Challenge of Over-Reliance on Traditional Financial Sources for Sustainability of Seventh Day Adventist Church in South East Kenya Field

Abstract

For the church, particularly the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church in South East Kenya Field (SEKEF) to realize her mission, she needs to be financially stable. The argument of this study is that the SDA church in SEKEF over relies on traditional financial sources which today are unreliable leading the church to serious financial constraints that hinder her from meeting the demands of her activities. The entire discussion was informed by Resource Dependence Theory developed by Pfeffer and Salancik in 1970s, which explains that resources owned by an organization affect its operation and performance. The study used a descriptive research design, and data was collected using a questionnaire and interview schedules from a sample size of 355 respondents. The study found that the SDA church in South East Kenya Field despite having all the necessary financial contributions from the members as per the requirements of the church, it is still not financially self-sustaining. It recommended the SDA church to consider diversifying its financial sources and reduce over reliance on traditional finance sources that are defined by voluntary giving of the church membership.