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From The Editor, Sean Schat

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Our editorial team is excited to share this issue with you. We have a good balance of theoretical essays, research articles, and book reviews.

Theoretical Essays

• In An Editorial: If I Should Fail, Patrick Otto and David Weir (Oral Roberts University) explore the emerging leadership crisis in Christian higher education, drawing on a compelling naval metaphor to navigate the complexities of leadership transitions and the need for new leaders.

• In Using Storytelling of Incarnational Encounters to Disrupt Narratives of Otherness in Teachers Education, Tina Marie Keller (Messiah University) introduces and explores the concept of incarnational encounters, moments “when individuals …

5.4.1. Cultivating Cross-Generational Leadership, Shela Ammani Sullivan

Doctor of Leadership

Need Problem Opportunity (NPO) Statement

In the current corporate landscape, there is a lack of effective leadership models for the developing Millennial and Gen Z leaders.

Key Benefits from Research

Research and prototype testing yielded several key discoveries. While digital formats such as vlogs and ePlaybooks offer accessibility and relatability, the strongest outcomes emerged from in-person engagement. Stakeholders’ feedback emphasized the importance of relational depth, experiential learning, real-time feedback, and recommended digital supplements to enhance accessibility and reduce costs. These findings confirm that leadership development initiatives must integrate adaptability with relational practice to achieve sustainable and meaningful impact. The project …

Journeying Together: A Coaching Framework Empowering Voice And Transforming Teams, Kari Michele Kinard

Doctor of Leadership

To be seen, heard, and to have a voice are deeply human desires, regardless of where one finds oneself in the world. In the culturally and ethnically diverse Saharan nation, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (RIM), the capital, Nouakchott, serves as a central hub shaped by a strong Islamic identity, historical hierarchies, and long-standing foreign involvement in development efforts. These dynamics create both meaningful opportunities and real challenges for leadership practices across sectors.

Development efforts in RIM have long sought to strengthen communities through education, healthcare, and economic initiatives. While these efforts are well-intentioned, sustaining impact has remained a persistent …

People Are First: A Qualitative Metasynthesis Of People First Leadership, Richard Allan Mcneal

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This study addresses the emerging leadership style of People First Leadership and the growing need for a commonly accepted definition and model of the concept. Traditional management and leadership styles have left a legacy of corporate fraud, low employee engagement, and work–life imbalance. People First Leadership offers a potential remedy, but sources on the subject are limited and isolated. A universal understanding of the leadership style is needed to galvanize research and further inform practice. As such, this study poses the questions: how is People First Leadership presently defined and modeled, and does synergy exist between current theories? An exhaustive …

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 …

A Biblical, Culturally Relevant, And Contextually Applicable Financial Literacy Curriculum, Wallace Kanyuira

Doctor of Leadership

Poverty in Kenya is high, and the church should respond by economically empowering the people to be self-reliant. People are in poverty, not for lack of opportunities and resources, but because they lack the knowledge and skills to exploit these opportunities, make decisions they are ill-equipped to make, and lack financial literacy. Many people who are financially struggling tend to seek solace in churches. Consequently, pastors need to master and teach biblical financial literacy and reshape the church culture to be responsive. In Hosea 4:6 God says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. . . .” Biblical financial …

The Moderating Effects Of Power Distance And Individualism/Collectivism On Empowering Leadership, Psychological Empowerment, And Self-Leadership In International Development Organizations, Debby Thomas, Tim Rahschulte

Faculty Publications - College of Business

The importance of finding appropriate leadership styles to use in cross-cultural situations is paramount. Development organizations and multinational organizations both struggle to find forms of leadership that are effective in mobilizing the workforce in highly diverse cultural contexts. In this article, the effects of empowering leadership on psychological empowerment and self-leadership are measured in two cultural contexts—Rwanda and the United States, representing both high and low power distance and individualism/ collectivism—to explore how empowering leadership behaviors affects the empowerment of subordinates. First, hierarchical regression analysis shows that empowering leadership has a significant positive effect on both psychological empowerment and self-leadership …

Community Interventions In Kenya Providing Care And Support For Orphaned Girls In High School And College Aged 14-24, Joy Eunice Wambui Mindo

Doctor of Ministry

This is a project manual that looks into the growing problem of orphans in Africa. There is great need to establish community interventions that provide care and support for orphaned girls. Orphan female adolescents experience reduced education opportunities and adaptive coping strategies when they have no home in which to receive nurture and support. They are therefore very vulnerable to early marriages, teenage pregnancies, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Such women between the ages of fourteen and twenty-four are usually in high school and college, making life long decisions that would affect their future. They go through physical body and …

Mind The Gap: The Relevance Of Contextualization For The Training Course Fresh X-Der Kurs By Kirche2, Sandra Bils

Doctor of Ministry

In Germany, the Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers and the Roman Catholic diocese of Hildesheim are partnering in the ecumenical network. Searching for an appropriate endeavor, which supports the emergence and Kirche2 sustainment for new forms of being church, they were encouraged by the fresh expressions movement in the UK and their training model, mission-shaped ministry. The use of this foreign material in Germany needs adaptation. Hence, this dissertation enfolds the relevance of contextualization and seeks to reflect the adaptation process, following the main research question: How can the Fresh-X course by Kirche2 adapt the foreign material for the context in Germany …

Love As A Replacement For Fear In The Workplace, Debby Thomas

Faculty Publications - College of Business

Fear is routinely used in organizations and interpersonal relationships as a source of motivation. Some research supports the use of fear to motivate employees to work and to change. However, fear has long lasting negative effects that outweigh the motivation that it produces. This paper proposes and supports the notion of love as a central motivator in place of fear. Inner texture exegesis of 1 John 4:18, along with recent research on love in organizations, supports the move from fear to love. Love produces long lasting effects of inspiration and heart level motivation, increased creativity and effectiveness, and a release …

The Right Stuff At The Right Time: Helping Emerging Leaders Develop A Leadership Foundation, Randy Worden

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Via Media : The Necessity Of Deeper Theological Refection For The Genuine Renewal Of Church In The Emerging Culture And Context / By Jason Clark., Jason Clark

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Emotional Intelligence: The Core Of The Church Leader For Missional Living In The Emerging Culture, Chad David Johnson

Doctor of Ministry

The modem western church is experiencing a crisis of leadership. This crisis of leadership within the church is driven largely by the lack of emotional intelligence among the churches leaders. The lack of emotional intelligence is debilitating to the missional effectiveness of the Church in this emerging culture. The problem of the lack of emotional intelligence among leaders will be addressed by crafting a model of leadership composed of a core with four key components. The core is emotional intelligence (EI). With EI at the core of the leader, four ways of life and leadership emerge. These will equip the …

A Discernment-Based Model Of Church Decision-Making, Charles M. Orwiller

Doctor of Ministry

The problem addressed in this paper is: How can the decision-making process for business meetings in First Denver Friends Church be a process dependent upon paying attention to Christ, understanding His direction, and following in holy obedience? This problem will be addressed by proposing a model for decision-making in which the corporate discernment of God's direction and the corporate affirmation of obedience to that discerned direction take place in an environment of worship. Decision-making in the local church requires paying attention to Christ, our Head, then following His direction. Worship is the means by which a congregation attends to Christ. …

Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Configuration Of The Small Religious Communities In The Former Yugoslavia, David Steele

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.