ROLE AMBIGUITY BETWEEN TEACHING AND RULING ELDERS IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF EAST AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF NYANDARUA PRESBYTERY
Abstract
Purpose of the study: To examine role ambiguity between teaching and ruling elders in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa within Nyandarua Presbytery.
Statement of the problem: Constitutional parity between teaching and ruling elders does not always specify their distinct decision-making responsibilities. Uncertain jurisdiction, overlapping authority, and limited procedural transparency can complicate shared governance. Existing literature offers limited context-specific analysis of these dimensions in Nyandarua Presbytery.
Research methodology: The paper adopted a qualitative single-case framework informed by interpretivism and proposed triangulation of interviews, observations, and church documents. It organized inquiry around jurisdictional ambiguity, authority overlap, governance opacity, and the institutional conditions surrounding these experiences. The supplied manuscript does not report completed fieldwork or analyzed participant data.
Findings: The literature-based analysis identified jurisdictional ambiguity, authority overlap, and governance opacity as three analytically distinct dimensions of role ambiguity. It also identified Presbyterian polity, organizational culture, and information practices as relevant contextual influences. These are conceptual findings rather than verified empirical results from interviews or observations.
Conclusion: The article concludes that clarity about decision rights, reporting pathways, and interpretation of church rules is central to accountable shared governance. Its integrated theoretical framework provides a basis for further empirical assessment without treating parity of office as a weakness in itself.
Recommendations: The study recommends that church courts should clarify the allocation and review of decisions through agreed role charters or decision-rights matrices. The Presbytery should strengthen access to governing rules, induction, and consistent recordkeeping. Relevant authorities should establish accessible procedures for resolving jurisdictional questions while protecting the principle of co-equality.
Keywords: Role ambiguity, Presbyterian polity, teaching elders, ruling elders, church governance, Nyandarua Presbytery
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