Leadership, Religious

Richard M Fraley

The purpose of this project is to develop essential leadership competencies in cross-cultural context for selected leaders from Nepal. By equipping Nepalese in essential leadership competencies, the project director seeks to align the leaders to a vision taken from Revelation 7:9. The project director will synthesize his research in developing a list of essential competencies and then create curriculum that will be reproducing across house church networks. This will help leaders develop this vision of all peoples knowing and worshipping Jesus Christ. The msision will be impossible without well-trained and character-filled leadership reproducing across Nepal.

Mary J Curtsinger

In the Islamophobic context of the contemporary U.S., this researcher gathered ten women (22-28), "committed" Roman Catholics and Muslims--for appreciative interpersonal engagement, with goals of building relationships marked by greater justice and solidarity; supporting Muslims experiencing oppression; and planting seeds of interfaith leadership. Reflecting believing was used as method. The researcher facilitated four weekly 2.5-hour sessions ("icebreakers"; one-on-one walkabouts; "speed-faithing"; and focus sessions). Data strongly supported the research goals, with subjects' reporting positive reactions, relational learning, knowledge of one another's traditions, and an emerging commitment to continued interfaith engagement and leadership. All ten reported increased solidarity with religious others.

Jean-Jude Lors

As the literature suggests, pastors, as church leaders, spend more time administering. Nurturing leadership is needed in order to develop and grow congregants. The purpose of this study was to investigate how senior pastors develop their congregants through nurturing leadership. Research questions: How do senior pastors develop their congregants in spiritual renewal, spiritual gifts? The challenges that they face and the benefits gain. Eight pastors were interviewed, using a qualitative semi-structured format, and data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. Using nurturing leadership pastors renew, transform, grow and develop their congregant spiritual gifts. Pastors also become effective leaders.

Thomas Lutz

The purpose of this study was to explore how Christian C-level executives experienced an increased motivation to pursue spiritual maturity after gaining clarity about their kingdom purpose. This study was designed using applied qualitative research, specifically a case study of six men who participated in a discipleship group for nine months. All participants identified significant change in one of five areas: the understanding of kingdom purpose, of God's view of their work, of their view of their work, of spirituality, and finally of their engagement with their life plan.

Kelly Dehnert

The literature has given little attention to the confusion and emotional trauma Christian employees experience because of conflict with harmful supervisors who profess faith in Jesus Christ. There is inadequate scholarship addressing conflict resolution within power structures in the Christian workplace. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how employees of Christian organizations practice self-differentiation while interacting with toxic supervisors. The study utilized a qualitative design using semistructured interviews with nine current and former employees of Christian organizations. The study provided conclusions based on biblical literature, the social sciences, and leadership best practice.

Erin Reibel

There continues to be significant differences in the level of success that women are able to achieve as the lead or solo pastors in United Methodist Churches. Through a grassroots effort, women can form small groups that offer teaching and practical assistance on many of the challenge/opportunities that women clergy face, including their role as adaptive leaders, prophets, and vulnerable leaders. While four months was not sufficient time to see significant results the groups offered women a model of support that could be replicated or modified to reach more female clergy leaders.

John M Mucheke

This project has reviewed the development of leadership at Lavington United Church in Nairobi. It argues that traditional models of church leadership such as servant leadership and shepherd leadership are highly dependent on a single person, the leader. Shared leadership informed by the wisdom of scripture uncovers the benefits of team leadership in various models of shared leadership both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The project has particularly drawn insights from Paul's shared leadership through his co-workers and found contextual application for the leadership practices of Lavington United Church. The author argues for the benefits of shared church leadership within his ministry context and its Relevance for other ministry contexts.

Stephen E Handy

The author considered whether the people of God could emerge from a historical and homogeneous congregation to become an intercultural congregation. While many tools are emerging to awaken congregations to the reality of gentrifying areas in urban communities, this project includes the impact of the theological and the sociological to develop intercultural competent leaders. Intercultural competency is one of the leadership tools that offer a greater awareness of the contextual and cultural realities of people, practices and behaviors. Intercultural competency can serve as an intervention of hope in the life of the church. Those intercultural and adaptive leaders can become a missional force of Jesus Christ while creating a discipleship path connecting with more people, young people and more diverse people for the sake of the gospel.

Kyle E Routzahn

The scope of this project is to equip selected addiction-recovery ministry leaders in east Mississippi with group facilitation skills. The pastor of Union Baptist Church in Clarke County, Mississippi, is planning to launch Christian addiction-recovery ministries centered on weekday Celebrate Recovery [registered symbol] meetings. The ministries are collaborative works involving selected Chrsitians from Southern Baptist churches in the local Baptist associations. Phase two of these ministries include the addition of a rotating Friday night contemporary worship service at the same non-church locations where the weekday meetings will be held. Three goals are the foundation of this Doctor of Ministry equipping project. The first goal is to research addiction recovery in order to identify group facilitation skills. The second goal is to develop a curriculum to equip selected addiction-recovery ministry leaders in east Mississippi, in group facilitation skills. The third and final project goal is to equip selected addiction-recovery ministry leaders in east Mississippi, in group facilitation skills. The project director's primary purpose in implementing this project is for the world to see that Jesus Christ is alive and still setting captives free.

Young-Jun Kim

The purpose of the project was to strengthen the lay leadership of the Korean church through a character training program. The right character for Christians was assessed from the nine fruits of the Spirit as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, from which a weekly training program was actualized using lectures and sharing in small groups. Project results showed that the character of trained lay leaders showed improvements manifested in the leadership. The author hopes and expects that the lay leadership can be set on the right path through character training, in order to establish a healthier Korean church.