Perception on Faith, Wealth, and Whole-Life Stewardship: A Case of Africa Gospel Church in Kampala, Uganda

The aspiration for wealth disclaims Biblical doctrine on the simplicity of life and commitment to Christian stewardship. In particular, use of selective biblical passages to intensify the strong relationship between faith and wealth has put into question its hermeneutics. To claim that one has to appropriate the promise of material prosperity based on salvation in Christ is a misrepresentation of the gospel. The biblical teaching commands believers to give to the Lord and not for people to live affluently. It was therefore the purpose of this study to analyse the perceptions on faith and wealth in the context of Africa Gospel Church (AGC) in Kampala, Uganda. The objective was to explore the degree to which members of Africa Gospel Church perceive faith in association with wealth. The study adopted the biblical philosophy of stewardship as cited by Tilghman, which asserts that every individual on this planet is God�s steward and should manage his or her resources well. The study employed a cross-sectional survey research design on a target population that comprised of 923 church members. Simple random sampling procedure was applied in selecting the lay members while purposive sampling was utilized in selecting the lay leaders and pastors. The sample size of the study was 279 respondents from seven AGCs in Kampala who included; 216 lay members, 14 pastors, and 49 lay leaders. The research instruments adopted in the study were questionnaires and focus group discussions to collect data. The data collected was analysed using SPSS version 25. Findings from the study revealed that AGC members have imbibed the gospel of prosperity, which limits effective whole-life stewardship. The study therefore recommends that the church should adopt a more zealous approach in exposing the deceptions of PGT through media, literature, conferences, seminars, and social media without attacking or condemning its proponents.