ISSN 2360-7998
Abstract
The study investigated the influence of financial accountability on the satisfaction of church members in selected African Instituted Churches. The design of the study was correlational research because it will establish a relationship between variables. The population of the study consisted of 5000 participants from three selected African independent churches. The sample of the study comprises 150 participants who are purposively selected to participate in the study. The study instrument was a questionnaire titled 'Impact of Financial Accountability on Members' Satisfaction Questionnaire' (IFAMS). The face validity of the instrument was determined by three experts, two from the Department of Religious Studies at Paul University Awka and one from the statistics department from the same institution. The Cronbach's alpha method of reliability was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The reliability index of the instrument of 0.72 was obtained, which made the instrument reliable. Data collected were analysed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 using multiple regression and correlation analysis to answer research questions and test the hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. Results revealed that budget transparency, effective financial communication, financial record keeping, and financial accountability measures are all essential components of good financial management that can lead to increased trust, participation, and satisfaction. Based on the findings, the study recommended that churches should make financial records accessible to members, promoting transparency and trust, and churches should implement robust financial accountability measures, including regular audits and financial reporting, to ensure transparency and accountability, among others.
Keywords: Financial Accountability, Financial Record. Record Keeping, Member Satisfaction