Factors Hindering Christian Evangelism to Muslims: A Case of Mck Nyambene Synod, Meru County

Abstract

Witnessing to Muslims and people of other faiths has faced challenges in the past and in present times. Ministering the word of God to Muslims has been hindered by several factors in Christians’ evangelistic mission. These factors include ministers and lay preachers’ potential to evangelize to Muslims, lack of theological training ministers and lay preachers, and lack of receptiveness to the gospel by the Muslims. Due to such factors, the work of evangelism has realized less impact on Muslims. Regarding MCK Nyambene Synod Maua town, not much has been achieved by the Christians as far as reaching out to the Muslim community is concerned. This can be attributed to a lack of preparedness among the ministers and lay preachers (MCK Nyambene Synod minute book 2018, 2019, and 2020). The main reason for doing this thesis was to seek out what is hindering the evangelization of Muslims by Christians in MCK Nyambene Synod Meru County, intending to come up with a recommendation on the best ways of doing evangelism among the Muslim community. This is because there are many Muslims in Maua Town, which is in MCK Nyambene Synod, and there is no or little evidence of any of them converting to Christianity, yet there are so many Christians and churches in the Synod. This is an indicator that ministers and lay preachers who are involved in the work of evangelism are not impacting the lives of Muslims living in MCK Nyambene Synod as far as making them disciples of Jesus is concerned. This thesis therefore searched for the theological training of ministers on evangelism to Muslims in MCK Nyambene Synod. It was necessary also for the researcher to find out the receptiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ by Muslims in MCK Nyambene Synod. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The researcher used questionnaires as data collection tools. The researcher preferred qualitative research which used Questionnaires to collect the data. Random sampling was done to ensure the representation of the sample. The research used the theory of communication by S.F. Scudder which seemed to fit well in this type of research. This study relied on a call for setting a framework for the success of communication of the good news of Jesus Christ. The researcher used communication theory because communication penetrates all parts of human life which gives the understanding of human behavior and lead to healthy behavior change among individuals, populations, organizations, communities, and societies. The findings were tabulated, analyzed, and presented in the form of tables and percentages for comparison of responses. The study is on findings on factors hindering Christian evangelism in reaching out to the Muslims living in MCK Nyambene Synod. On the outline of the outcome, the thesis revealed that there was a need for the empowerment of Christians involved in the work of evangelism with the necessary skills to be able to evangelize to the Muslims. The study therefore recommends that top church leaders and heads of institutions of higher learning come up with a curriculum that would empower Christians to be involved in the work of evangelism. The researcher recommends that the church should create an environment that encourages its members to mingle more often with people of other beliefs in Maua Town with a view of getting a better understanding of one another, culminating in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ