Impact of Urbanization on the Extended Family System in African Cities

This study investigates the impact of urbanization on the traditional Akamba immigrant family. It focuses on the Akamba immigrant families in two churches affiliated with the Africa Inland Church in Nairobi to discover how urbanization affects the role of the family and how these families adjust to cope with these changes. Does the urban church and its leaders help these families, and the urban society at large meet their need for survival in the city? Along with many scholars who shed light to the questions posed in this study, it can be concluded that the traditional Akamba family no longer provides for the needs of its members in the urban setting. Therefore, the church must concentrate its evangelism and church planting in housing estates, seek to develop small community-based congregations, actively pursue the idea of smaller congregations that can be located in the neighborhoods and housing estates in the city to play the role of the traditional community.

Autorentext

Henry N. Mutua is a Mission Studies Lecturer in Urban Missiology at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. He has authored "The Christian Couple in Relation to the Extended Family System in Kenya" and "Extended Family System in the African City." He earned his PhD in Intercultural Studies at Trinity International University, USA.