Chinyere Anyanwu
The social relevance of the church formed one of the highlights of the 2019 edition of the Alder Consulting Church Report, released in Lagos recently.
The survey for the report, which also captures the reaction of the youth demographic on burning topics such as sexuality and mental health, was done both online and offline and spanned the six-geopolitical zones in Nigeria. In all, there were 4,634 respondents; 68 per cent of who were below 35 years old. The gender ratio for the survey was 58 per cent male to 42 per cent female, while 50 per cent were single and 50 per cent married.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Leke Alder, principal of Alder Consulting, said, “the report measures the perception of the church in Nigeria, and its impact on society and national development. It provides feedback from church members and the general public, as well as information about socio-cultural shifts that affect the church.
“The church is the barometer of society and not just because it is a complete microcosm of society. The church is a societal interface, an arbiter between the people and the government. Society is invariably reflected in the church. Through the church we can measure the values of society, see the perspective of youths, identify socio-cultural mores, the level of engagement in society and so on. The church is not a building. It is a people collective, a reflector of mankind in her most banal state.
“Alder Consulting undertook this survey not only to provide the clergy a window through which they can view society, but also to provide society a window through which they can view the clergy. But the window is for all stakeholders – government, legislature, social workers, parents as well as youths. We all get to see one another.”
Alder said: “our hope is that this report will help relevant authorities focus on the big issues of today in our society.”
Other highlights from the report include that church members would like the Nigerian church to demonstrate financial responsibility by giving back to society (81 per cent); 46 per cent would like professional financial auditing, 40 per cent would like churches to publish financial reports, while 25 per cent want churches to pay tax.
Regarding the use of technology, respondents ranked the church lowest on online response time (58 per cent). Mobile responsiveness, aesthetic appeal and loading speed were ranked 63 per cent, 64 per cent and 64 per cent respectively. Other rankings include user experience (65 per cent), frequency of updates (66 per cent) and functionality (68 per cent).
According to the report, millennials would like the church to be more responsive to issues of drug abuse, domestic violence, unemployment, depression, rape and sexuality.
From the survey, 30 per cent of the respondents are of the opinion that the church should not be involved in politics. However, 23 per cent say that pastors can vie for public office, while 80 per cent think that churches should advocate good governance.
It equally scored the church below average on use of social media, ranking it 47 per cent for reach; 48 per cent for relevance of message; 48 per cent for audience engagement and 51 per cent for content effectiveness, vis-a-vis the impact of church messages on the world.
The survey also found that more millennials consume Christian content in digital format (e-bible, video messages and audio messages) in the Northwest, than in any other region of Nigeria, an indication of a strong desire for teachings in that part of Nigeria.
Regarding how the church can impact the next generation, millennials emphasised “teaching the word”, scoring it 92 per cent. In terms of current impact, they scored financial empowerment lowest (56 per cent), despite the multiplicity of teachings on the subject.