The necessity of integrated management in promoting an efficacious pastoral ministry in Lira Diocese

Abstract

This study focuses on the essentiality of integrated management in promoting an efficacious pastoral ministry in Lira Diocese. This is done in view of uncovering the managerial practices in the Diocese and how they affect her pastoral ministry. The problem addressed concerns the biased view by many persons and institutions on the Church’s need for application of integrated managerial principles in her operations. Many view management as not necessary in Church’s affairs. As a result, many Church institutions operate without a clear managerial strategy. However, this study argues that integrated management is necessary for promoting an efficacious pastoral ministry. This argument is divided into operationalised objectives which guide the entire investigation as mapped out in Chapter One. The literature review in Chapter Two reveals the gaps existing in the understanding of management, integrated management, pastoral ministry and the perspectives in the Church’s managerial affairs. To meet the objectives of study, a qualitative research method is used as given in Chapter Three. 120 persons which included 68 Males and 52 Females were contacted. Out of these, 101 respondents gave their views and the other 19 did not. This implies that 84% of those contacted positively responded to the researcher’s inquiries. The field study revealed that Lira Diocese uses a hierarchical based system of management, though some people observed that the Diocese is in the process of developing a new managerial system. 60% of the respondents saw this new system as an opportunity for the Diocese to develop an efficacious pastoral initiative: 35% saw the system as faithful to the Church’s overall organisation structure, whereas 5% reserved their comments and were more concerned with results rather than a complete evaluation of the entire managerial system used in the Diocese. This is presented in Chapter Four and analysed in Chapter Five, respectively. Conclusively, the study emphasises that integrated managerial principles are necessary in promoting efficacious pastoral ministry. Among the recommendations offered to the Diocesan authority, an eminent need for implementation of integrated management strategy stood out as given in Chapter Six. Thus, one can draw the conclusion that the research met its general and specific objectives. However, a call is also made to relevant stakeholders to continue investigating the ways in which an efficacious pastoral ministry can further be promoted in Lira Diocese. This study should therefore be taken as a contribution and not the sole guide for decision makers within and outside Lira Diocese to be used in coming up with appropriate means of bolstering Pastoral Ministry in the Diocese.

Keywords: Pastoral ministry, Lira Diocese