Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
-
- Andrews University (34)
- George Fox University (22)
- Southeastern University (15)
- Bethel University (6)
- Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis (4)
-
- Walden University (4)
- Indiana State University (3)
- Lesley University (2)
- Seton Hall University (2)
- Utah State University (2)
- Abilene Christian University (1)
- Augsburg University (1)
- Brigham Young University (1)
- East Tennessee State University (1)
- Gardner-Webb University (1)
- Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School (1)
- Luther Seminary (1)
- Nova Southeastern University (1)
- Ouachita Baptist University (1)
- Pepperdine University (1)
- The University of San Francisco (1)
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (1)
- University of Denver (1)
- University of San Diego (1)
- University of the Pacific (1)
- Western Michigan University (1)
- Wilfrid Laurier University (1)
- Publication Year
- Publication
-
- Professional Dissertations DMin (24)
- Doctor of Ministry (18)
- Dissertations (8)
- Doctor of Ministry (DMin) (8)
- All Electronic Theses and Dissertations (6)
-
- Master's Theses (4)
- Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies (4)
- All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (3)
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D) (3)
- Doctor of Leadership (3)
- PhD in Organizational Leadership (3)
- Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project (2)
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2)
- Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs) (2)
- Theses and Dissertations (2)
- All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023 (1)
- All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023 (1)
- Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) Papers (1)
- Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations (1)
- Doctor of Ministry Projects (1)
- Doctor of Ministry Theses (1)
- Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation (1)
- Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) (1)
- Doctoral Dissertations (1)
- Educational Studies Dissertations (1)
- Graduate Theses and Dissertations (1)
- Honors Theses (1)
- LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations (1)
- Master of Sacred Theology Thesis (1)
- Mindfulness Studies Theses (1)
Articles 1 - 30 of 111
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Case Study Exploring Training For Assembly Of God Pastors, Robert W. Shader
Case Study Exploring Training For Assembly Of God Pastors, Robert W. Shader
Doctor of Education (Ed.D)
Abstract Pastors in the Assembly of God fellowship have several options regarding types of pastoral training. Conducting a multiple case study qualitative study, the researcher interviewed 12 pastors with 2-6 years of ministry experience who had primary training in a specific category: higher education, on-the-job training, hands-on internships, or credentialing programs. The researcher utilized a transformational leadership framework and asked questions related to idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The findings suggest each training method (higher education, hands-on internship, on-the-job training, and credentialing programs) equipped pastors to demonstrate aspects of transformational leadership.
The Great Cultural Commission: Fulfilling The Command Of Jesus To Lead And Create A Culture Different Than The World’S, Kevin D. Geer
The Great Cultural Commission: Fulfilling The Command Of Jesus To Lead And Create A Culture Different Than The World’S, Kevin D. Geer
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Jesus gathered his disciples together and shared with them how the leaders of this world love to use their influence, power, and titles to rule over those they lead. Jesus told his disciples “among you it will be different” (Matt 20:26) compared to the leadership of the world. Jesus called his disciples to the Great Culture Commission, a call to servant leadership in which one uses their opportunities, gifts, and advantages to lift everyone else around them. This call creates a culture that propels the Great Commission while cultivating servant-hearted leadership. The intent of this dissertation is to discover the …
The Processes, Events And Characteristics Associated With The Leadership Emergence Of New Believers In The Contemporary Movement Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The United States, Cleveland Hobdy Iii
The Processes, Events And Characteristics Associated With The Leadership Emergence Of New Believers In The Contemporary Movement Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The United States, Cleveland Hobdy Iii
Dissertations
Problem
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is confronting an unsettling reality in the 21st century. A considerable body of literature has highlighted an escalating attrition rate, with the 'Ministry journal reporting in April 2019 that almost 50% of new converts eventually abandon their commitment (Thomas, 2019). Other data collected by the World Church through its Office of Research include statistics and archive information that confirm the losses (Knott, 2016; Trimm, 2023). After all the baptisms, membership transfers, professions of faith, and accessions, the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church is netting one new member per church per year. Since 1965, roughly 4 out …
Pastoral Leadership Of Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Sub-Saharan Africa And Congregational Giving During 2020-2021: A Grounded Theory Study, Eric Jean-Bruno Aniel Barbe
Pastoral Leadership Of Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Sub-Saharan Africa And Congregational Giving During 2020-2021: A Grounded Theory Study, Eric Jean-Bruno Aniel Barbe
Dissertations
Problem
The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model that describes how the behavioral strategies of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pastors in Sub-Saharan Africa may have positively influenced congregational giving during the years 2020-2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method
A qualitative grounded theory research design was used (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from a purposive sample of SDA pastoral leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa. The collected data were analyzed using an iterative process consisting of open, axial, and selective coding, thereby facilitating the construction of subcategories and a core category. This analytical process …
Venturing Free: An Empowerment Journey, Sara Taylor Lattimore
Venturing Free: An Empowerment Journey, Sara Taylor Lattimore
Doctor of Leadership
NPO Statement
Experienced leaders who have experienced burnout or leadership trauma lose their risk-taking capacity.
Emerging Insights
Emerging insights began to imply that leaders in helping professions such as ministry leaders who are serving in this post-COVID world may experience increased burnout and trauma as they lead in spaces where they are tasked with leading while helping others heal. Burnout and lack of community started to arise as a potential factor that could lead to leaders slipping into survival mode and avoiding risk-taking in their contexts. Research workshops revealed leaders had feelings of survival, burnout, and loneliness. They spoke of …
Carriers Of The Cloak: Six Steps For Christian Chaplains To Grow As Humble Leaders And Healthy Servants, John Gabriel Lawson
Carriers Of The Cloak: Six Steps For Christian Chaplains To Grow As Humble Leaders And Healthy Servants, John Gabriel Lawson
Doctor of Ministry
Chaplains are expected to be the spiritual leaders of their units, sometimes for thousands of people at a time, while also being expected to maintain the highest professional standards of regular military officers. They are charged with defending religious freedoms and guarding the spiritual development of those under their care, regardless of their faith background. These expectations, coupled with combat deployments and high levels of vicarious trauma that is often experienced through counseling, make it very difficult to maintain spiritual health. Given all these pressures, I noticed how spiritual health and leadership quality can suffer in the lives of military …
Paideia: A Mentorship Framework For Training Aspiring Pastors To Lead In Our Changing World, David Beavis
Paideia: A Mentorship Framework For Training Aspiring Pastors To Lead In Our Changing World, David Beavis
Doctor of Leadership
There is a pastoral leadership crisis in the US. With the convergence of pastors aging out, burning out, moral derailment, or simply choosing another career outside of pastoral work, there is a great need to raise up the next generation of pastors. However, traditional institutions for training pastors (such as seminary or bible college), though important, are not sufficient in and of themselves for producing future pastors. We live in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world with novel pastoral challenges perpetually emerging. But our normative pastoral training assumes a world (Christendom) that no longer exists.
What is required is …
Desarrollo, Implementacion Y Evaluacion De Un Seminario De Liberazgo Para Lideres De La Iglesia Central De Cojupeque, El Salvador, Alvaro Rafael Linero Vargas
Desarrollo, Implementacion Y Evaluacion De Un Seminario De Liberazgo Para Lideres De La Iglesia Central De Cojupeque, El Salvador, Alvaro Rafael Linero Vargas
Professional Dissertations DMin
Problem
The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in the ministry of all believers, and at its base, the local church is not only led by pastors but also by members who take on leadership roles. In order for these members to excel in their ministries, their training and education must be intentional. The Central Cojutepeque Seventh-day Adventist Church of the Paracentral El Salvador Conference did not have an intentional leadership instruction program that can help said leaders assist in the leading of the church.
Methodology
This project is a research initiative in the field of practical theology. It was applied within …
Leadership And Emergent Faith Communities In Canada: A Phenomenological Study, Anne Anderson
Leadership And Emergent Faith Communities In Canada: A Phenomenological Study, Anne Anderson
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
The purpose of this study is to explore how participants within emergent faith communities in Canada experience leadership. Through a phenomenological approach, members from five emergent faith communities across Canada have been interviewed in a semi-structured format. Emerging themes of transformational leadership, community along with belonging, and possible future areas of research will be discussed.
A Companion Guide For The Discipleship To Missional Community (D2mc) Program, Jedidiah T. Maschke
A Companion Guide For The Discipleship To Missional Community (D2mc) Program, Jedidiah T. Maschke
Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project
This Doctor of Ministry (DMin.) Major Applied Project (MAP) offers a companion guide for the discipleship training program called D2MC (Discipleship to Missional Community) taught by PLI, a leadership development organization that works primarily with the LCMS. The D2MC program is based on the training pioneered by Mike Breen through 3DM. The companion guide shows how the methods and practices taught by PLI are soundly based in Scripture and confessional Lutheran theology and offers some personal insights and devotional thoughts. The companion guide was distributed and field tested with volunteer participants through and with the approval of PLI. Participants in …
A Kingdom Model Of Leadership: Developing A Biblical Leadership Standard Established On Kingdom Principles And Exemplified By The Person And Ministry Of Jesus, Meredith James
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Although secular leadership principles and insights may benefit pastors and ministry leaders, business practices and cultural trends should not be the driving influences that guide and inform the church. Many pastors and ministry leaders are not practicing the biblical concept of kingdom leadership that Jesus modeled. Instead, they have increasingly relied on secular leadership strategies to produce successful results for their churches. This approach to ministry can often guide ministry leaders to depend on their natural gifts, marketing campaigns, and elevated production elements to grow attendance. The problem with this ministry methodology is that faithfulness and biblical truth are many …
Providing Effective Pastoral Leadership Through Difficult Seasons: Overcoming Barriers To Becoming A Revitalized Church, Joseph Lee
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Leading churches in revitalization is challenging. Church plateau, decline, and revitalization have been issues for major denominations for years. Revitalization efforts have produced positive results for some churches, but the overall trend of decline in church attendance and participation in North America persists. One complicating factor in engaging church revitalization is the contextual nature of barriers contributing to plateau and decline. Some barriers may be specific to the churches' time, location, and culture. A second complicating factor impacting church revitalization is the COVID-19 pandemic that began early in 2020. This project explores church leadership dynamics during challenges seasons by focusing …
Strengths-Based African Leadership Training: A Comprehensive Guide For Empowering Grassroots Communities, Henry Gwani
Strengths-Based African Leadership Training: A Comprehensive Guide For Empowering Grassroots Communities, Henry Gwani
Doctor of Leadership
This project portfolio addresses the following need, problem or opportunity (NPO): Hopelessness within African low-income communities highlights the need for equipping local agents with a Christian gospel that integrates discipleship with leadership development, vocational training, mental health and asset-based community development if we wish to see Shalom. Several insights emerged from this research. First, to foster holistic transformation within low-income communities, it is imperative for discipleship to include basic mental health and practical interventions such as vocational training. Second, each community, regardless of how impoverished, is blessed with assets (skills, experiences and relationships), that need to be leveraged for the …
A Seat At The Table: Why The Seat You've Been Entrusted With Is More Vital Than The Position You're Entitled To, Donna Pisani
A Seat At The Table: Why The Seat You've Been Entrusted With Is More Vital Than The Position You're Entitled To, Donna Pisani
Doctor of Ministry
My NPO (The lack of understanding and framework of Biblical leadership as entrustment rather than an entitlement that empowers both genders to lead together has created a lack of female representation in strategic influence and leadership roles) was birthed out of my experience as a female in ministry for four decades leading with men, coupled with the lack of resources available to an upcoming generation of leaders. Through extensive research and interviews, the most viable solution that emerged was a published book written to empower a new generation of female leaders—one that addresses the theology of women in leadership with …
Strategies To Increase Volunteer Retention In Protestant Churches, Anthony David Brown
Strategies To Increase Volunteer Retention In Protestant Churches, Anthony David Brown
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Church leaders utilize volunteers as the primary human capital to accomplish organizational goals. However, volunteer retention is an ongoing global challenge for church leaders, and unless addressed, leaders will be hindered in achieving church goals. Grounded in the job embeddedness conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple-case study was to explore strategies some church leaders used to retain volunteers to accomplish organizational goals. Three leaders from different Protestant churches in the Southwest United States participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, internal church documents, and publicly accessible information. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and six …
The Church Surviving Crisis An Examination Of Leaders' Disaster Response, Joel A. Tudman
The Church Surviving Crisis An Examination Of Leaders' Disaster Response, Joel A. Tudman
Doctor of Ministry
In March of the year 2020, the church would change drastically and quickly. In-person gatherings shifted to online worship. The pandemic fostered change for the church and it had to adapt to a digital era overnight. Abrupt change of such for churches and other organizations called for business meetings and a change in the application of the vision. Some churches upgraded audio and video equipment to facilitate their vision effectively and some closed their doors. The world has seen many crises and the church has always long suffered right along with the world. When a crisis strikes the world like …
Leadership Strategies For Sustaining Membership In Southern Baptist Churches, George L. Blount Jr.
Leadership Strategies For Sustaining Membership In Southern Baptist Churches, George L. Blount Jr.
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Church membership is declining, and the number of Americans identifying as having no religious affiliation is increasing. Church members can provide for a community’s spiritual and financial needs and promote the growth of evangelical believers and biblical stewardship. However, some pastors, ministerial staff, and ministry leaders lack effective leadership strategies to sustain membership. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies Southern Baptist church leaders from three churches in Pennsylvania use to sustain membership. Participants were three church leaders who sustained church membership for 3 years or longer. Data were …
Transgenerational Wellness: Trauma Informed Christian Spiritual Formation, Winford Amos
Transgenerational Wellness: Trauma Informed Christian Spiritual Formation, Winford Amos
Doctor of Ministry
Certain mindsets, processes, and practices produce health inequities and disparities including poor spiritual health. Young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years old are experiencing challenges with mental health and substance use resulting in a high rate of suicides and overdose related deaths. Many are experiencing co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges and have a history of trauma. There are limited options available for integrated treatment. Accessibility to services is very difficult due to limited providers and limited resources at this age. Church attendance has decreased significantly for young adults which limits the capacity of the church …
Engaging And Mobilizing Baby Boomers For Effective Ministry, Paul D. Russell
Engaging And Mobilizing Baby Boomers For Effective Ministry, Paul D. Russell
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
In the 21st-century church in America, can Baby Boomers, who presently range from 57 to 76 years of age, be envisioned and commissioned to make a difference through effective and meaningful ministry? The intent of the research was to discover relevant information and present considerations to help those entering the last third of life make an informed contribution to the church and community. Evidence will be presented to show that Boomers need the church and that the church needs the presence and resourceful productivity of the Boomer cohort. This reality does not circumvent the essential mission of reaching other generations …
An Exploration Of The Role Of Vulnerability In Ministerial Leadership: A Qualitative Examination Of John 13 As Lived Experience In Contemporary Ministry, Lance L. May
PhD in Organizational Leadership
When leaders experience personal failures, it often causes negative repercussions across an entire organization, and Burns (1978) noted that devastating leadership failures had become increasingly common at the close of the 20th century. Leadership failures have continued to be a prominent problem, and the failures of ministry leaders are just as prevalent and devastating (Shaw, 2006). Brown (2015) concluded that vulnerability is a powerful tool for maintaining trust and integrity for leaders, followers, and entire organizational cultures. This study centered on both the role of vulnerability exemplified by Jesus in John 13 and the lived experiences of Christian ministry leaders. …
Examining The Cross-Cultural Competence Of United States Christian Missionaries Engaged In Developing Indigenous Leaders: A Mixed Methods Study, Craig W. Goodman
Examining The Cross-Cultural Competence Of United States Christian Missionaries Engaged In Developing Indigenous Leaders: A Mixed Methods Study, Craig W. Goodman
Dissertations
For the past two millennia, missionaries have crossed from one culture to another to bring the Christian message to all cultures of the world. Questions about the effectiveness of these mission efforts have been asked and researched by many; however, one key question remains unanswered: what personal attributes help a person to be more competent at crossing cultures as they interact with people from other cultures? Although cross-cultural competence has been studied in a variety of fields over the past 50 years, the models and assessments used have never been applied to Christian missionaries.
To address this deficiency, this parallel …
The Mandate Of Shepherding: A Socio-Rhetorical Analysis Of Shepherding Metaphor Scriptures And Phenomenological Study Of A New Shepherding Pastoral Leadership Model, Jeremy L. Pickwell
The Mandate Of Shepherding: A Socio-Rhetorical Analysis Of Shepherding Metaphor Scriptures And Phenomenological Study Of A New Shepherding Pastoral Leadership Model, Jeremy L. Pickwell
PhD in Organizational Leadership
Pastors are increasingly taking on a CEO style of leadership to lead their churches (Goodmanson, 2005; Maddox, 2012; Whitaker, 2013). Pastors have made this shift at the expense of a shepherd mindset, seemingly creating a dichotomy between styles (Tara, 2020; Whitaker, 2013). Consequently, scholars have identified an increasing trend in pastoral burnout (Fee, 2018; Hessel, 2015; Samushonga, 2021). The current study evaluated the pastoral role and its responsibility from a place of Scripture, while also considering popular current leadership trends. The findings revealed a clear shepherd metaphor arc throughout Scripture, beginning in Psalm 23 and ending in 1 Peter 5. …
A Proposed Curriculum To Improve The Scientific Literacy Of Pastoral Leadership In The Church, Kacey Mewborn
A Proposed Curriculum To Improve The Scientific Literacy Of Pastoral Leadership In The Church, Kacey Mewborn
Selected Honors Theses
Scientific illiteracy is a widespread reality in the Christian church today. The observatory and evidentiary nature of science seems to strongly contradict the faith-based belief in religion that often lacks physical evidence. This contradiction has incited many different conflicts between the congregation of the church and proponents of scientific advancement. A potential cause of this division is that the current education provided for church leaders is severely lacking in exposure to scientific topics that would allow these leaders to effectively communicate with their congregation when scientific issues are raised. Therefore, this research proposes a supplementary curriculum in the form of …
Leadership Skills And Strategies, And Their Effect On Processing Change In Light Of The Grand Prairie Seventh-Day Adventist Church Building Project, Danail G. Tchakarov
Leadership Skills And Strategies, And Their Effect On Processing Change In Light Of The Grand Prairie Seventh-Day Adventist Church Building Project, Danail G. Tchakarov
Professional Dissertations DMin
Problem.
The Grand Prairie Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the oldest Seventh-day Adventist congregations in the state of Texas, and as such has given birth to numerous other congregations. Over time, however, the makeup of the surrounding community slowly changed and no longer reflected that of the church. Because of language, cultural, and socioeconomic differences, the church was slowly becoming irrelevant and incapable to minister to its immediate community. The building was 57 years old and in dire need of repairs. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the 1.88-acre property was completely surrounded by other properties; space …
Leadership Strategy For Sustaining Mission-Focused Vision In Years Seven To Ten Of Crosswalk Fellowship, Boyan Levterov
Leadership Strategy For Sustaining Mission-Focused Vision In Years Seven To Ten Of Crosswalk Fellowship, Boyan Levterov
Professional Dissertations DMin
Problem
In January 2007, my wife and I led a core team of passionate Christian believers to start Crosswalk Fellowship as a parachute church plant. The plant was a part of the local Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventist church planting initiative. The project had a successful start and reached the high standards to qualify for church status in the Texas Conference in less than one and a half years. Crosswalk continued to experience steady growth during the first five years of existence; However, in year five, people escaping crises happening simultaneously in the other two existing English Seventh-day Adventist churches …
Caring For The Soul Of A Pluralistic Army: An Exploration Of Servant Leader Behaviors In Active Duty Chaplains, W. Joshua Grimes
Caring For The Soul Of A Pluralistic Army: An Exploration Of Servant Leader Behaviors In Active Duty Chaplains, W. Joshua Grimes
Theses and Dissertations
The U.S. Army Chaplaincy is charged with the unique and sacred mission to “Care for the Soul of the Army” ─an Army with an increasingly pluralistic culture with respect to religious and spiritual beliefs. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence and degree of servant leadership behaviors in active duty chaplains, as an initial step in discerning the potential of servant leadership as a conceptual framework to help the chaplaincy provide effective pastoral care within a diverse organization. The study used an embedded mixed-methods design to capture quantitative data regarding servant leadership behaviors in 250 individual chaplains …
Wholistic Stewardship Revitalization Strategy At Pueblo First Seventh-Day Adventist Church Rocky Mountain Conference, Anton Kapusi
Wholistic Stewardship Revitalization Strategy At Pueblo First Seventh-Day Adventist Church Rocky Mountain Conference, Anton Kapusi
Professional Dissertations DMin
Problem
During the last decade, I observed, in my role as pastor and director, that many churches were overcome with a low level of members-involvement throughout the Conferences I served, especially in the current local churches I pastor, reflected in spiritual discouragement, indifference, and apathy. Upon closer observation of the Pueblo First local church members' relationship and collaboration, I found that only the worship service and two Bible study groups were functioning, with about a dozen individuals in total attending. Some other ministries were also functioning, like the ACS and ACS Disaster Relief, in addition to the church building and …
The Father’S Business: Exploring The Challenges Of Second-Generation Ministry Leaders, Garrett Booth
The Father’S Business: Exploring The Challenges Of Second-Generation Ministry Leaders, Garrett Booth
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Today’s pastoral leader must balance more competing priorities than ever before. Pastors are responsible for strategic planning, providing excellent messages, developing a staff or ministry team, overseeing finances, and building ministries to meet the needs of their flocks and communities. Many times, the demands of pastoral leadership, especially in a growing church environment, can be so consuming that the family of the pastor pays the price. Pastors’ children who grow up in such a leadership environment face their own additional pressures and extra challenges. This project explores the question “What are the challenges of growing up as a pastor’s child …
The Congruence Of Teachers’ And Principals’ Perspectives Of Learning-Centered Leadership Behaviors Of Principals Within International Christian Schools And The Impact On Organizational Commitment Of Teachers, Andrea Dawn Rens Dugan
The Congruence Of Teachers’ And Principals’ Perspectives Of Learning-Centered Leadership Behaviors Of Principals Within International Christian Schools And The Impact On Organizational Commitment Of Teachers, Andrea Dawn Rens Dugan
All Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the degree of congruence between principals’ self-perception of learning-centered leadership behaviors and teachers’ perceptions of learning-centered leadership behaviors of their principals in international Christian schools accredited with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) located in countries outside of North America. If a difference does exist between teachers’ and principals’ perceptions, will teachers’ organizational commitment be impacted? The perspectives of leadership behaviors were determined using the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) (Goldring, Porter, Murphy, Elliot, & Cravens, 2009). Both principals and their teachers completed the survey online. Teachers also …
Effective Decision-Making Strategies That Support Long-Term Sustainability In Nondenominational Churches, Andre Paul Davis Jr.
Effective Decision-Making Strategies That Support Long-Term Sustainability In Nondenominational Churches, Andre Paul Davis Jr.
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Ineffective financial decision-making has frequently led to nondenominational church failures and contributes to 4,000 to 8,000 churches closing each year in North America. Grounded in stewardship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective financial decision-making strategies in nondenominational churches that support long term sustainability. Participants were 10 church leaders who successfully used financial decision-making strategies to support long-term sustainability in Central North Carolina was used for this study. Data were collected from semi structured interviews and internal church documents relating to church leadership's financial decision-making and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: budgeting …