Abstract:
The quest for participatory management by the laity in the management of church institutions has been part and parcel of the administrative concerns in the Roman Catholic Church. This quest seems to have taken different forms at different times in the history of the church. However, there is no evidence of studies to unravel the nature and extent of this quest in the 21st Century, especially in Kaplong Parish. Hence the researcher collected relevant data in order to fill this apparent gap in knowledge. The objectives of the study were as follows; to examine the nature of the quest for participatory management in pastoral and institutional affairs of Kaplong Parish, to determine the extent to which Christians of Kaplong Parish were involved in pastoral and institutional management programs of the Parish, to assess the problems that might have arisen due to lack of participatory management of institutions in Kaplong Parish and finally to establish the importance of involving lay Christians in the management of pastoral programs and church institutions of Kaplong Parish and the church in general. The theory of Social reconstruction as understood by Mugambi (1999) was employed in this study. The theory is based on self-evaluation and self-criticism of the conduct of churches in Africa at post-independence period. Lay participation of church institutions is part of this self-evaluation. The study adopted qualitative and quantitative study designs and relevant sampling techniques. Among the respondents included members of the clergy, Catholic professionals, and leaders of Small Christian Communities, Catechists, Charismatic members and the religious sisters. The following instruments were used to collect data: Questionnaires, interviews schedule and observation guides. The analysis was done and presented using tables and discussions. The study established that lack of participatory management of the resources of Kaplong parish has been the source of persistent problems among the lay Christians. The study recommends that the parish should address the quest through the establishment of an advisory board involving lay Christians to advice priests on management issues of the parish among others, involve lay Christians through the parish council in the appointments of personnel of church institutions and establish a secretariat in the parish with departments to coordinate pastoral activities. The study concluded that lay Christians have a special role to play in the management of the church and their quest for participatory management was a manifestation of maturity in their Christian faith and a sense of belonging.
