Understanding the Effects of Fatherlessness at Bethany Christian Assembly

Abstract

This thesis is a qualitative study examining the effects of fatherlessness on the students at Bethany Christian Assembly (BCA). BCA is an Assemblies of God church, located in Everett, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. BCA currently averages 1,800 in attendance on any given Sunday and has a strong focus on Compassion Ministries. This project sought to help BCA understand the effects that absent fathers have had on their students and help provide a solution to reach out to those without a father figure. The foundation of the research was built on answering one main question: What is the role of a father? Based on biblical research, the role of a father was categorized into five specific characteristics. These five essential characteristics were used to assess the effects of fatherlessness at BCA. The five essential characteristics of a father included one who leads, protects, provides, accepts, and corrects. These five essentials provided an understanding of what the role of a father is, but also provided a helpful standard, which revealed detailed effects that occur in families when these essentials are not present. The research then determined if BCA was a church that was meeting the essential needs for those children without a father present in the home and, if not, what potential solutions could directly meet the needs. This project employed interviews with participants at BCA in order to obtain the specific data needed. The information was specifically targeted towards four cluster groups to ensure as accurate data as possible. These four cluster groups consist of: 1) high school students without fathers, 2) single mothers with a high school student, 3) BCA youth pastor and adult leaders, and 4) well known and recognized fathers attending BCA. The information taken from the interviews was analyzed and divided into specific categories. Data from the categories was used to assess the effects of the fatherlessness at BCA and also answer two main questions in this project, including: Is BCA effectively fulfilling the needs of the fatherless? If not, what is a possible solution for BCA to meet the needs of this fatherless generation? The data obtained from the interviews with the fathers at BCA was evaluated to understand the positive traits of strong families. These traits contributed to building possible solutions for BCA to help build momentum towards reaching the needs in homes absent of the father role. The solutions proposed are meant to help fulfill the purpose of what God intended the role of the father to be. In providing solutions for BCA, and possibly other local churches, the goal is to help Christians meet the needs of this fatherless generation.