Deliverance Church Kitale: Analyzing and Improving an Existing Ministry Model To Grow the Church by Twenty Percent Annually Resulting in a Membership of 11.000 by the Year 2022

Deliverance church Kitale began in 1988 with a handful of people and grew to about 1700 people in the year 2005. At that point something happened that made the church to drop to about 400 adults in the year 2008. About 2009 June we began to see an upward growth again. The purpose of this study is to look at the existing model of church growth to provide recommendations on how Deliverance Church Kitale can grow in membership to 11,000 by the year 2022. The pastor and the entire leadership team met in the year 2010 to pray and analyse the situation and they developed in a strategic plan to guide and propel the church to the next level. This is study is about the formulation of that strategic plan and its implementation. Praise God that what was put down in this strategic plan has begun to be implemented. The Friday night 'prayer vigil' is back and every Friday night we are seeing not less than twenty faithfuls gathered for prayer. The Cell Group meetings that had stagnated have now begun kicking off. Every week we are getting reports of close to one hundred faithfuls meeting in Cell Groups to pray, study the word and strategize on how to do ministry and evangelism. Yes, it is beginning to work! The study also discusses the biblical and the theological basis of strategic planning. Deliverance Church Kitale is located in Bondeni, Central Division of Kitale Municipality in the Trans-Nzoia West District in the Trans-Nzoia County. The population of Trans-Nzoia County is 818,597 according to the 2009 national population census. The Ministry of National planning in their survey established that 50.2 percent of this people are living below the poverty line and 54.7 percent are illiterate. Kitale municipality, on the other hand, has about three hundred thousand residents. A rough survey has shown that less than 10 percent of the Kitale population attends church. This study intends to come up recommendations of how this majority can be reached and discipled. This study has also stretched me as a leader. In our church and denomination, we do not have a retirement age limit. However, I have set myself to retire when I am 65 years in 2028. In June that year Deliverance church Kitale will also be marking her fortieth anniversary. I am asking myself a number of questions:

1. What Kind of church should Deliverance church Kitale be at her fortieth anniversary. Forty is an age of maturity, responsibility and impact. What impact will Deliverance church Kitale be having in the city, in the county and in the region?
2. What kind influence will the church be having in the Kenya and beyond? What Kind of people should Deliverance church Kitale produce now that will make it stand out when it is forty years?
3. What Kind of leader(s) should the church have to propel the congregation to that height?

These questions have made me to go the drawing board. I am now asking myself what kindof sermon series I should preach that will produce what I am looking for. I have
begun to look into the Bible study materials that we should use in our cell groups. I now see how I need to spend more time with the young people in a mentorship and discipleship program. I am determined that at fifty-five years (2018) I should have identified a potential successor and am walking and working very closely with him. In fact at the time of writing this abstract page, I am in Sweden, in Uppsala and have been praying seriously for the vision God has laid on my heart. God has begun giving me a picture of what I should do. I might hand over this church earlier than I thought.

I am beginning to hear the Lord saying it is my son (in the faith) who will take it to the next level. I have to find that son. Amen.