Abstract:
The activities of churches in relation to the welfare of their congregants have been a concern in recent times. Churches are seen as having a divine duty of ensuring their congregants and the people in the communities they operate in are well-catered for, especially in times of dire need. This proposition is even more pronounced when the financial wherewithal of churches and their leaders are put in perspective. To many people, churches must be seen at the forefront in addressing the needs of society, starting from their congregations. This study thus set out to investigate the role of the church in the welfare of its members. The objectives of the study were to identify the welfare needs of congregants, ascertain the role churches play in improving the welfare of the congregation and examine the challenges the church faces in efforts to improve the welfare of congregants. The study was set in the Assemblies of God in Accra, Ghana, with a sample size of 76 church members as participants. The study used a quantitative approach, through a survey design and gathered data using questionnaires. Analysis of data revealed that the congregants do not see their basic needs as a welfare concern of the church. However, they indicated that emotional support, disaster relief, educational support and economic progress were some concerns for which the church was expected to help. Also, the study revealed that the church was playing a role by providing scholarships, SME assistance through credit facilities as well as needy and elderly care. Further, some challenges were identified as hindrances in the church’s quest to provide welfare support to congregants. These challenges included financial constraints, negative cultural ideologies, faulty biblical doctrine and misuse of church funds. The study recommended that Ghana’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection should provide policies to integrate government and church-led welfare programmes. Also, it was recommended that churches should engage in prudent financial management practices to ensure accountability of church funds. For future studies, it is suggested that larger sample sizes of congregants should be used to make the generalization of findings more plausible.
