Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Jennifer Putnam

Abstract

This study explored perceptions of a church’s ministry leadership team to determine their preparation in the tools, skillsets, and strategies needed to lead themselves and others well. The study sought to understand the needs of these church ministries to meet the spiritual and daily needs of the members they serve. The study used a mixed methods design, employing a survey and focus group that examined perceptions of ministry experiences, training, development, and other support. Results were examined through the lens of Lewin’s (1947) force field analysis to determine both driving and restraining forces on effective ministry leadership (Hussain et al., 2018). Survey data showed there was a need for ongoing and quality training in the areas of leadership and spiritual development. Focus group data supported the survey results and revealed that leaders sometimes felt inadequate in their biblical knowledge. Spiritual leaders acknowledged gaps in training and development, communication skills, and resources that led them to feel underprepared to lead others, handle unexpected conflicts, and make leadership decisions. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, the findings of this study provided valuable insight for the church to support leadership teams to become more prepared to lead with integrity, honor, and wisdom as Christ intended.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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