturally asked, what kind of growth? The Church can experience several kinds of growth; most growing churches may experience some growth in each category. When McGavran talked about the types of growth, he first talked about biological growth which refers to those born into Christian families. As church members have babies, the attendance figures of the church increases.188
Biological growth is good, looking at it in the light of God commandments; be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth (Genesis 1:28). Indeed, Christians are entreated to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Proverb 22:6). Yet, this type of growth will never bring the nation to the obedience of God, since the non-Christian part of the world’s
184 Lawson Richard. Methodism in Accra Diocese 1838-2008. (Accra: Buck Press Limited, 2009), 27-28 185 The Methodist Church Ghana, Constitution and Standing Orders. Pg 71 186 Kenneth O. Gangel, Leadership for Church Education (Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1974), 22. 187 Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995), 132 188 Foli, Richard, Christianity in Ghana. p 121-123 70
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population is growing faster than the Christian, and it seems destined to continue. In other words, biological growth is exceedingly slow and often does not equal the normal population increase for the nation, for while some children both in Christian homes become ardent
Christians, some are lost to the world, or through marriage are sucked back into other faiths.189
A second kind of church growth is Conversion growth. This occurs when the church reach out to those outside the church to rest their faith intelligently on Jesus Christ and are baptized and
“added to the Lord” and the church at large. McGavran believes that this is the kind of growth by which the Good News of salvation can spread to all the various parts of the society and to the earth’s remotest area. The third kind of growth is what McGavran calls Transfer growth.
This refers to the increase in growth in certain congregation at the expense of others, that is,
Christians transferring from one community to another and joining a church in a new community to bring about this type of growth. He added that transfer growth is important. And that every church should follow up its members and conserve as many of them as possible.190
Ralph Winter and Peter Wagner also discuss “Internal growth as occurs within the fellowship and membership of a church. It means the church is growing in quality because a considerable number of the membership are conscious of a deepening religious experience. When there is internal growth, there is an unmistakable vitality about the church. As Harris puts it, worship becomes an act of joyous celebration; members know they are truly loved and accepted by the rest of the fellowship; there is love for others which leads members to serve their neighbour.191
Again, expansion growth also known us Numerical Growth obviously occurs when a church is growing numerically since new members are being added to the fellowship. The church expands as it converts non-Christians and takes more of them into itself. Church growth,
189 McGavran, Donald Anderson. Understanding church growth. (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1990),88 190 McGavran. Understanding church growth. 88 191 Foli, Richard, Christianity in Ghana. p 121-123 71
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however, makes a distinction within the category of new members between those who have grown up in the church and decide as part of natural process to become members, and those who are converted and, as totally new Christians, wish to join the church.192
Finally, they also look at Extension Growth which occurs when congregations plant daughter churches among their own kinds of people in the neighbourhood, district or region that is when a local church or circuit decides, as a matter of policy, to the extent of the scope of its work to reach such people who are not in touch with the church. Bridging Growth on the other hand, occurs when a church or circuit sets out deliberately to cross a linguistic or strong social, ethnic or racial barriers, and, in effect plant a church in a new culture.193 From the discussion above on church growth, it clearly shows that there is a correlation between a number of local churches planted and the numerical growth of the church because planting more churches is reaching out to more souls.
Therefore, in every church there is what we call membership and there are important linkages between membership and attendance in determining the growth of the church. For the
Methodist Church the term “membership” is used to refer to the “total Christian Community”, which includes all the categories 194of members whose names are on the church roll. These are
“full members” (adult members who enjoy privileges like admission to the Lord’s Supper) and
“junior members” (members who have been baptized in infancy and are yet to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper). Again, there are “catechumens” referring to inquirers, including those of
Islam and other faiths, who seek to enter the Christian community of worshippers and who are undergoing instruction for admission into full membership. “Adherents” are persons, baptized
192 Hunter, George G. The contagious congregation: Frontiers in evangelism and church growth. (Abingdon, Nashvile 1979) 193 Foli, Richard, Christianity in Ghana p 121 194 Methodist Church Ghana, Constitution, SO 702. P 106 72
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or not, who are attached to a congregation and seek fellowship and nurture of the church, but unable, for one reason or other, to accept the full discipline of the church. “Adherents also include full members who may have been disciplined by the church for reason of adultery, polygamy, drunkenness, being quarrelsome and other such anti-social behaviour195
According to Richard Foli in his work “Christianity in Ghana: A comparative Church Growth
Study”, a church that records 5 - 9% increase in the number of congregations, membership and attendance over a five-year period is growing but feebly. A church that records 10 – 49% in these areas over the period is growing normally whilst a church that records 50 – 100% is growing rapidly. A church recording over 100% is growing very rapidly. If, on the other hand, a church records 1- 4% its growth is regarded static or only marginal whereas the church that records below 1% is declining.196
This study adapts Richard Foli’s church growth criteria and interpretation for the analysis of secondary data available. The secondary data available is the Methodist Church’s Synod
Agenda report for the period 2012-2017. In addition to the five year period analysis of church growth, the study uses yearly period analysis for details to enhance understanding of the pattern and trend of the church’s growth in the area of congregation, membership and attendance.
Figure 2 below shows the trend of growth of the Methodist Church since 2012. The Methodist
Church is experiencing increase in its membership yearly. Over the five year period the church recorded a growth of 14.8% which implies that the church is growing normally.
195 Methodist Church Ghana, Constitution. P 106- 109 196 Foli, Richard, Christianity in Ghana p 221
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Figure 2 Connexional Christian Community Membership for 2012-2017
790006
756988 739800
711742
673202
2012 2013 2014 2015 2017
With the focus of the study on the Accra Diocese, the study explores the growth of the church in this diocese. Figure 3 below shows that the diocese experienced a marginal increase of membership of 100,645 in 2014 and has since decreased to 96, 571 in 2017. Over the 5 year period the diocese recorded a feeble growth of 7.5%. This contradicts the growth experienced by the main church meaning the ‘mother’ church is growing faster than the Accra Diocese.
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Figure 3 Christian Community Membership for Accra Diocese
100645
96571 96013 95701 95450
89341
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
The Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church has been experiencing a fluctuating membership drive. With a decline in growth of membership between 2015 and 2016, the diocese is now experiencing a feeble growth (1.2% in 2017). This is shown in figure 4 below
Figure 4. Growth of the Christian Community of Accra Diocese between 2012-2017
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10 8 6 4 2 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 -2 -4 -6
197
Figure 5 below shows that not only is the Accra Diocese growing feebly, but attendance to church is woeful. Over the 5 year period attendance to church was less than half the population of the diocese. This raises concern about the pastoral care of the members of the church. In addition, the accuracy of the data of the church concerning its membership is a disturbing situation. It could be that members who have either stopped the church to join other churches or stopped to join other Methodist Churches are still considered as members of the church and not removed from their database. Nevertheless, if the data is accurate then it is a very serious and worrying situation for the Accra Diocese.
Figure 5. Comparison between membership and attendance to church of the Accra Diocese
197 Accra Diocese. Synod Agendas 2014, 2016, 2018 Statistics 76
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MEMBERSHIP ATTENDANCE
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Figure 6 below shows the trend of membership attendance to church in the Accra Diocese over the five-year period. Membership attendance to church has been declining with a growth of -
4.4% over the period. Interestingly, with the church recording the highest membership of over
100,000 in 2014, average attendance to church was 38.3%.
Figure 6. Average attendance to church in the Accra Diocese between 2012-2017
49.2 49.6 47.2 41.8 38.3 36.7
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 77
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The congregation or societies or branches of the church has seen an increase of 18.7% over the
5 year period representing a normal growth. This can be translated as having 174 branches in
2012 to 214 branches in 2017. Surprisingly, the increase in societies or branches do not reflect in membership drive. As indicated in Table 1, when societies were 184 in 2014, it had a membership of 100,645. With an increase in societies from 184 in 2014 to 214 in 2017, membership of the Accra Diocese stands at 96,571.
Table 1 Societies and membership of Accra Diocese 2012-2017
Year Societies Total Membership 2012 174 89341 2013 186 96013 2014 184 100645 2015 189 95701 2016 192 95450 2017 214 96571
From the line graph below, there was a close parallel increase of membership between 2012 and 2013. Consequently, the decline or increase in growth of either society or membership was not dependent on each other. This means that increase in growth of societies does not guarantee membership drive in the Methodist Church. For instance, in 2015 society growth was feebly
(2.6%) while membership growth declined to (-1.1%), and membership growth was feebly
(4.6%). The dynamics could be attributed to increase in membership of existing societies and not newly established societies.
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Figure 7. Growth of societies and membership over the period 2012-2017
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 -2.0
-4.0
-6.0
SOCIETIES MEMBERSHIP
The bar graph below indicates that the MYF over the years are the strongest youth organization
(in terms of membership) within the YMD. This is followed by the Brigade and then the Girls
Fellowship. Although the MYF is experiencing decline in membership, the Girls Fellowship is experiencing an increase in membership over the period. The Girls Fellowship with a membership of 2281 in 2012 has a membership of 3358 in 2017. This could be as a result of increase in the membership of the children service.
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Figure 8. Membership drive of youth organization in Accra Diocese 2012-2017
MYF GF Brigade
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
The YMD experienced a feeble growth of (5.4%) over the 5 year period. The Girls Fellowship experienced a normal growth while the Brigade experienced a feeble growth. This is shown in figure 9. Nevertheless, the MYF, regarded as the backbone and the main youth organization in the church has its membership declining. The growth of the MYF stands at -6.0% over the 5 year period. The MYF with a membership of 7615 in 2012 declined to 7183 in 2017.
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Figure 9. Growth of Youth Organizations in Accra Diocese over the period 2012-2017
32.1
3.9
MYF GF BRIGADE -6.0
3.5 Summary
Although the Accra Diocese is growing feebly, the MYF is declining in membership. The concept of youth drift is very much experienced by the MYF of the Methodist Church because they are the main young adult organization in the church. Though this work acknowledges the fact that there are MYF members who belong to the Girls Fellowship, Brigades and adult organizations such as Women’s fellowship, Guild, Singing Band, Choir, SUWMA and Christ
Little Band. Also, there are some young people who do not belong to MYF or any youth organization. In this chapter I have tried to establish the background of the Youth Ministries
Division, the main youth organizations in the Methodist church, and some of the youth workers who have played a major role in the directorate. Again, I have also given the background to drift in the church and the current phenomenon of the youth leaving the church and relating it to how the Accra Diocese for the past five years have become stagnant and sometimes declined in membership and attendance. And how in the Diocese opening more branches are not necessarily increasing in membership.
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CHAPTER FOUR
Data Presentation and Analysis
4.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the major findings of the study obtained from the data gathered using semi-structured and in-depth interviews. The semi-structured interviews were conducted among 76 young persons across the four circuits. This was analysed at the univariate level of analysis to describe demographic characteristics, reasons accounting for the youth drift, implications of the youth drift on the church and responses of the church towards the youth drift. The sample size for the in-depth interviews was 10 consisting of 4 Superintendent
Ministers, 4 Circuit Youth Organizers, a Diocesan Girls Coordinator and a youth member who has left the church. Qualitative data analyses followed the steps of thematic content analysis with support findings from the semi-structured interviews. Themes identified were described with verbatim quotes to demonstrate the lived realities of the youth drift phenomenon.
4.2 Presentation of Findings
Demographics such as age, marital status and educational qualification of respondents were presented to appreciate the background of young persons engaged in this study.
4.2.1 Age of Respondents
Age refers to the completed number of years lived by the respondent since birth to the time of the survey. The survey computed age in completed years, that is, age as at last birthday. The age data was later re-categorised into three age groups. The study engaged four circuits in the
Accra Diocese made up of the Kaneshie North Circuit, Taifa Circuit, New Achimota Circuit and Abeka Circuit. The table below shows that majority of the participants (53%) were aged
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26-30 years and approximately 27% were aged 18-25 years. The average age of youth members engaged was 27 years. Furthermore, 80 respondents were supposed to respond to each of the questions. Nevertheless, the response rate for this question was 87.5%.
Table 2 Percent Distribution of respondents by age
Age Groups Percentage Number of Respondents 18-25 27.1 19 26-30 52.9 37 31-40 20.0 14 Total 100.0 70 Source: Field Data, 2018
4.2.2 Marital Status of Respondents
The study found that 8 out of every 10 youth members of the Methodist Youth Fellowship have never been married. This indicates that a higher proportion of members of the Youth
Fellowship are unmarried. There was one person representing 1.4% who was a divorcee. The response rate for the questions on marital status was 91.3%.
Table 3. Distribution of respondents by marital status
Marital Status Percent Number of Respondents Never Married 86.3 63 Married 12.3 9 Divorced 1.4 1 Total 100.0 73 Source: Field Data, 2018
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4.2.3 Educational Level of Respondents
The importance of education in determining youth drift cannot be over-emphasized. In the survey, respondents were asked about the highest level of educational qualification attained.
Respondents were categorized into those with attainment of BECE, Vocational/ Community/
Technical, HND, WASSCE/SSCE, Teacher Training/Nursing, Degree and Masters
Qualifications. The study shows that all the respondents have had a formal educational qualification. Table 4.3 shows the distribution of respondents by highest educational qualifications. The data in Table 4.3 below indicates that 42.1% of respondents have had their first degree, 18.4% have had WASSCE/SSSCE, 14.5% have had HND and 11.8% have had their Masters degree qualification. We may thus, conclude that, all the members of the
Methodist Youth Fellowship engaged in the study have some formal level of educational qualification. The response rate for this question was 95%.
Table 4. Distribution of respondents by highest educational qualification
Educational Level Percent Number of Respondents BECE 3.9 3 Voc/Comm/Tech 2.6 2 HND 14.5 11 WASSCE/SSSCE 18.4 14 Teacher Training/Nursing 6.6 5 Degree 42.1 32 Masters 11.8 9 Total 100.0 76 Source: Field Data, 2018
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4.2.4 Youth in Church Activities
The study sought to know about the existence of youth members actively engaged in church activities. Respondents were also asked about the kind of activities young people are actively engaged in.
The study sought to know if young people of the church were involved in church activities.
The results indicate that more than half (71.0%) of members think the youth members are actively involved in church activities. However, 29.0% perceive that the youth are not actively involved in church activities. This is shown in the figure below.
Figure 10. Perceived youth involvement in Church Activities
29%
Yes 71% No
Source: Field Data, 2018
Youth members were actively involved in church activities including the singing ministry, evangelism, Sunday school teachers, church committees and ushering. It was found out that most of the Youth members were actively involved in the singing and evangelism ministries.
In addition, about 13% were involved in church committees. Thus, about 37.8% were involved in evangelism while 31.1% were in the singing ministry. This is shown in Figure 4.2 below.
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Figure 11. Church Activities involved by Youth Members
37.8
31.1
13.3 8.9 4.4 4.4
Singing Evangelism Sunday Youth Church Ushering Ministry School Officers Committee Teacher
Source: Field Data, 2018
4.2.5 Youth Drift
This section provides an overview of what respondents think account for young people drift from the Methodist Church. First and foremost, respondents were asked if the phenomenon of youth drift exist in their respective societies.
Existence of youth drift
Respondents were asked whether youth drift exist in their respective societies. The study found that about 72% of respondents affirmed that youth drift occurs in their societies. However, 28%
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of respondents disagreed on the youth drift occurring in their societies. The response rate for this question was 93%.
Table 5. Existence of Youth Drift
Response Percent Frequency Yes 71.6 53 No 28.4 21 Total 100.0 74 Source: Field Data, 2018
Additional Findings
The Circuit Youth Organizer of Taifa gives his account of youth leaving the church.
“I have experienced a lot of young people leaving the church. I experienced a lot of them. I am saying so because I am a confirmation class teacher. And most of the young people I have taken through the confirmation lesson after having the full service for them have been part of the church but after a year or two you don’t’ see them. When you meet them in town and elsewhere they will tell you I am no longer worshipping with you. I am with this so and so church. That is what I can say, I have seen a lot of them leaving198
The Superintendent Minister of Taifa Circuit described what is happening with the youth in the church as “Denominational uprootedness”. He explained that the church is gradually losing its attractiveness to the young people. However, some of the young people are still in the church because their parents take care of them and immediately they reach the stage of independency they leave the church. He also, categorized the drift of the young people into two groups.
Thus, the first group of the drift are those from secondary schools. These young people after secondary school are neither interested in joining any of the youth organizations nor joining adult church service. The second drift group are those at the university campuses who are active
198 Interview with Bro Jonathan Acquah, CYO, Kaneshie North Circuit 87
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in singing and playing of instrumentals. When the young people come home they perceive the church to be doing their own thing which renders them not to be active, and for them not to continue to be inactive they leave the church for where they think they can be useful.199
Furthermore, the Superintendent Minister of Abeka Circuit, Very Rev. Eric Asante Danquah explained that the drift was a problem for the church in the 1970s and 1980s but not a problem for the church today. Nevertheless, he conceded that the challenges that the church faces today is with the young people at the secondary and university institutions. He argues that these students find it difficult to integrate into the main adult service after school. This is because the church does not have any structure to receive and monitor them at secondary school for them to show some affection for the church. This has given way for other churches to poach these young people to their churches after school.200These positions correspond to GHAMSU’s reports to diocesan synod which indicated that their major challenge is drift of the members to other churches.201
On the other hand, another Superintendent Minister, believed that the young people are not leaving. Because for the Methodist church, they see people every week who have left the church coming back again. He also posits that young people leaving are those who have been sponsored by other newer churches and these people end up joining them after school. He added that some of them are those who could not get the opportunity to enter the ministry and202 that youth drift is a myth and as such do not exist within the church. Some of the ministers interviewed denied the existence of youth leaving the church. They confirmed that the youth who leave come back to the Methodist Church.
199 Interview with Very Rev Dr Apaw Asiedu, the Superintendent Minister, Taifa Circuit (8/4/2018) 200 Interview with Very Rev Eric Asante Danquah the Superintendent Minister, Abeka Circuit (30/5/2018) 201 Synod Agenda 202 Interview with the Very Rev. Kwesi Arthur Mensah, Superintendent Minister, New Achimota Circuit (8/4/2018) 88
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No, for me I do not think they are leaving. For our church like this, every week, we see people who have gone and come back. You do not understand and why do they leave? They go to these new churches where the pastor is the owner of the church, but with ours you are under an authority and are accountable to an authority.203
Am saying that the assertion that a lot of them are leaving the Methodist church is erroneous. Yes to me, it is erroneous. Some of them are leaving, how many are leaving? What is the statistics of those leaving? And some leave and come back, when they go they come back.204
4.2.6 Reasons accounting for the drift of youth members
Respondents were asked to outline reasons accounting for youth members leaving the church.
The most contributing factors explained are poor leadership, rigid mode of liturgy and lack of assistance from church leaders. Other contributing factors include unmet needs, marriage, unknown personal reasons, discrimination, and relocation of members among others.
Table 6. Reasons accounting for youth drift
Factors Percent Frequency Unmet needs 7.1 3 Rigid mode of Liturgy 21.4 9 Marriage 7.1 3 Poor Leadership/Shepherding 26.2 11 Lack of assistance 16.7 7 Unknown personal reasons 7.1 3 Disallowing operation of spiritual gifts 2.4 1 Discrimination 2.4 1 Condemnation of the church by Ministers 2.4 1 Relocation of members 2.4 1 Bureaucratic structures 2.4 1 Money centered 2.4 1
203 Interview with the Superintendent minister, New Achimota circuit 204 Interview with the Very Rev. Kwesi Arthur Mensah, Superintendent Minister, New Achimota Circuit 89
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Total 100.0 42 Source: Field Data, 2018
Reasons given by respondents as accounting for young people leaving the church over the years were analysed in the context of Accra Diocese through the experiences of the Circuit Youth
Organizers, Superintendent Ministers and persons who have ceased to be members of the church. The sub themes generated from this theme as reasons accounting for the drift are content of the word of God, money conscious, failure into ordained ministry, liturgical order, and peer influence.
4.2.7 Implications of Youth Drift on Youth Ministries
The implications of the youth drift can be described in two ways; on the Youth Ministries
Division and the Methodist Church. With the implications on the Youth Ministry, the following factors were outlined.
Table 7. Implications of youth drift on Youth Ministries
Implications Percent Frequency Leadership Void 62.1 18 Lack of planning for the YMD 6.9 2 Poor Leadership 17.2 5 Leaders are discouraged 10.3 3 Lack of Church Involvement 3.4 1 Total 100.0 29 Source: Field Data, 2018
About 62% of the respondents stated that leadership void was the main problem. Thus, the
Youth Ministries often lacks leaders to lead is as a result of the youth leaving the church.
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Respondents believe that the potential leaders from secondary and tertiary institutions usually leave the church, eventually accounting for poor leadership of the Youth Ministry. The remaining leaders of the Youth are most often discouraged and consequently leads to low- church involvement.
4.2.8 Implications of the Youth drift on the Methodist Church
In addition, the drift of the young people does not only affect Youth Ministries but it also affect the Church in general. More than half (51.2%) of the respondents asserted that youth drift will lead to decline in membership of the church. Almost one out of every five respondents believe that youth drift will create a leadership void in the church. Also, 7 respondents representing
16.3% of the respondents asserted that youth drift can lead to stagnant church growth.
Table 8. Implications of youth drift on the growth of the church
Implication Percent Frequency Decline in membership 51.2 22 Old aged membership 2.3 1 Ineffective programs 2.3 1 Leadership Void 18.6 8 Stagnant Church Growth 16.3 7 Loss of spiritual gifts 4.7 2 Low turn out to programs 4.7 2 Total 100.0 43 Source: Field Data, 2018
4.2.9 Perceived structures and policies of the church
Respondents were asked about the structures and policies put in place by the church to curb young people from leaving. The responses of the respondents indicate the low level of
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awareness of young people in the Methodist church about some of the structures and policies of the church to keep the young people. Nevertheless, some of the structures and policies mentioned by some of the respondents are the Youth Support Fund, Campus Ministry and
Youth in Music, Evangelism and Drama. This is shown in table 9
Table 9. Perceived structures and policies to keep young people in the church
Structures and Policies Percent Frequency Spiritual Empowerment 12.5 2 Scholarship 37.5 6 Campus Ministry 12.5 2 Youth in Music/Evangelism/Drama 12.5 2 Financial accountability 6.3 1 Follow up 6.3 1 Youth Support Fund 6.3 1 Liturgy 6.3 1 Total 100.0 16 Source: Field Data, 2018
4.2.10 Response of the Church towards the Youth Drift
It was revealed in the study that most of the young people perceive that the church has not been able to respond towards the youth drift. From the diagram below about 63.2% of the respondents perceived that the church has not been able to respond effectively towards youth drift.
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Figure 12 .Young People's Perception about the response of the Church towards youth drift
63.2
36.8
YES NO Source: Field Data, 2018
4.3 Discussion
This sub-section provides explanations to the findings of the results using studies reviewed to support the discussion. This section focuses on discussing the objectives of the study including reasons for the youth drift, the implications of the drift on the Methodist Church and response of the church towards the drift.
4.3.1 Reasons accounting for the youth drift
Factors accounting for the youth drift as found by the study include leadership problems, liturgical problems, peer pressure, and liberal parenting.
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Leadership Problems and Religious Drift in the Methodist Church
In every organization, be it a religious institution or a secular one, leadership remain a fulcrum through which the organization takes it footing and growth205. Failure on the part of leaders to lead well or govern the affairs of the institution in appropriate manner has a consequence on the growth, expansion and success of that particular institution whether religious or secular.
In the Methodist Church Ghana, leadership or management of the church does not lie in the hands of the reverend minister who is in-charge alone206. Though the minister-in charge is the head of the leadership team, he exercise his authority with the help of other members of the church who forms part of what is called the “Leaders Meeting”207. Most often, members of the
Methodist church have blamed the church’s leadership for the way and manner things are handled in the church. They complain about the inability on the part of leaders to initiate new policies and strategies that are contemporary and are in unison to the “taste” of the youth in the church. However, despite the effort and the pressure put on the leaders for these changes, they are mostly ignored with an excuse that the church has traditions that needs to be maintained as asserted by a Rev Minister:
“The church has its own structure and tradition, so you cannot just bring what you see outside into the church. Some of the youth visit other churches and what they see there must also be implemented in the church. This cannot be so, the Methodist church has its liturgy and tradition.”208
The failure of the leaders of the church to respond to some of the concerns of the youth and/or the young people in the church have seen some of them leaving the church to join other
205 Dym, Barry, and Harry Hutson. Leadership in nonprofit organizations: Lessons from the third sector. Sage Publications, 2005. 206 Constitution and Standing Orders, 110 207 Interview with Very Rev Arthur Mensah 208 Interview with Very Rev Kwesi Arthur Mensah, Superintendent Minister, New-Achimota Circuit 94
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churches. For instance, members of the church especially the youth, expect the church to introduce some revivalism and other programmes that are geared towards improving the spiritual growth of members of the various branches or societies. However, in some situations, the attempt by the youth to introduce some dynamism in terms of prayer and its related activities are met with stiff opposition from leaders. Some of these issues have seen most of the youth leaving to other churches. For instance, a respondent who have left the Methodist church argued during an interview that the leaders who are expected to discuss the spiritual growth and needs of the young people in the church seem not to be concerned with such matters. Their concerns, he stated, is to raise money to fund project in the church. He argued:
The last thing that really made me leave the church was the leaders meeting. A few times, I went for the meeting I realized they were not so much concerned about us. Their meetings focus on how to get money. It was not about the spirituality of the people. After their discussion, you will realise that these people are not concerned about the spiritual growth of the people but ways in which they can pull in money.209
In every healthy church, growth and expansion have always been linked to person-centered leadership style of it leaders. Thus, leaders who focus on the person always achieve great results in ministry. According to a church growth scholar Kim Hyung, churches growing “healthfully are more person-centered, relationship-centered, and teamwork-centered than the leaders of declining churches.”210 Hence, leaders of mainline churches need to observe the lay believers
(in this case the young people in the Methodist Church carefully and discover their spiritual potential. Discovering and responding to the spiritual needs of the young people in the church through interactions and close relationship on the part of leaders will help address their concerns and needs. This will help address some of the existing challenges contributing to their drift to other churches.
209 Interview with a member who has left the church 210 Kim, Hyung Seok. "Strategies for Twenty First Century Healthy Church Growth: With Special Reference to the Jang Choong Presbyterian Church in South Korea." (2012). 95
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Another area that a respondent pointed out during the interview as part of leadership failure in the Methodist church is the issue of discipleship. In every church, leaders are expected to mentor them through discipleship by teaching and helping them to come into the knowledge of Christ in many things yet unknown to them.211 The discipleship, can only take place when there is a close or cordial relationship between members of a church and their leaders.
Particularly, in the Methodist church, discipleship is expected to take place at the class meeting level. The class meeting is a cell group in the church that comprises of about twenty-five to thirty people. The class meeting is expected to meet on weekly basis to study the bible as well as help members to familiarize themselves all the time by socializing.
When a member of a particular class is sick or in a difficult situation, other members of his or her class go in to solidarize with the person and also, sometimes, offer some needed assistance to the member. In most cases, failure on the part of class members or it leaders to respond to the need of a particular member in a class during difficult times has seen some members of the church leaving to other churches. The problem is that, most of these class leaders seems not to have time for their members. They do not visit or call them in order to find out their well-being.
Some class leaders do not follow-up on their members if they are not coming to church. During an interview, a reverend minister of the Methodist church bemoaned that leadership and management structures of some societies are poor and hence, are contributing to some of the issues been raised by the respondents. Thus, some members of the church are of the view that their welfare are not of concern to the leadership of the church.
211 Constitution and Orders of the Methodist Church, Ghana 96
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Arguably, the problems within the leadership of the Methodist church can be interpreted in the larger or broader context of religious socialization. Lene Kuhle quoting Jeffery Arnett asserted that in religious socialization, there is an adult socializer transmitting religious content to the younger generation and the younger generation also look up to the adult socializer. 212The leaders in the church serve as adult socializers to the younger generation. The members of the church expect to have a feel or some sort of belongingness to the community of faith they belong. However, failure on the part of leaders to relate well with members especially the youth and thereby, respond to their needs and concerns have resulted in the loss of interest in some of the youth in the Methodist church. What makes the issue worse is when the youth in their association with friends goes to witness what is being done in other churches. When this medium of religious socialization takes place, the youth are always on the verge of going or visiting churches that they feel can respond to their desires and concerns. Gradually, they lose interest in the Methodist church and they leave to join other churches that are of interest to them. The researcher can argue that this situation has somewhat contributed to the majority of members leaving the Methodist church to join other churches. It has made the growth of the
Methodist church become stagnant compared over the past two decades.
212 Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers? Religious minority socialization in pluralistic societies”. Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics/Etikk i praksis6, no. 2 (2012). 97
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Liturgical problems
Liturgy is at the heart of every religious worship213. The liturgical style of every church is unique to the church’s own tradition and style of doing things. Particularly, liturgy is expected to drive participants in worship to their maker or the divine object of worship214. According to
Wolfgang Vondey, “liturgy is the principal manifestation of the church; it expresses both the nature and purpose of the church and the concrete practices of ecclesial action.”215 According to Vondey, this significance is most clearly expressed in the statement that “the liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of the church is directed; it is also the source from which all its powers flow.” The reason for this affirmation is the soteriological significance attributed to the liturgy “through which the ‘work of our redemption takes place.’”216 In the Methodist
Church Ghana, liturgy is a key aspect of the central worship activity of the church. In the
Methodist parlance, it is popularly referred to as the “order of service”, indicating or suggesting the systematic manner in which the service of the church is organized. The phrase or the name
‘order of service” presuppose a laydown pattern or a particular way of doing things that is strongly adhered to by leaders and members of the church. In some societies of the Methodist church, especially those with most aged members, any attempt to change or alter a normal
Sunday service by not using the order of service book is usually greeted with a certain level of resentment.
213 Local Preachers Syllabus, 66 214 Local Preachers Syllabus, 67 215 Wolfgang Vondey, “Pentecostal Sacramentality and the Theology of the Altar” in Mark J. Cartledge and A.J. Swaboda (eds.), Scripting Pentecost: A Study of Pentecostals, Worship and Liturgy (London, NY: Routledge, 2017), 97. 216 Wolfgang Vondey, “Pentecostal Sacramentality and the Theology of the Altar” in Mark J. Cartledge and A.J. Swaboda (eds.), Scripting Pentecost: A Study of Pentecostals, Worship and Liturgy 97 98
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Among the youth in the Methodist church, some have agitated for a change in the liturgical style of the church by suggesting that the church revise its liturgy to allow for some level of spontaneity and exuberance which is currently missing in the liturgy used by the church. At some point in time, this issue generated a heated debate in the church and a committee was set up to review and revise the liturgy of the church. The review and revised liturgy is the one currently being used by the church. However, according to some youth of the church, the revised liturgy didn’t come with any major difference compared with the previous one. This, they argue, makes the worship style of the church very dull, not allowing for the free flow and the move of the Holy Spirit. In their response to the reasons accounting for the drift of the youth, 24.1% of the respondents indicated that one of the reasons accounting for the drift of
Methodist youths to other churches is the rigid mode of liturgy.
According to some of them, the supposedly rehearsed participatory performances in which the whole person and the whole community gathered for worship are, apparently instinctively choreographed to create a scripted ensemble of worshippers that do not allow them to have a feel of the Holy Spirit moving in their midst. Simply put, they call for unscripted experience.
According to some of the participants interviewed, the liturgy is very “conservative” and allow for limited time for the delivery of the word of God during worship service. Some of the respondents were of the view that they are not in tune with the worship style of the church.
Some of the respondents expressed their views as follows:
The way the church is organized, we are in the modern age and the old way of doing this also account for people leaving the church so if there could be some dynamism in the way we do our service217;
Apart from that, someone will come to church wishing to dance well but that person will be given a limited time all these account for the young people leaving the church218;
217 Interview with the circuit youth organizer, Taifa Circuit 218 Interview with circuit youth organizer, Kaneshie North Circuit 99
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Adult service was methodological and not practical and spiritual upliftment.219
These respondents are of the view that the worship style in the Methodist church is rigid and does not allow the youth in the church to express themselves during worship service in terms of dancing, singing, and shouting – which are equally allowed and experience in other forms of worship such as the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches.
Again, regarding the liturgy, some respondents also expressed the view that since it usually prolongs worship service, it only allows a limited time for the delivery of the word of God.
This, some participants expressed concern about. Some were of the view that much time is given or devoted to the delivery of announcement than preaching the word of God. A respondent argued,
Most of the young people do not understand why we should use 30 minutes for announcement and 15 minutes for the word of God. When you are preaching, some ministers will be putting pressure on you to step down. And then somebody will use 30 or 45 minutes for announcement and appeal for funds. But when it comes to the things that matters most you are given 10-15 minutes.220
Some also argued that the content of message that is preached in the church are not in-depth and well researched and hence, lack substance. They argued that the preaching in the church is not practical enough to reflect and address the present circumstances of members in the church.
According to some respondents, this situation makes it impossible for the preachers to address certain existential needs or satisfy the desires of members in the church. An interview with a former member of the church expressed the following concerns:
I did not find the word of God clear, as active as I wanted. Most of the time I felt it was shallow and it was theoretical and not as practical as I wanted it. I went to ICGC once and I came to like Pastor Mensah Otabil’s preaching. They touched my life as they practicalize their message with practical examples.
219 Interview with a member who have left the church 220 Interview with Circuit Youth Organizer, Kaneshie North Circuit 100
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They can pick something from the bible and practicalize it. I did not get that at the Methodist church so I hardly go to the adult service221
The consequence of the inability to make preaching practical to address the concerns of the members of the church, some members believe, affects the payment of tithes. One respondent posited:
The church was not getting people to give their tithe and they will discuss about that the whole meeting. I felt that if the message coming from the pulpit was insightful and lively, people will be giving naturally. So when your spiritual nourishment is connected to the needs of the people they will willingly give but that is lacking in the Methodist Church. The Methodist Church needs to change their message and make it more practical.222
In addition, young people within the church are also exposed to listening to other messages and can easily distinguish between the message received at their churches and elsewhere. They compare and contrast the message received in their churches as well as those they hear on the radio and television to make a choice of their own on the quality of message received.
Consequently, when they see that the message being heard in their church is not addressing their spiritual or physical needs, they end up leaving to other churches where they can find
“fulfilment”. One respondent argued that:
One, rightly dividing the word of truth or the word of God because the young also listen to other men of God and how they go about explaining the scriptures and your minister picks the same text and how he explains it you realizes that there is a big difference in our church. The young person will feel that I will be fed much better that is why they go out there.223
The issue of the youth drifting to other churches as a result of their inability to find satisfaction in the liturgical style of the Methodist church can also be explained in the context of religious socialization. Through religious socialization in the form of contact with other religious socialization agents such as radio, television, visitation to other churches, the youth of the
Methodist church comes to the knowledge of what is pertaining in other churches and tries to
221 Interview with a member who has left the church 222 Interview with a member who has left the church 223Interview with Circuit Youth Organizer, Kaneshie North Circuit 101
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compare the content and discontent of the manifestation of the liturgical style224. When they are unable to find satisfaction in their church, they end up leaving to where they can relate to the service and invariably, find satisfaction. The situation gives credence to Diane and Garry work on religious socialization and educational attainment, which view religious socialization from a perspective that individual develops a self- consciousness of religion, learn to evaluate their own behaviour and relate to others from different religious organization and base on it to make religious decisions.225 The young people in the Methodist Church also listen to various ministers in other churches. They also evaluate these preaching and relate it to their lives. This can inform them to take decision as to whether they should continue to stay in the church or drift to other churches.
According to Durkheim, socialization is formed by symbolic interactionism, which link socialization with Self- concept formation. This strand focuses on negotiation226. This means that a man lives in a symbolic environment as well as physical, and can be stimulated to act by symbol as well as by physical stimuli. For example, a chair is not merely a collection of visual, aural and tactile stimuli, but it means on which people can sit; and if one sits on it, it will respond by holding him up and it has a value for that purpose. Thus, practically all symbols a man learns, he learns through interactions.227 So when the youth in the church relate the preaching coming from the pulpit in their churches and they cannot relate to that to change their lives, it means they cannot hold on to the value of that preaching.
224 Interview with CYO 225Brown, Diane R., and Lawrence E. Gary. “Religious socialization and educational attainment among African Americans” 411-426. 226 Zhao, Ruohui, and Liqun Cao. “Social change and anomie:A cross-national study.” Social forces 88,no 3 (2010):1209-1229 227 Manis, Jerome G., Bernard N. Meltzer, and Jerome G. Manis. Symbolic interaction: A reader in social psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1972. 102
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Peer Pressure There is an undeniable fact that peer pressure plays a major role in religious socialization and hence, in some situations, contributes to the decision young people make in terms of their religious affiliation and matters that concerns their faith – beliefs and practices228. One of the social learning theory suggests that religious socialization occurs through a spiritual modelling, in which youth observe and imitate their spiritual exemplars (models), who may be peers or adults.229 This suggests that parental religious attendance or attending service with children should be associated with increased youth religiosity, because both would provide opportunities to model spiritual behaviours.
The catalogue of settings where peers influence their peers’ decisions is large and varied, including their choices to engage in certain good behaviour or not. In understanding how peer influence operates it is useful to distinguish between two different ways in which peers affect decisions: passively and actively. 230 In this study, the researcher found that some of the decisions made by young people in the Methodist church cross-carpet to other churches are purely influenced by peers 231. The influence begins to take place when they come into contact with their peers at schools, whether the Senior High Schools or Universities. When peers begin to socialize and visit the churches of their friends, they begin to learn and make informed decisions based on their experience at the different churches. Through their interaction and
228 Kühle, Lene. “In the faith of our fathers” 122 229 King P. Ebstyne King (2003) “Religion and identity: The role of ideological, social, and spiritual contexts” Applied Developmental Science, 7 (2003): 197–204.. 230 Hoge, Dean R., Gregory H. Petrillo, and Ella I. Smith. Transmission of religious and social values from parents to teenage children. Journal of Marriage and the Family (1982): 569-580. 231 Interview with CYO New Achimota Circuit 103
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association, they begin making decision to leave their churches and join that of their peers.
Some of the views expressed by respondents regarding this situation are quoted below:
But the peer group would be the pull factor because when they go back to school they all together will be doing this and that so may be the activities that the peer group organizes is what goes on in their churches or what they organize there may be what they do at church but when they come back those activities are not what Methodist are doing. So they feel that let me go back to that place.232
Some of their friends will like to change fellowship. They entice our members with the goodies and other things. Some leave and then come back. Some come back because when they go there they don’t find interest in the way of worship233
Yes, especially when they get into the tertiary institutions, and those who have completed S.H.S. I am a Sunday school teacher too. And you observed that those who have completed S.H.S don’t want to come to Sunday school and they don’t want to go to adult service too. They will like to hang around because activities that are going on these have experienced something different elsewhere through their peers and those who have advance in academics they think that the way we do our things as bureaucracy and this is boring so it better out there so they leave.234
As stated in the previous chapter the influence of peers in religious socialization is widely accepted. Religious identity is formed in the peer group. Peers give opportunity for the youth to juxtapose their church programmes in relation with others. Young adult love to be with their peers, so in a situation where the church fails to socialize its youth in peer groupings it create a vacuum for unsuccessful socialization which may lead to drift of members.
Again, the classification of youth by ages in the Methodist Church poses a challenge. First and foremost, youth organizations under the directorate such as the Brigade and Girls’ Fellowship have members between 7 and 11 years and between 5 and 11 years respectively who have not been considered in the Youth Ministry Policy structure. Secondly, most young people between
232 Interview with Circuit Youth Organizer, Abeka Circuit 233 Interview with the Superintendent Minister, Taifa Circuit 234 Interview with Circuit Youth Organizer, New Achimota Circuit 104
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the ages of 13 and 17 perceive themselves to be older people from the Sunday school but not fit into the Methodist Youth Fellowship which has the age bracket of 14- 35. These young people are not catered for within the structure of the Youth Ministries Directorate. Furthermore, most of young people within the ages of 28 and 35 years who belong to the working class and are married and considered themselves as young adult do not want to join the MYF or any adult organization like the Women’s Fellowship or Men’s Fellowship and as such, are not integrated within the Youth Ministry Directorate. These situation may affect the religious socialization within the youth directorate.
Furthermore, a participants observed that most of the youth drift from the church during their teen years.
The parent do but as I said earlier parent do to some extent when they are at the ages of up to where they are catered for. But it becomes a problem when the children grow up. At the age of 18 upwards they may tell the mother that you leave I will come. But they may go to a different church235.
I see it from 19 years upward that where most of them leave. Below that age most of them come to church with their parent but 18, 19 upwards they think that they are adult now. I know my left from right and mommy cannot sit on me so much236
Oh yes! And let me add one thing, our system is such that those who want to enter into ministry we have a structure and course outline. Many people who leave are those who could not enter our ministry. So when they write the exams and do not pass they leave to other churches and they are push. But here you can’t so you go to the seminary.237
Liberal Parenting
Parents play significant role in the youth drift. When parents are vigilant and caring towards their children, youth drift will be minimized. A participant reiterated that the Methodist parent were very liberal towards child upbringing. The respondent argued as follows:
235 Interview with Diocesan Girl Fellowship Secretary 236 Circuit Youth Organizer, New Achimota Circuit 237 Interview with the Superintendent minister, New Achimota Circuit 105
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Methodist parent are not strict on their children. They do not try to push them. They give them free range and that also give them opportunity to leave. Methodist parent are not like other churches parent who are very strict on their children. So the parent are not playing their role as they have to do.238
4.3.2 Implications of youth drift on the Methodist Church
This sub-section discusses what participants perceived to be implications of the youth drift on the Methodist Church. Among some of the implications discussed are financial difficulties, leadership and decline in membership.
Finances
According to some respondents, since some of the respondents who are leaving the church are gainfully employed, what it means is that they will cease to pay tithe or make any financial contribution to the church which will invariably affect the church’s finance. According to some respondents, a decline in the church’s finance also means that the church is likely to suffer in their attempt to fund most of its activities as well as the completion of the church’s project.
Leadership
Some respondents were of the view that most of the youth who are leaving the church are educated and hence, comprises of a very good and quality human resource that the church can tap in developing it structures for development. However, their drift and/or drifts to other churches make the church redundant of such human resource potentials and this affect the quality of its leadership base. A respondent argued “the same thing applies to leadership; as we train them at Sunday School to take up church leadership and push it up. If they get to that stage and they leave to other churches, then we are losing our hierarchy of leadership.”239
238 Interview with Circuit Youth Organizer, New Achimota Circuit 239 Interview with the Superintendent minister, Kaneshie north circuit 106
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Decline in Membership
Automatically, young people leaving the church obviously imply decline in membership. Some respondents asserted the following during an interview with them:
The same thing applies because as time goes on if they come back from tertiary and may not come to church number of members in the church attendance reducing and it will be like the same old faces and the elderly says a forest without small trees under it is not a forest240
Now it is affecting our church growth if you look at Church of Pentecost we are older than them but they triple and we shrinking because at end of the day our own has become like their parent are in eh church, they give birth and that they are in the church people are not joining from outside 241
Yes. In a negative way. And only ones that are born in the church reach somewhere and they leave the church so at the end of the day our growth level become stagnant because when they get to a level they leave242
Arguably, the growth of the Methodist Church Ghana has become stagnant in the last two decade and there is the need for the church’s hierarchy or leadership to put in place measures that will help restore the growth of the church and also, prevent the numerous level of drift especially on the side of the young in the church.
4.3.3 Response of the church towards drift of the youth
Some respondents perceive the church is doing its possible best to cure the menace of youth drift from the church. A participant observed the following;
Currently, I will say no, the Youth Ministry is trying to do something but it is not working, it is not helping. We have not put enough policies in place to help the situation currently.243
They have done some but not enough because most of the young people are still leaving the church so if we have done well why are they still leaving. They are still leaving.244
240 Interview with the Superintendent Minister, New Achimota Circuit 241 Interview with Circuit Youth Organizer, New Achimota Circuit 242 Interview with former youth member of the church 243 Interview with Crcuit Youth Organizer, Taifa Circuit 244 Interview with a member who has left the church 107
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Nevertheless, other participants believed that the church has structures and policies in place to curb the menace. Some of the policies and structures include Youth Support Fund, campus ministry, youth in music/evangelism/ and others.
4.4 Conclusion
This chapter discussed the findings generated from the data collected. The study was designed to understand the experiences of respondents regarding young people leaving the Methodist
Church. The study sought to explore reasons for young people leaving the church, its implication on the church and Youth Ministry and the response of the church to this phenomenon. The findings from both the quantitative and qualitative research design was discussed. References to existing literature were made throughout the discussion in order to situate the research findings within the context of the body of the existing knowledge. It is the view of the researcher that these problems are dealt with by the church to help improve the stagnant growth of the Methodist Church Ghana.
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CHAPTER FIVE
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
5.0 Introduction
This chapter deals with the summary and conclusion of the study. This chapter also makes policy and research needs recommendation based on the main findings of the research.
5.1 Summary
This study sought to explore the experience of respondents regarding young people leaving the church, implications on the church and response of the church towards the youth drift. The study was conducted in the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques were used to achieve the objectives of the study. The study adopted the religious socialization theory to explain the phenomenon of youth drift in the Methodist Church.
The research established that, youth in the Methodist Church, Ghana play a major role in the growth of the church. The roles the youth play with regards to the growth of Methodism include
Evangelism, Leadership, Sunday School Teachers, Committee Members and the Singing
Ministry of the church. The findings of the research shows that the reasons for some youth drift from the Methodist church were poor leadership, liturgical problems, peer pressure influence, spiritual and social needs, discrimination, and the relocation of members to new settlement without Methodist church. Again, the research shows the implications of the youth drift on the
Youth Ministries Directorate were Leadership void, lack of planning for the Directorate, poor leadership and lack of involvement in the church activities. The response of the church to the drift include spiritual renewal programmes, scholarship, Youth Support Fund and Campus
Ministry. The research established that most of the members do not know these programmes because they not working in most of the societies.
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The study found that there is a drift of young persons in the Methodist to other denominational churches. This could be because of poor religious socialization by the leadership of the
Methodist Church. Most of the young people who drift to other churches feel that their needs are not met in the Methodist church. Consequently, peers of young people have greater influence on the drift of the people to other churches. Young people discuss among themselves what goes on in their individual churches. They invite each other to their churches and influence each other by developing a caring and helping attitude to the newly found members which is usually not found in most Orthodox churches including the Methodist Church, Ghana.
In the Methodist Church, older generation accuse the young generation of turning the church into charismatic and Pentecostal church thus, youth prefer loud music while old people like songs in the hymn book.245 Again, when structures remain the same for a long time, then they become less effective and sometimes cannot accommodate contemporary challenges. It is good to note every generation of youth has their concerns and challenges. Youth of twenty first century have many different social, economic, educational, developmental issues from the youth of 1960s. The world view of today’s youth is shaped by mass media, hero worship, education, socialization and interaction. There is also the issue of busy parents who are pushed at the corner trying to sustain families and little time left for children, so house helps and school teachers take a major role in shaping the destiny and character of youth.246
5.2 Conclusion
This study concludes that youth drift exist among Circuit in the study area, confirming the emerging pattern of young people leaving the mainline churches to other Charismatic and
245 Abeka, Isaac. The Youth and Development. 31 246 Maina, Charles. Challenges of Ministering of the Youth. p 21 110
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Pentecostal Churches. Young people are leaving the church due to poor leadership skills, liberal form of parenting and a liturgy that do not meet the needs of the young person.
The drift of the young people impact on the financial strength of the Church, lead to decline in membership and creates a leadership vacuum for the church. Nevertheless, the Church has structures and policies in place to maintain the youth in the church. The implementation of the
Youth Support Fund, organization of spiritual renewal programmes, campus ministry are all structures and policies designed by the Methodist Church to keep the youth in the church.
5.3 Recommendations
The recommendations were based on the findings of the study. The recommendations are categorised into two; one for the church and the other for further research needs.
5.3.1 Recommendations for the Church
The Methodist Church must take a second look at the Youth socialization in relation to church growth. The young people of the Methodist church should be given special attention in their socialization process. The socialization should integrate the youth into the church in order for them to feel part of the church.
The Methodist Church must help with the development of smaller branches in developing areas so that when members move they would find a Methodist church to worship. These churches should not be neglected with infrastructure development.
Every attempt should be made to avoid drift away of members and continue with doubling of the church’s membership. As such, intermarriages among the youthful population in the church should be encouraged. In addition, networks should be built in the church to help young ones find jobs after school.
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The church must intensify their teaching on giving their time and financial resources to support the work of God. Members of the church should be made to know what their monies are used for in order to encourage free giving within the church.
Ministers of the Methodist church should encourage young people to stay in the church.
Besides, Campus Ministry of the Methodist Church should be strengthened with more emphasis on how to socialize them.
The leadership of the church must devise ways and means to address these challenges in the manner and ways that can curtail the situation. This is because the young people in the church remains the backbone and the future of the church. Any attempt to frustrate their decisions and plans is likely to put the future of the church in jeopardy.
5.3.2 Further research needs
The findings from this study provide initial exploratory results that provide opportunities for further research. Further studies should explore on leadership and youth growth within the
Methodist Church in the contemporary society.
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APPENDIX
Bibliography
Interviews
Brother Aye Bampo, Circuit Youth Organizer, Taifa Circuit 10/5/2018
Brother Francis Bonney, Circuit Youth Organizer, Abeka Circuit 31/5/2018
Brother Jonathan Acquah, Circuit Youth Organizer, Kaneshie North Circuit 20/5/2018
Brother Rene Adu Junior, Former Member Mamprobi Circuit, Nazereth Society 16/5/2018
Brother Yaw Adomako Dweteh, Circuit Youth Organizer New Achimota 8/5/2018
Sister Deborah Naa Lamley Cobbina, Girls Fellowship Secretary, Accra Diocese 20/5/2018
Very Rev. Andrew Mbeah-Baiden, Superintendent Minister, Kanashie North Circuit and
Chairman Campus Ministry Team, Accra Diocese 29/5/2018
Very Rev. Asante Danquah, Eric the Superintendent Minister, Abeka Circuit 31/5/2018
Very Rev. Apaw Asiedu Henry, Superintendent Minister, Taifa Circuit and Director, Public
Relation, Methodist Church Ghana 10/5/2018
Very Rev. Mensah Kwesi Atta, Superintendent Minister, New Achimota Circuit 8/4/2018
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Lawson, Richard. Methodism in Accra Diocese 1838-2008. Accra, Buck Press Ltd. 2009 Marc Musick and John Wilson “Religious Switching for Marriage Reasons”. Sociology of Religion, Vol. 56, No. 3 (October, 1995), pp. 257-270. Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3711822 Accessed: 26/07/2010 07:29.
Marie Cornwall “The Social Bases of Religion: A Study of Factors Influencing Religious Belief and Commitment” in Review of Religious Research, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Sep., 1987), pp. 44-56 Published by: Religious Research Association, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3511951 Accessed: 24-04-2018 13:57 UTC
Matthew T. Loveland, “Religious Switching: Preference Development, Maintenance, and Change” in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Mar., 2003), pp. 147- 158 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1387992 Accessed: 26/07/2010 07:21
McGavran, D. Understanding Church Growth, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company USA, 1970.
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McGavran, D. Understanding the Church Growth, San Francisco USA: San Francisco Press, 1977.
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Survey Questionnaire
Youth Drift and its implications on the Youth Ministries Directorate of the Methodist Church, Ghana – Accra Diocese
Department of the Study of Religions, University of Ghana
Introduction
The main aim of this questionnaire is to elicit information about Youth drift and its implications on the Youth Ministries of the Methodist Church, Ghana. The survey is targeting church members of the Methodist Church within the Accra Diocese. It is intended to find out only what is exactly happening in relation to youth drift. You are therefore entreated to be opened and honest in your responses. I assure you that all responses you give will be treated with all the strictest confidentiality.
Thank you.
Diocese Circuit Name of Interviewer Contact Number Date of Interview Society Name
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SECTION A: BACKGROUND INFORMATION A1. Demographic Profile (1) Age …………………………………………………………………………………………… (2) What is your current marital status? 1. Married [ ] 2. Never married [ ] 3. Consensual union [ ] 4. Separated [ ] 5. Divorced [ ] 6. Widowed [ ] 7. Other (specify)…………………………………………………………………………………... A.2 Education (3) What was your highest educational qualification? 1. BECE/Middle [ ] 2. Voc./Comm/Tech. [ ] 3. HND [ ] 4. WASSCE/SSCE [ ] 5. Teacher Training Cert. /Nursing [ ] 6. Degree [ ] 7. Masters [ ] 8. None [ ] 9. Other (specify) …………………………………………………………………………………..
SECTION B: YOUTH DRIFT B1: Youth in Church Work 4) Do you have most of the youth in your society/circuit actively involved in church activities? 1. Yes [ ] 2. No [ ] 5) If yes, in what church activities are the youth mostly involved? (Multiple Responses apply) 1. Singing Ministry [ ] 2. Ushering [ ] 3. Preaching [ ] 4. General cleaning [ ] 5. Evangelism [ ] 6. Other (please specify) ……………………………………… 6) Are you currently involved in church activity? 1. Yes [ ] 2. No. [ ] 7) If Yes, What church activity (ies) are you involved in? Please, specify …………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………
B2: Youth in Church Drift 8) Do young people from other churches join your society/circuit to worship with you? 1. Yes [ ] 2. No [ ] 119
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9) If yes, what attract young people to join your society/circuit? Please, specify……………………………………………………………………………. 10) Do you have the experience of youthful persons leaving your society/circuit? 1. Yes [ ] 2. No [ ] 11) If yes, what account for youthful persons leaving your church? Please, specify……………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……
SECTION C: IMPLICATIONS OF DRIFT ON YOUTH MINISTRIES
C 1: 12) Do you think youth drift will have effect on the Youth Ministries? 1. Yes [ ] 2. No [ ] 13) If yes, what is the effect of youth drift on the finances of the Youth Ministries? Please specify, …………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… 14) If yes, what is the effect of youth drift on the leadership of the Youth Ministries? Please specify, ……………………………………………………………………………………... ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………… 15) If yes, what is the effect of youth drift on the church growth of the church? Please specify,………………………………………………………………………………………
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………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……
SECTION D: RESPONSE OF CHURCH TOWARDS YOUTH DRIFT 16) Are you aware of youth policy of your society? 1. Yes [ ] 2.No [ ] 17) If yes, what are some of the youth policy towards youth drift? Please specify………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18) Is your society/circuit experiencing youth drift? 1. Yes [ ] 2. No [ ] 19) If yes, what has been the response of your society/circuit towards youth drift? Please specify, …………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ….
Thank you
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INTERVIEWE GUIDES
Interview Guide for Superintendent Ministers
1. Reasons contributing to why some young people in your society has left the Methodist
Church
i. What do you think are the needs of the young people in your church?
ii. In your view, would you say their needs have been met by the church?
iii. Has your society experienced some youth leaving the church? To where?
iv. At what age (12-18, 19-25 and 26-25) do the young people usually leave the church?
v. What do you think are the reasons accounting for these young people leaving the church?
vi. What are the things that influence the youth to leave the Church? Social media,
parents, friends, peer groups, and education
2. The effect of the drift on the church
i. Do you think young people leaving the church have any effect? If yes, in what
ways?
ii. Finance, Leadership, Church involvement, Church growth etc.
3. The response of the church towards the youth leaving the church
i. In your view, do you think the church has structures in place to stop/reduce the
young people from leaving the church? If yes, what are these structures and policies?
If ‘No’ can you explain why?
ii. In your view, has the church responded well to the youth leaving the church?
Yes/No
if yes explain
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Interview Guide for Circuit Youth Organizers
1. Reasons contributing to why some young people in your society has left the Methodist
Church
i. What do you think are the needs of the young people in your Circuit?
ii. In your view, would you say their needs have been met by the church?
iii. Has your society experienced young people leaving the church? And to where?
iv. At what age do the young people leave the church?
v. What activities do you organize for the young people? Are the young people
involved in organizing activities for themselves?
vi. Who are the ages 12-18, 19-25, 26-35 that attend these progammes?
vi. Is there any challenges in coordinating the young people in your circuit?
vii. What do you think are the reasons accounting for young people leaving the
church?
viii. What are the things that influence the youth drift? Social media, parents, friends,
peer groups, and education on youth drift
2. The effect of the drift on the church
i. In your view, what are the impact of young people leaving the church have on the
church? If yes, in what ways? Finance, Leadership, Church involvement, Church
growth etc.
3. The response of the church towards the youth drift
i. Do you think the church has policies in place to stop the young people from leaving
the church? If yes, what are some of the policies?
ii. In your view, has the church responded well to the drift of the youth? Explain
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Interview Guide for Young People not within the YMD
1. Reasons contributing to why some young people in your society has left the Methodist
Church.
i. What do you think are the needs of the young people in your church?
ii. In your view, would you say their needs have been met by the church?
iii. Has your society experienced some youth leaving the Church?
iv. At what age do the young people leave the church?
v. What do you think are the reasons accounting for young people leaving the church?
vi. What are some of the things that influence the young people to leave the church?
Social media, Parents, friends, peer groups, and education.
2. The effect of the drift on the church
i. Is your society experiencing youth leaving the church? If yes, since when?
ii. Do the young people leaving the church have any effect? Finance, Leadership,
Church involvement, Church growth etc.
3. The response of the church towards the youth drift
i. Does your society has youth policy in place to address youth drift? If yes, what are
some of the policies?
ii. In your view, has the church responded well to the drift of the youth? Explain
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Interview Guide for Young People who have left the Church
1. Reasons contributing to why young people in your society has Stopped the Methodist
Church
i. What were your needs when you were in the Methodist Church?
ii. In your view, were you able to meet your needs in the Methodist Church?
iii. At what age in your life did you leave the church?
iv. What accounted for you leaving the church?
v. What do you think are the reasons accounting for other young people leaving the
church?
vi. What are the things that influence the youth drift? Social media, friends, peer
groups, house helps and education on youth drift
2. The effect of the drift on the church
i. Do you think the young people leaving the church have impact on the church? If
yes, in what ways? Finance, Leadership, Church involvement, Church growth etc.
3. The response of the church towards the youth drift
i. Do you think the church has policies in place to stop the young people from leaving
the church? Probe: If yes, what are some of the policies?
ii. In your view, has the church responded well to the drift of the youth? Explain
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