CHURCH GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL DEGRADATION: A SYSTEMATIC CRITICAL REVIEW
Abstract
Church institutions have undergone significant transformations in their governance and leadership paradigms - shifts that have invited both critical acclaim and deep concern. Churches are also increasingly recognized as complex organizations that require sound governance and management systems to fulfill their spiritual and social mandates. While their primary mission is spiritual, churches operate within administrative, financial, and legal frameworks that demand accountability, transparency, and strategic leadership. Recent empirical studies affirm that good governance is not only compatible with ecclesiastical values but also essential for organizational effectiveness, growth, and sustainability. This review explores the empirical relationship between good governance and church management, drawing on recent case studies and quantitative analyses. This systematic review also interrogates the intersection of ecclesiastical governance models, leadership systems, and the rise of social degradation within contemporary communities. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature that spans theology, organizational sociology, and ethics, the review examines how centralized authority, opaque decision-making processes, and charismatic leadership structures have influenced communal trust, accountability, and moral stewardship. This paper adopts a multi-level analytical lens to examine how hierarchical governance often perpetuates exclusionary practices, thereby marginalizing lay voices and eroding participatory decision-making frameworks. The paper advocates for reform grounded in transparency, inclusivity, and epistemic justice, positioning ethical leadership as a cornerstone for institutional resilience and social renewal. Furthermore, the paper examines the broader sociocultural implications of weakened church accountability structures, linking these trends to declining civic engagement, fractured communal networks, and deteriorating moral standards. The paper sought to examine the relationship between church management systems and social degradation in Kenya. Systems Theory as an anchor theory provides a holistic lens for understanding how dysfunctions within interconnected systems, in this case, church management systems, can collectively undermine systemic functions. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, the current paper employed a systematic literature review that connects governance failures to broader societal impacts, including diminished civic trust and moral fragmentation. The paper advocates for reform grounded in transparency, inclusivity, and epistemic justice, positioning ethical leadership as a cornerstone for institutional resilience and social renewal.
Key Words: Church Governance, Leadership Systems, Social Degradation
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