THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DISCIPLESHIP IN ENHANCING RETENTION OF NEW BELIEVERS, CASE OF THE DIOCESE OF SOROTI

Abstract

This research was undertaken to assess the Significance of Discipleship in enhancing retention of new believers in Obulai Parish, Serere Archdeaconry in the Diocese of Soroti. The purpose of the research was to undertake a study on the significance of Discipleship in enhancing retention of new believers in church so that the missions and evangelism departments can plan better for post-evangelism activities in the Diocese of Soroti. The purpose was achieved through objectives that included; To ascertain whether discipleship is conducted for new believers in Obulai parish, Serere Archdeaconry, Church of Uganda, Diocese of Soroti, To identify the approaches used in discipleship of new believers in Obulai parish, Serere Archdeaconry, Church of Uganda, Diocese of Soroti, To establish the significance of discipleship in the retention of new believers in Obulai parish, Serere Archdeaconry, Church of Uganda, Diocese of Soroti. The objectives were assessed using the following questions; Does your church conduct discipleship sessions for its new Christian believers? What are the approaches used in discipleship of new believers in your church? What is the significance of discipleship in the retention of new Christian believers in your church? The researcher reviewed literature related to the topic of significance of discipleship on retention of new believers in Bishop Dunstan Bukenya Library and also consulted online articles and journals as well as other electronic resources. The sources cited were properly acknowledged. This research, conducted in Obulai parish, Serere Archdeaconry, Diocese of Soroti, church of the province of Uganda was qualitative in nature and the researcher used interview guides and questionnaires to collect data from the field. The findings were analyzed and presented in form of pie-charts for easy interpretation. Theological reflection was done based on the extracts from the Bible, it was Christocentric in nature. The researcher ensured quality control by administering Validity and Reliability tests of the data collection instruments to ensure that the data collected gave a true and representative position of discipleship in Obulai parish, Serere Archdeaconry, Diocese of Soroti. Discipleship was taken as an independent variable and retention of new believers as a dependent variable in the study Following the deductions made, the researcher was able to arrive at the conclusion and make recommendations. It was revealed that, discipleship is closely linked to missions and evangelism and different actors need to play a role. The Lay Readers, School chaplains, as well as the Parish priests in their different capacities. Discipleship activities need to be coordinated centrally to promote uniformity and consistency. The church has to be intentional in the manner in which discipleship of new believers is conducted. Not only should it be left to Lay Readers, Parish priests have a crucial part to play in it. The aspect of time allocation is paramount in discipleship of new believers and that enough time needs to be allocated for each category. As pertains the significance of discipleship in retention of new believers, the study revealed that, Discipleship is highly significant in the retention of new believers in church. Hence, the church needs to embrace the practice of Discipleship of new believers so as to retain them in church after they have confessed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Having undertaken the study on the significance of discipleship in enhancing retention of new believers, case of the Diocese of Soroti, the researcher made the following recommendations; The church needs to make it mandatory for discipleship sessions to be arranged for new believers and sufficient time be allocated for it as well as different facilitators for effective ministry. Church activities need to be coordinated at different administrative levels to promote cohesion, it can be at sub-parish, parish, Archdeaconry or at Diocesan level. The different departmental heads need to be adequately equipped through training for effective ministry. In line with further research, the researcher recommended the following areas for further study; A study on the different Discipleship models that can enhance retention of new believers in church. A study on the relationship between discipleship and Evangelism A study on the role of Discipleship of Secondary School students in their preparation for future ministry A study on the significance of stakeholder involvement in sustaining Evangelism