Hindrances to Achievement of Intra-Ecclesial Conflict Transformation for the Unity of the Church: A Case of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in South East Kenya Field

The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), South East Kenya Field (SEKEF) has made incredible attempts to transform its internal conflicts. However, it is still facing multifaceted hindrances that impede the achievement of intra-ecclesial conflict transformation for sustainable unity and peace. The study used a qualitative case approach, which permitted in-depth search for internal church dynamics, centering on understanding informants’ perspectives, experiences, and specific settings of intra-ecclesial conflicts. The target population was 280 with a sample size of 162 informants guided by Krejcie and Morgan (1970) tabulation research arrangement. Purposive, simple random sampling, and censor techniques were used to determine participants in the study. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and document analysis tools were employed to collect field data. Thematic, content and narrative analyses techniques enucleated data analysis. The study found out that there are several factors that impede sustainable conflict transformation for the unity of the SDA church in SEKEF. It concluded that such factors range from lack of effective leadership, silence on the part the of the church leadership, spiritualizing conflicts instead of addressing misconceptions, resistance to change, lack of professional mediation structures, poor communication, and dismissal of church-based ways in favour of litigation. It recommended the SDA church in SEKEF to invest more in handling conflicts in the church and avoid court litigation processes.