IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v9y2025issue-9p4490-4496.html

The Impact of Transparency and Accountability as Authentic Leadership Factors on Church Growth in Embu County, Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen Njoroge Kamau

    (Department of Leadership, Pan Africa Christian University)

  • Edward Katue Nzinga

    (Department of Leadership, Pan Africa Christian University)

  • Jacob Kimathi

    (Department of Leadership, Pan Africa Christian University)

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of transparency and accountability, as a key aspect of authentic leadership, on church growth in Embu County, Kenya. It employed a descriptive survey design and a positivist approach, focusing on church congregants in Embu West Sub-County. The denominations included Deliverance Churches, Restoration End Time Churches, Triumph Churches, Full Gospel Church of Kenya, Winners Chapel, and Great Gospel Visioners. Correlational research design was utilized. A total of 35 Pentecostal churches in Embu County were selected. A purposive sample of 387 respondents participated in the study. Data was gathered using questionnaires and interviews, and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that transparency and accountability were highly rated (3.92) as critical leadership dimensions. A strong positive correlation (r = .747) was established between church growth and transparency and accountability, demonstrating their significance. Regression analysis further confirmed that authentic leadership significantly predicted church growth (R² = .740), emphasizing the importance of ethical leadership practices in fostering growth. The study concluded that transparency and accountability are crucial for church growth, as they enhance trust, integrity, and effective decision-making within church leadership. It is recommended that church leaders enforce policies that promote openness and accountability to ensure ethical governance and sustainable growth. Congregants were encouraged to actively participate in church activities and hold leaders accountable for their actions to promote a culture of integrity. Leadership development programs should cultivate leaders who uphold transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making. By fostering integrity and trust, these programs ensure responsible leadership, effective governance, and sustainable growth in organizations. Prioritizing these values strengthens relationships, enhances credibility, and promotes a culture of fairness, ultimately benefiting communities and institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Njoroge Kamau & Edward Katue Nzinga & Jacob Kimathi, 2025. "The Impact of Transparency and Accountability as Authentic Leadership Factors on Church Growth in Embu County, Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(9), pages 4490-4496, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-9:p:4490-4496
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-9-issue-9/4490-4496.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/the-impact-of-transparency-and-accountability-as-authentic-leadership-factors-on-church-growth-in-embu-county-kenya/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Samwel Muguna Henry & Dr. Nguchie Gathogo & Dr. Solomon Mbula Munyao, 2025. "Church Growth Risk and Protective Factors: Perspectives from Leaders of Selected Pentecostal Churches in Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(3), pages 2016-2027, March.
    2. Martijn Hendriks & Martijn Burger & Antoinette Rijsenbilt & Emma Pleeging & Harry Commandeur, 2020. "Virtuous leadership: a source of employee well-being and trust," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 43(8), pages 951-970, February.
    3. Martijn Hendriks & Martijn Burger & Antoinette Rijsenbilt & Emma Pleeging & Harry Commandeur, 2020. "Virtuous leadership: a source of employee well-being and trust," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 43(8), pages 951-970, February.
    4. Feng Wei & Yi Li & Yi Zhang & Shubo Liu, 2018. "The Interactive Effect of Authentic Leadership and Leader Competency on Followers’ Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 763-773, December.
    5. repec:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:1:p:1388-1409 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gouri Mohan & Gerard Seijts & Ryan Miller, 2023. "Does Leader Character Have a Gender?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(1), pages 169-186, November.
    2. Danaë Huijser & Patrick Nullens, 2024. "An Anatomy of Human Dignity; Dissecting the Heart of Humanistic Management," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 203-230, August.
    3. Johan Graafland, 2023. "On Rule of Law, Civic Virtues, Trust, and Happiness," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 1799-1824, August.
    4. Muhammad Junaid Ahsan & Muhammad Ishtiaq Ishaq & Ali Raza & Qurat‐ul‐ain Talpur, 2024. "Let leaders permit nature! Role of employee engagement, environmental values, and sustainable behavioral intentions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 7905-7921, December.
    5. Filiz Tabak & Aharon Tziner & Or Shkoler & Edna Rabenu, 2021. "The Complexity of Heavy Work Investment (HWI): A Conceptual Integration and Review of Antecedents, Dimensions, and Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-16, July.
    6. Seyed Armin Mirhosseini & Reza Kiani Mavi & Neda Kiani Mavi & Behzad Abbasnejad & Farzaneh Rayani, 2020. "Interrelations among Leadership Competencies of BIM Leaders: A Fuzzy DEMATEL-ANP Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-30, September.
    7. Tomasz Gigol, 2020. "Influence of Authentic Leadership on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Intermediate Role of Work Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, February.
    8. Wei Su & Juhee Hahn, 2021. "Improving Millennial Employees’ OCB: A Multilevel Mediated and Moderated Model of Ethical Leadership," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-17, July.
    9. Qiufeng Huang & Kaili Zhang & Yanqun Wang & Ali Ahmad Bodla & Duogang Zhu, 2022. "When Is Authoritarian Leadership Less Detrimental? The Role of Leader Capability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, December.
    10. Ihsan Ullah Jan & Seonggoo Ji, 2024. "Relationships Among Supervisors’ Authentic Leadership, Ostracism, Perceived Supervisor’s Trust and Commitment to Customer Services: Evidence From Frontline Service Employees of Small Stores," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    11. Beena Prakash Nair & T. Prasad & Shreekumar K. Nair, 2022. "Authentic Leadership and Team Members’ Outcomes: A Cross-level and Multi-level Analysis," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 47(2), pages 165-182, May.
    12. Rajeh Bati Almasradi & Farhan Sarwar & Ismail Droup, 2024. "Authentic Leadership and Socially Responsible Behavior: Sequential Mediation of Psychological Empowerment and Psychological Capital and Moderating Effect of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-20, July.
    13. Yucheng Zhang & Yongxing Guo & Meng Zhang & Shan Xu & Xin Liu & Alexander Newman, 2022. "Correction to: Antecedents and outcomes of authentic leadership across culture: A meta-analytic review," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 1437-1438, December.
    14. Sara Isabel Marin-Zapata & Juan Pablo Román-Calderón & Cristina Robledo-Ardila & Maria Alejandra Jaramillo-Serna, 2022. "Soft skills, do we know what we are talking about?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 969-1000, May.
    15. Isabell Koinig & Sandra Diehl, 2021. "Healthy Leadership and Workplace Health Promotion as a Pre-Requisite for Organizational Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-20, September.
    16. Iwona Posadzinska & Urszula Slupska & Robert Karaszewski, 2020. "The Attitudes and Actions of the Superior and the Participative Management Style," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 1), pages 488-501.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-9:p:4490-4496. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.