A Strategy to Increase the Number of Young People in the Jericho District Marrying Members of the Adventist Faith

Open Access

Abstract

Problem The negative impact and loss of members due to many Adventist young people marrying non-Seventh-day Adventists is tremendous. Church services are not attended regularly by those who marry outside the faith community because families are split on the day of worship due to doctrinal differences. There is pressure to do things with the family on Sabbath and even children are confused as to which parent to follow. Two churches were selected to study the extent of this problem. Principles from the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White, other Adventist and non-Adventist authors were explored to come up with a strategy to correct the situation. Method A critical analysis of Bible texts and principles from the writings of Ellen G. White on marriage were conducted. The researcher also reviewed Adventist and other Christian literature on marriage and then considered the political, social, cultural, and religious context of Kenya and the Jericho Church District. A Gantt chart and a logical framework approach were used to organize the project and describe the linkage of activities in the development and implementation of the project. Implementation involved filling out questionnaires, conducting seminars, sermons, Bible studies, monitoring, and evaluations. A final report on the project, conclusion, and recommendations were drafted. Results The Jericho Church District experienced a tremendous increase in attendance and participation in church services from 60% to 85% in the Buruburu Central church and from 30% to 70% in the Jericho church. Same faith weddings increased in Buruburu Central and Jericho churches from 0 and 2 in 2009 to 3 and 7 in 2013 respectively. Selected church members have been equipped with biblical principles and guidelines on same-faith marriages and are passionate to replicate the program. Conclusion The project demonstrated that when biblical principles concerning marriage within one's faith community are emphasized and shared with young Seventh-day Adventists that the incidences of marriage outside the faith community are reduced. The project also demonstrated that by training the members in this area that they are much more willing to talk about this topic than they used to be.