Managing Church-Based Community Development Programmes: Lessons from Selected ECWA Churches in Niger State

This study examines the management practices of church-based community development programmes within Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) congregations in Niger State, North Central Nigeria. The growing expectation that the church serve as a development actor has prompted denominations to formalise their social ministry structures, yet the management competencies underpinning these programmes remain poorly understood. Using a mixed-methods design, the study combines structured questionnaires administered to 120 programme managers and church leaders with six case study interviews drawn from churches in Minna, Bida, and Kontagora. Programme management dimensions examined include needs assessment, resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation, and community participation. Findings indicate that ECWA churches with dedicated social ministry departments and trained programme officers demonstrate significantly better outcomes in health, education, and livelihood initiatives compared to those relying on volunteer-led structures alone. Key management gaps identified include irregular financial reporting, absence of results-based monitoring frameworks, and limited engagement with government counterpart programmes. The study recommends the development of a church programme management handbook tailored to the operational realities of Nigerian denominational organisations and the introduction of short-course professional development training for church development officers. These findings contribute to applied missiology and nonprofit management in Nigeria. Keywords: church management, community development, ECWA, Niger State, programme evaluation