Moderator
The event moderator will be Mr. Pete Ondeng, Director of Christian Alliance.
Context
The COVID pandemic has been the biggest disruption in our lifetime and has taken a heavy toll on the church in Kenya. Unprecedented restrictions on physical gathering and lengthy lockdowns radically affected traditional means of corporate worship and fellowship and forced Christian communities to adopt newer technologies to stay connected. As a result, many churches are struggling to retain followers and survive under the harsh economic conditions perpetuated by the pandemic. Many congregations are drifting, and Christians are looking to their church leaders to help them navigate this changing, unpredictable world.
The pandemic has also taken a toll on church leaders. Many spiritual leaders are in burn-out and in need of rejuvenation. They find themselves weary and burdened down by the heavy weight of ministry. The closure of places of worship and the pressures of dealing with the wave of grief and fear has had a profound impact on churches.
The question many Christians are asking is, what will a post-coronavirus church look like? What is the path forward? Do we just wait and hope that we will gradually slide back into pre-Covid life? Or is this a golden opportunity to rethink everything?
The decline of the church in Western Europe over the past century has been well documented, and many scholars have linked this trend to the horrifying experience of two world wars, which seem to have both resulted from and further exacerbated the decline of faith there. To what extent could the COVID pandemic be a trigger to a similar decline in Africa and other developing regions where Christianity has been on the increase?
It may take a while to fully understand the fallout of the pandemic on the church in Africa and what the ‘new normal’ will look like in our society. It is clear, however, that if the church is to remain relevant, it must be prepared to adjust to the realities of our disruptive world that is rapidly changing and becoming increasing complex. A critical question is: How far should the church bend in its adaptation and still remain true to its distinctive call? Will the pressure to adapt dilute the message of the church and lead it down the path of “conforming to the patterns of this world?”.
Webinar Objective
The key objective of this webinar is to provide an opportunity for church and ministry leaders to:
- engage in a critical conversation about what lies ahead for the church in Kenya;
- Explore and stimulate discussion as to how the churches should respond to the contemporary pressures of society;
- Provide a basis for ongoing conversation and innovation following the webinar.