Can Church Conflict Inhibit Moral Development and Christian Formation? A Study of Emmanuel Church Kengeleni, Diocese of Mombasa in the Anglican Church of Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58216/kjri.v8i1.115Keywords:
Conflict, Moral development, Christian formation, FreretownAbstract
The study set out to examine the impact of church conflict on moral development and Christian formation with a special reference to Emmanuel Church Kengeleni (ECK), Diocese of Mombasa in the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) between 2000 -2010. The relationship between the leadership of Emmanuel church and the Freretown Community has changed a lot over the years. There has been conflict in the church between the Freretown community (whose majority are Christians and members of the Anglican Church) and the leadership of the church. This contestation has manifested in both internal leadership wrangles as well as in public media. From 2000 to 2010, the leadership of Emmanuel church experienced a very hostile relationship with the Freretown community. What was the impact of the church conflict on the moral development and Christian formation? The study intends to analyse the impact of the conflict on the moral development and Christian formation between the years 2000 to 2010. For acquisition of data, the study used qualitative methodology. The study found that the conflict had enormous effects on the church and society both spiritually and socio-economically. As an opportunity, the conflict became a source of church growth, expansion and Christian maturity whereas on the other hand it became associated with retarded development, rivalry, strained relations and negative publicity. The study recommends that church leaders should be trained on conflict resolution and that church provide avenues and structures of proactive conflict resolution mechanism in order to remain the beckon of moral development and Christian formation in the society.
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