Entrepreneurship Programmes Churches Can Organize

Churches need to develop and organise entrepreneurship programmes to equip their members to promote economic growth, and development and reduce the social vices in our economy.

Not just in Nigeria but around most of the world, people are struggling to find jobs. Some of this unemployment challenge is due to technology replacing human labour with machines. Some of it is due to social and political breakdowns such as warfare, violence, and corruption. Some of it is due to famine, disease, and natural disasters.

Some are due to the lack of a good work ethic, motivation, honesty, diligence, responsibility, and so on.

The absence of jobs and work is a huge factor in poverty. It is a survival issue. People need work to be able to eat and find shelter and necessities. But unemployment or joblessness also brings

with it a loss of human dignity and a squandering of the gifts and abilities God grants to each of us.

We need jobs to be able to survive and provide for our families.

The various ways in which the church can assist their congregation in an entrepreneurship programme include capacity-building programmes, skill acquisition programmes, giving soft loans, scholarships, mentorships, and seminars.

1. Capacity building programme: Building capacity involves skills transfer, training, human resource management, organisational development, and the strengthening of communities and social networks. There is a need for the church to organise capacity-building programmes so that its members can gain more skills, knowledge, and values, which will help them to be more productive for themselves and society at large.Programmes that can be embarked upon include training in different fields. e.g., an accountant can be given training in Sage applications and Tally. Erp e.t. Also, computer training can be embarked upon for both youth and adults in the church because we are now in the computer age.

2. Skill Acquisition: This can be in the form of organising a week-long training programme in soap making, bead making, catering, photography, cosmetics and make-up, tailoring, hairdressing, shoe and bag making, etc. The skills gained through this programme will enable them to start their own business and also generate revenue, thereby reducing unemployment in society and creating employment for the unemployed.

3. Giving Soft Loans: Churches by granting soft loans to their members who have financial challenges will motivate their members to start and expand their businesses rather than killing their ideas due to a lack of finance.

4. Scholarship: Some training can be embarked upon that will add value to their members. Most members are willing to participate in the training, but they lack the money to pay to acquire it. Churches can encourage their members by giving them scholarships to acquire this training.

5. Mentorship: People who have experience in business are connected with young entrepreneurs to assist them with the necessary advice they need to succeed.

6. Seminars: Churches can organise seminars to equip them with the necessary information they need to succeed in their business.

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