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Leadership development and Black pentecostal pastors: understanding the supports needed to enhance their leadership development and ministry effectiveness

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Leadership development and Black pentecostal pastors: understanding the supports needed to enhance their leadership development and ministry effectiveness

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Content 1
Leadership Development and Black Pentecostal Pastors: Understanding the Supports Needed to
Enhance their Leadership Development and Ministry Effectiveness
by
Warren Petty
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2023
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© Copyright by Warren Petty 2023
All Rights Reserved

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The Committee for Warren Petty certifies the approval of this Dissertation

Dr. Douglas Lynch
Dr. Roger Ball
Dr. Kimberly Hirabayashi, Committee Chair

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2023

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Abstract
This study aimed to examine the supports needed for the ongoing development and
ministry effectiveness of Black Pastors of a mid-sized urban Pentecostal congregation. The
mixed methods study explored Black pastors' confidence in their leadership skills, experiences
influencing their leadership skills and self-efficacy, and what they felt they needed to be more
effective leaders. Participants included senior pastors within the organization’s Northeast
Region. The results of this study highlighted the need for creating a culture of pastoral
development and support. Four recommendations emerged from the findings: implementing a
pastoral review system, developing a leadership skill development program, establishing a semi-
structured mentoring program, and increasing peer networking internal and external to BHW.
The study also contemplated areas of future research exploration concerning supports needed
based on race and gender, the impact of bi-vocational pastors, the cascading effects of the
absence of an organizational feedback culture, and an assessment of seminary curriculum as it
pertains to the development of practical pastoral leadership skills.

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Dedication
To my parents, Nelson, Sr. & Carmelita who gave me a solid foundation from which to grow.

To my late pastor, friend, spiritual guide, mentor, and "yokefellow," Bishop Earl W. McKay,
who allowed me to witness, reflect, and practice leadership in an up close and personal way and
who helped to shape my leadership philosophy. I miss your fellowship, wisdom, and laughter
every day.

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Acknowledgements

To my wife, Vercelia and sons, Jehron and Jamien whose unwavering love, support and sacrifice
made this achievement possible. I hope this serves as an indication that you can accomplish
anything you put your mind to, by God’s grace.
To my mentors, Bishop Dr. Leroy Greenaway and Bishop Dr. Roger Ball who coached,
counseled, and resourced me throughout this process.
To my USC Rossier School of Education dissertation committee members and faculty, Dr.
Kimberly Hirabayashi and Dr. Douglas Lynch, who exemplify excellence in all they do and
whose commitment to academic rigor and scholarship shepherded, steadied and emboldened me
to exceed my expectations.
To the OCL faculty who guided me along the way through the many assignments, readings, and
discussions.
To M7 (OCL Cohort 19 Study Group), Mary Crannell, Olga Diaz, Patricia Fusaro, Francisco Isaza,
Gilberto Perez, and Oyango Snell, who every Friday at 6:00 p.m. EST for three years supported
and encouraged me to persevere through competing demands, job and geographical shifts,
changing family dynamics, and emotional and mental fatigue. I would have been lost without this
weekly life-saving convening. They will forever be lifelong friends. Fight On!

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Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………4
Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………………5
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ ……….6
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 7
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ 10
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter One: Introduction to the Study ........................................................................................ 12
Context and Background of the Problem .......................................................................... 14
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions ................................................................ 15
Importance of the Study .................................................................................................... 16
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology .................................................. 17
Definition of Terms ........................................................................................................... 18
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................. 19
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ........................................................................................ 21
Leadership Development .................................................................................................. 21
Leadership Effectiveness .................................................................................................. 23
Leadership Development and Pastors ............................................................................... 24
Leadership Development and Pentecostal Pastors ............................................................ 26
Leadership Development and Black Pentecostal Pastors ................................................. 28
Leadership Skill Development .......................................................................................... 29
Theoretical Foundation…………………………………………………………………..31
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Summary…………………………………………………………………………………34
Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................................ 36
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 36
Overview of Design .......................................................................................................... 37
Research Setting ................................................................................................................ 38
The Researcher .................................................................................................................. 39
Data Sources ..................................................................................................................... 40
Participants ........................................................................................................................ 40
Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 41
Data Collection Procedures ............................................................................................... 42
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 43
Validity and Reliability ..................................................................................................... 44
Ethics ............................................................................................................................... 45
Chapter 4: Findings ....................................................................................................................... 46
Participants ........................................................................................................................ 46
Survey Participants ........................................................................................................... 46
Interview Participants……………………………………………………………………47
RQ1 Findings .................................................................................................................... 48
RQ2 Findings .................................................................................................................... 53
RQ3 Findings ................................................................................................................... .60
Summary…………………………………………………………………………………70
Chapter 5: Recommendations and Discussion…………………………………………………...72
Discussion of Findings and Results .................................................................................. 72
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Recommendations for Practice ......................................................................................... 79
Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................... 88
Recommendations for Future Research ............................................................................ 89
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 90
References………………………………………………………………………………..92
Appendix A: Survey Questions .................................................................................................. 106
Appendix B: Interview Protocol ................................................................................................ 114

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List of Tables
Table 1: Data Sources…………………………………………………………………………..37
Table 2: Interview Participants…………………………………………………………………47
Table 3: Pastor’s Self-Reported Confidence Ratings…………………………………………..48

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List of Figures
Figure 1: Educational Leadership Theory…………………………………………………30

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Chapter One: Introduction to the Study
Of the many helping professions, the clergy is known to be the least regulated (Pooler,
2011). Once a pastor has been appointed by a local congregational body, there is little or no
ongoing supervision, support or apparent strategy for developing pastors (Garland, 2006; Green,
2015; McKenna et al., 2007). Like any other organization, churches are complex and adaptive
systems that are impacted by internal and external factors that take their toll on pastoral
leadership (Elkington, 2013; Brunson & Caner, 2005). Several external factors loom large and
directly or indirectly affect pastor’s performance, including formal training that is deficient in
preparing pastors for their future work, increasing marginalization of Christianity, changing
religious landscape where non-denominationalism is the new norm, the deepening cultural and
political divide, and the constantly changing global community (Stetzer, 2020; Masenya, 2021).
Internal factors including declining church attendance and affiliation, a widening gap between
young and older church goers, and clergy scandals have plagued local church congregations over
the past several years (Smith, 2021). In 2009, the Pew Research Center reported that 54% of
churchgoers attended a church at least monthly while 45% attended less than a few times a year.
In 2019, those numbers reversed (Smith, 2021). In these uncertain and disruptive times, pastors
can become gripped with fear, disillusionment, and self-doubt (Wilson & Rice, 2004). Further,
statistics indicate that two out of five pastors have considered quitting the ministry due to mental
and emotional fatigue and undue ministry demands (Barna, 2021). These and other contextual
factors have led to an increase in pastor burnout, departures, moral failures, (Adams et al., 2017;
Pooler, 2011).
This phenomenon is particularly acute and concerning for the Black church and its
pastors. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, many Black Americans
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(47%) believe that predominantly Black churches are less influential now than they were 50
years ago (Smith, 2021). In the Black Pentecostal church movement, congregations and
communities have traditionally leaned on local church pastors to inspire beyond the spiritual and
serve as instruments of hope and change (Masenya, 2021). The local and historical
responsibilities of leading black congregations place undue stressors on the Black Pastor (Cohall
& Cooper, 2010; Harmon et al., 2018; Payne, 2017). In addition, these pastors must lead
congregations in a world undergoing rapid, tumultuous change and transformation requiring
constant adaptation which places a tremendous pressure on the leadership capabilities of pastors
(Venter and Hermans, 2020).
This current landscape necessitates effective pastoral leadership for churches to achieve
their mission, but many pastors appear ill-equipped to respond to the complexities of leading an
organization in these turbulent times (Ebright, 2010; Elkington, 2013). Many of the activities of
leading a church are synonymous with those of leading any other organization (Adams, 1979).
According to Adams (1979), the activities that a pastor performs is conducted within a given
organizational framework, all leadership activities that pastors conduct “…occur within a given
organizational framework…through a visible structure for its maintenance, and that requires
planning, decision-making, departments, and rules” (p.12).
In the absence of strong leadership, the impact of local congregations to their parishioners
and community is diminished and leads to outright rejection of the church (Global Leadership
Network, 2017). Even with the increased demand and programming for effective leadership
development, there does not seem to be a framework for developing leaders and more
specifically, the types of supports that a pastor needs to build leadership capacity (Krispin,
2020). Further, Krispin (2020) adds that developing pastors is a foundational and integral
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concern for churches to stay on mission and requires a framework grounded in theory to inform
leader development practices. Given the expectations and the current cultural realities, Black
Pentecostal pastors must embrace a lifelong learning mindset to fulfill their outsized roles, move
with the times, and enable their congregations and communities to flourish (Masenya, 2021).
Context and Background of the Problem
This study focused on the organization identified by the pseudonym, Bridge of Hope
Worldwide’s [BHW] Northeast Region, home to 55 churches in primarily urban areas whose
congregations are predominantly black. BHW is a faith-based community of Pentecostal
persuasion whose purpose is to share hope and transform communities around the world through
the love of Jesus Christ. The church’s heritage is rooted in the Protestant Reformation, including
Luther, Calvin, and others. BHW has over one-and-a-half million members, worshiping in over
10,000 local churches or missions in nearly 150 nations worldwide. Nearly 90% of the global
membership is outside of North America. The organizational structure of BHW exists and
operates at three interdependent levels - global, country/regional/state, and local. The local level
is the heartbeat of the church, establishing congregations in the thousands of cities, towns, and
communities around the world where the church’s mission is carried out daily. In an ever-
changing and increasingly complex world, BHW has strived to avoid stagnation and remain
relevant to the needs of its congregants and communities.
Most of the churches in BHW’s Northeast Region are led by pastors who self-
identify as Caribbean immigrants. For many of these pastors, their entry into the ministry began
by answering the "call of God" to preach. Their pathway to becoming a pastor typically started
with demonstrating preaching and evangelistic skills, which ledto early ministry assignments
such as a youth ministry leader. As they became more established and seasoned in their pulpit
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ministry, they were tapped to be a minister and subsequently received licensure. As a licensed
minister, they were in line for a pastoral assignment when opportunities emerged. There was no
application or selection process for being set forth as a pastor. Pastoral appointments were made
solely by discretion of the Regional/State bishop. Once appointed, pastors were virtually on their
own as it pertained to their leadership development. Over time and many times without notice,
they may get reassigned to pastor a different congregation within BHW. The training they
received initially was mainly in the form of doctrinal education. Over the last 15 years, BHW
emphasized academic preparation for its pastors and provided opportunities through partnerships
with various seminaries. While this new focus has resulted in more BHW Black pastors with
academic credentials, churches are still experiencing declining attendance, irrelevance to
younger generations, and disconnect from communities. The academic pursuits have helped with
the pastors’ spiritual formation, but upon returning to their churches, pastors have struggled with
the myriad of leadership challenges they face beyond preaching from the pulpit. These included
identifying and responding to organizational challenges, vision casting, building healthy team
cultures and relationships and staying on mission (Krispin, 2020). In response, many pastors
have maintained the status quo. Pooler (2011) suggested that the decision a pastor makes in
response to these varied stimuli is a product of their sense of self, organizational systems and
practices and the supports available to them. Venter and Hermans (2020) asserted the need for
pastors to continuously disrupt and upskill themselves to face the demands of spiritually leading
people and communities in a world characterized by unimaginable and accelerated change.
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions
The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the experiences of Black
Pentecostal pastors in the Northeast Region of BHW regarding the supports needed for their
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ongoing leadership development and ministry effectiveness. Thoman (2009) posited that
leadership is critical in the Black church, and that there must be a sense of urgency to have a
strategy for developing its leaders. Yet, very little is known about how these pastors develop as
leaders. This gap in literature on how Black Pentecostal pastors are developed as leaders led me
to explore this topic using the experiences of pastors in BHW’s Northeast region to identify the
supports that enabled them to effectively lead their congregations and communities. The use of
this approach allowed me the best opportunity to collect data to answer the proposed research
questions:
RQ1: How confident are BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors in their
leadership skills?
RQ2: What experiences have BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors
experienced that have influenced their leadership skills and self-efficacy?
RQ3: What do BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors feel they need to be
more effective leaders?
Importance of the Study
The church can be seen as an adaptive organization which means that it is undergoing
continual change as it is acted upon both internally and externally (Phillips, 2001). As with any
other organization, the church is constantly moving towards mission achievement and
organizational health, or it is moving towards decay and stagnation (Philips 2001). According to
Day and Dragoni (2015), given the complex nature of their roles, leaders in any organization,
including the church, must function at a highly developmental level. While some studies have
explored the predictors of pastoral effectiveness and the competencies necessary to effectively
lead a church, there is very little known about the types of support needed during development
and what causes some pastors to learn and thrive while others do not (McKenna, 2007). As a
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result, pastors are vulnerable to burnout, depression, and personal and professional failure
(Pooler, 2011). Barna Research (2020) reported that more than one-third of pastors are at high or
medium risk of burnout; 43% of pastors are at high or medium relational risk, whether they are
experiencing challenges in marriage, family, friendships or other close relationships. Further,
one in five pastors has struggled with an addiction – most commonly pornography – while
almost half have battled depression (Barna Research, 2020). The researchers suggested that this
susceptibility toward burnout and moral failure may be driven by the extreme pressures of
pastoral work, limited support for pastors, and role confusion (Barna Research, 2020). The
problem is further exacerbated because most churches have no apparent strategy for the ongoing
development of their pastors (Green, 2015). By filling this research void, this study contributed
towards identifying supports for the ongoing development and ministry effectiveness of pastors
that if continues to go unaddressed threatens the existence and effective operations of the Black
church (Green, 2015).
An investigation of this nature serves the needs of the Black Pentecostal pastors to help
them gain self-understanding and insight into the process and supports needed to become more
effective leaders. This study posited that the intentional and ongoing development of leaders is
necessary for the survival of Black Pentecostal churches. Through this researcher’s lens, this
study shed light on leadership dynamics that are not frequently addressed in mainstream
leadership research as it pertains to Black Pentecostal churches.
Theoretical Framework and Methodological Overview
Leadership is a dynamic process that involves influencing the actions of others towards a
group goal (McCormick, 2001; House & Aditya, 1997; Yukl & VanFleet, 1992). Effective
leadership describes how a leader can apply the necessary cognitive and behavioral effort to
accomplish the desired goal (Nyogi & Swati, 2017). According to theoretical research, self-
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efficacy is integral to understanding the determinants of leadership effectiveness and
organizational functioning (Ali et al., 2018). Thus, this study used the self-efficacy theory
introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura (1977) as its central theoretical framework. Bandura
(1977) defined self-efficacy as an estimate of one’s ability to successfully execute the behavior
required to produce desired outcomes. According to Bandura (1977), self-efficacy influences
individuals’ willingness to take on challenging assignments, the intensity of effort they apply,
and their tenacity and persistence as they encounter obstacles to successful performance.
Bandura (1977) posited that self-efficacy beliefs are fostered by four types of experiences:
mastery (or repeated personal performance accomplishments), observational learning, social
persuasion, and physiological or emotional states.
This study followed a mixed methods design format. When a researcher is attempting to
generalize the findings to a population and integrate views of the meaning of a phenomenon or
concept for groups, the mixed methods advantage of collecting both closed-ended quantitative
data and open-ended qualitative data is most desirable (Creswell, 2003). A quantitative approach
of data collection (surveys) provides breadth to the study by supporting the researcher with
accumulating data about on different aspects of a phenomenon from different participants, while
qualitative data (such as interviews and focus groups) can provide depth through deeper insights
into the phenomenon from the participants’ lived experiences and stories (Creswell & Creswell,
2017).
Definition of Terms
When considering the proposed research questions, I defined a few key terms:
Self-efficacy: estimate of one’s ability to successfully execute the behavior to produce
desired outcomes (Bandura, 1977).
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Leadership Self -Efficacy: one’s perceived capability to perform the cognitive and
behavioral functions necessary to regulate group processes related to goal achievement.
Leadership development: For the purpose of this study, leadership development is an
intentional process that expands an individual’s leadership capacity in terms of the
leader’s interaction with his or her circumstances, not as an autonomous solitary process
but rather as the product of the relationships within the community or social group,
mindful that a leader forms part of his/her historical and social context.
Leadership effectiveness: refers to a leader’s capability to influence followers toward
achieving organizational objectives (Vardiman et al., 2006; Bodinson, 2005)
Ministry: refers to the vocational work a pastor does to fulfill his calling from God and
keep his obligations to the people who entrusted him with that office. In short, it is what
is called the pastor’s job description in secular employment.
Organization of the Remainder of the Study
The remaining chapters of this dissertation are presented as follows: Literature Review,
Methodology, Findings, and Recommendations. Chapter Two will provide a comprehensive
review of the literature about leadership development and its relation to the Black Pentecostal
church. It will begin with literature on what leadership development is and its scarcity in
congregational life. The chapter will then move to how leader’s self-efficacy beliefs contribute to
the individual leader’s development and strategies for supporting the development of leaders.
The literature review will support gaining an understanding of the types of supports needed to
build pastor self-efficacy beliefs and promote leadership effectiveness. Chapter Three describes
the methodology used for this study. Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977) is the framework
undergirding this investigation. Chapter Four reports the study’s findings, including a summary
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of data collection and analysis as well as descriptions of the participants. A summary of the
results, conclusions, and recommendations will comprise Chapter Five. These five chapters will
result in answers to the research question of what types of supports are needed to enhance the
continued development of the self-efficacy beliefs of Black pastors in BHW’s Northeast region
and leading to ministry effectiveness.

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Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
Chapter One established the purpose for this research study to examine the experiences of
Black Pentecostal pastors in the Northeast Region of BHW regarding the supports needed for
their ongoing leadership development and ministry effectiveness. This chapter now presents a
review of the literature on the phenomena of leadership development. The first section of the
literature review focuses on the foundational views of leadership development and leadership
effectiveness. The second section will provide an overview of leadership development and its
relation to pastoral leadership, and in particular, Pentecostal pastors. The third section will
provide an overview of the theoretical foundation, Self-efficacy Theory used to undergird this
study.
Leadership Development
Leadership development practices are described as learning processes aimed at improving
the leadership capabilities of individuals (Sorensen, 2016). Many of these practices were
borrowed from the traditions of management training programs whose objective was to increase
individual leadership and performance (Burke & Day, 1986), which affected both organizational
climate and organizational culture and overall performance (Moxnes & Eilertsen, 1991; Schein,
1985).
The role of leadership development was viewed as a key determinant in the competitive
strategy of an organization (Kim, 2019). The turbulent environment in which organizations
operate including accelerated change, constant uncertainty, rapid technological advancements,
and increased global competition and innovation, has profoundly shifted the organizational
dynamics in which leaders must now operate (Dalakpoura, 2009; Dooley, 2004). The disruptive
and precipitous changes in all spheres of organizational life have given rise to the need for
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effective leadership to sustain the long-term viability and performance of organizations
(Amagoh, 2009).
Before exploring the study of leadership development, it wasimportant to comprehend the
concept of leadership. Groves (2007) defined leadership development as the intentional,
comprehensive, and systemic approach to enhancing the quality of leadership.
Understanding the term leadership was daunting because of the myriad ways in which it has been
studied by researchers and its complex influences (Mabey, 2013). According to Burns (1978),
leadership is one of the most observed, researched, and yet widely misunderstood concepts in the
world. Ardichvili et al. (2016) stated that the literature on leadership is pervasive citing millions
of definitions on Google and over 20,000 books on Amazon from a variety of contextual factors
including family, education, business, nonprofits, healthcare, and religious organizations.
A survey of the literature revealed two prevalent definitions of leadership that suggested
its importance to the success of an organization. First, Yukl (2006) defined leadership as "the
process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do
it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared
objectives" (p. 8). Northouse (2007) defined leadership as "a process whereby an individual
influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal" (p. 3). Second, according to Rowe
(2007), an exhaustive review of the literature pointed to five factors that characterized the many
facets of leadership: (1) leadership is a process; (2) leadership implies influence; (3) leadership
functions in a group; (4) leadership involves goal achievement; and (5) leadership incorporates
shared values. Thus, when these definitions of leadership were applied to leadership
development, the critical consideration was how to build and sustain leadership capability and
effectiveness in a way that maximized the performance of the organization (Swanson 2001).
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According to Amagoh (2009), institutionalizing a systemic leadership development culture
increased the benefit of impactful leadership and organizational success.
Researchers asserted that there needed to be a distinction between leader development
and leadership development to best define leadership development
(Ardichvili & Manderscheid, 2008; Day, 2000; Day et. al., 2014). According to Day et al.
(2014), leader development aimed to build individual leader capacity while leadership
development centered on a process of development that considers the social context in which the
leader operates. According to Day (2000), leadership development should address both the
developmental qualities of the leader but also the qualities within the organization that need
developing. These views aligned with the notion that a leader develops through stages of
cognitive and moral development and their affiliation within the larger organizational and social
contexts (Kegan, 1982; Kegan & Lahey, 2009). In essence, leadership is not simply an individual
endeavor but a complex phenomenon that encompasses the interactions between the leader and
the social and organizational environment (Vera & Crossan, 2004; Waldman et al., 2004; Porter
& McLaughlin, 2006).
Leadership effectiveness
Researchers agreed that leadership is central to an organization's successful impact and
survival (Mesterova et al., 2015). From the literature, questions abounded about what contributed
to the effectiveness of some leaders more than others (Mesterova et al., 2015). For this study,
leadership effectiveness referred to a leader’s capability to influence followers toward achieving
organizational objectives (Vardiman et al., 2006; Bodinson, 2005). Cooper and Nirenberg (2004)
stated that while effective leadership enables the successful execution of an organization’s
mission and vision, evaluating the accomplishments and stakeholder satisfaction can be quite
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subjective. Studies to understand the variables influencing leadership effectiveness have focused
on factors such as personality traits, leadership style, and self-efficacy (Mesterova et al., 2015).
From the viewpoint of personality traits, researchers have identified such determinants as
intellect, emotional intelligence, and extraversion (Rosete & Ciarochhi, 2005). Studies on
leadership style and effectiveness have focused primarily on the impact of transformational vs.
transactional leadership (Bass & Riggio, 2006). Another widely studied predictor of leadership
effectiveness was the leader’s belief in their ability to perform a job and/or particular tasks
known as self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997). Despite the obvious interest of researchers in
determining which leaders were effective and which were not, there has been no consensus on
the most appropriate criteria of leader effectiveness among scholars. (Mesterova et al., 2015).
Leadership Development and Pastors
Despite the prevalence of literature on leadership development and its effect on
organizational performance, little attention has been paid to the role of pastoral leadership and its
impact on congregational vitality and survival (McKenna at al., 2007). Churches are considered
to be first and foremost a living organism, or spiritual institution (Kim, 2019). As such, they
tend to limit the roles of the pastor to spiritual tasks, reducing pastoral leadership to simply
spiritual leadership, i.e., preaching, teaching, ceremonial, and prayers and meditations (Kim,
2019; Blackaby, 2001; Clebsch & Jaekle, 1994). However, Kim (2019) argued that a church also
needs to be understood as a systematic organization where administrative functions co-exist,
instead of simply a spiritual institution. Kim (2019) further contended that a church is an
organization with a discernible structure that necessitates all the facets of organizational life
including planning, decision-making, policies and procedures, and outcomes. Yet, many pastors
work in church systems where duties outside of the spiritual and liturgical realms are viewed as
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secular and worldly (Masenya, 2021). When emphasis is placed equally on both the spiritual and
administrative aspects, the need for leadership development and effectiveness becomes clearly in
focus (Kim, 2019).
To date, there has been very little scholarly focus on pastoral leadership development and
organizational vitality (Wollschleger, 2018). A study by Tamney et al. (2003) concentrated on
leadership styles but found no correlation to organization growth. Ferguson et al. (2017) studied
social cohesion in religious congregations and found a connection between inspirational
leadership and increased levels of member involvement and unity. Wellman (2008), in his
research of evangelical and liberal congregations in the Pacific Northwest, found that
congregations begin to plateau and die in the absence of steady and effective leadership.
Wellman (2008) asserted that the more efficacious leaders increased the viability and growth
potential of the organization.
In today’s Christian milieu, pastors are expected to maintain a healthy balance between
providing spiritual care for their congregation and being responsible for the organizational
development of the church than at any time in the past (Masenya, 2021). The pastor’s
effectiveness is assessed based on how well they handle these multiple responsibilities
(McKenna et al., 2007). While some research has investigated the predictors of pastoral
effectiveness and the competencies necessary to lead effectively in a growing church setting,
there was very little known about how these competencies are developed and what causes some
pastors to learn while others do not (McKenna et al., 2007).
Most churches tend to look to a pastor’s initial formative training as their primary
development (Masenya, 2021). According to Woodruff (2004), seminaries provide pastors with
theological formation but fail to equip them with the competencies to lead in contemporary
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times. Masenya (2014) argued that seminaries focus heavily on theological training and
minimize topics such as handling church finances, staff relations, and policies and procedures,
which are all integral to organizational life. Consequently, pastors struggle with the myriad of
expected leadership responsibilities (Chatira & Mwenje, 2018). Further, the overreliance on
spiritual formation without regard for ongoing leadership development results in pastors whose
actions end up hurting themselves and the communities they serve (Masenya, 2014).
Leadership Development and Pentecostal Pastors
A survey of the literature revealed that much more is expected of the pastor than at any
other time in history, even in the Pentecostal church tradition (Masenya, 2021, Barna 2020). The
Pentecostal movement worldwide consists of more than one-half billion members and continues
to multiply at an alarming rate world-wide (Woodberry, 2006). Scholars believe that despite
initial success, over time, the performance of pastors within the Pentecostal movement tended to
fall below expectations (Masenya, 2021). According to (Nel, 2016; Masenya 2021), the
underperformance can be attributed to a lack of ongoing leadership development originating
from negative views about intellectual pursuits, unfavorable perceptions towards administrative
work viewed as secular, and the changing religious landscape.
Of these known factors that impede the ongoing leadership development of pastors,
perhaps the most harmful have been the church’s beliefs about academic pursuits and
administrative work (White, 2015). This mindset dates to early Pentecostalism where founders
regarded any development of its pastors as emulating the aloof and ceremonial form of the more
educated clergy in other denominations (Nel, 2016). The roots of this belief among Pentecostals
can be traced to its beginnings among indigent and lowly communities (Burger & Nel, 2008).
Their reliance on spiritual gifts and a zeal for spreading the gospel deterred them from engaging
27

in any type of developmental activities (White, 2015; Vondey, 2017). In the modern era,
Pentecostal scholars are still suspect about any attempt to prioritize learning over affections and
the work of the Spirit (Nel, 2016), but this view is waning as pastors are pursuing theological
education with greater fervor. However, despite a newfound embrace of academic preparation of
Pentecostal pastors today, more attention needs to focus on the practical leadership aspects of a
pastor’s role (Kim, 2019). Like any organizational leader, Kim (2019) asserted that pastoral
leaders need training in communication, methods, processes, decision making, culture, and
structure among other variables.
Masenya (2021) believed that there is heightened awareness today about the need for
ongoing leadership development as churches confront the reality that prior ways of doing
ministry are having minimal impact in a post-modern world. Today’s pastors must function in a
world of constant change and among a populace with diverging worldviews (White, 2015).
Heifetz, Grashow, and Linsky (2009); White (2015) emphasized that the present leadership
environment demands continuous upskilling and knowledge acquisition to successfully operate
in conditions of urgency, hyper-competitiveness, disruption, and uncertainty to keep up with
contemporary times. As such, pastors need a space to reflect on their practice and learn from the
insights gained through their experiences and elicit help from others to become more effective
leaders in this rapidly changing environment (Pooler, 2011; Masenya, 2021). The absence of
some form of ongoing development weakens the pastor’s capacity to effectively lead and be
responsive to the times and the needs of the communities they serve (Masenya, 2021). Of grave
concern, the underdevelopment of pastors has manifested itself in the allegations of gross
misconduct, splintering, and breaking up of churches which has damaging effects on the
congregants, families, and communities in which they operate (Kgatle, 2020).
28

Leadership development previously viewed as optional, or conditional is now a necessity
for organizational sustainability (Douglas et al., 2022). Day and Dragoni (2015) suggested that
leadership development is coming into its own as a discipline separate from the overrun field of
leadership studies. Chatira and Mwenje (2018), authors from the business management field,
supported the idea that leadership principles common to industry can be transferred to any sector.
Pentecostal churches can benefit from the field of leadership development to implement
practices to help pastors continue to grow and navigate turbulent times and advance the church’s
mission in society and the world at large (Masenya, 2021). Leaders and leadership are necessary
for organizations to adapt, evolve and succeed amid internal and external fluctuations (O’Toole,
2001). According to Collier and Esteban (2000), leadership development contributes to an
organization’s capability and its capacity necessary to adapt to threats, generate organizational
opportunities and facilitate organizational renewal. Collier and Esteban (2000) suggested that
beyond the formal seminary training, ongoing leadership development approaches can consist of
creating spaces for pastors to meet regularly with other pastors to share struggles and insights; or
learning opportunities that focus on the key struggles that pastors face such as staff relations,
living through personal traumas, guiding others through trauma, church planting, or transitioning
from leading a moderate sized church to leading a large church.
Leadership Development and Black Pentecostal Pastors
The contextual factors and situations described above pose an even greater hindrance to
Black pastors who lead churches in urban areas. Black Pastors are beset by challenges associated
with racism, socio-economic disparity, and the historical and overarching role of the Black
church in the community (Bilkins, et al., 2016; Nguyen, 2018; Payne, 2017). According to
Barna’s State of the Black Church 2020, only 43% of Black Church clergy expressed high
29

confidence in their ability to lead their church effectively during these turbulent times, while
there is greater confidence in their preaching ability to connect (56%) or share biblical
foundations (80%). These feelings of low self-confidence spoketo the number of Black pastors
(33%) who experienced burnout often (Barna, 2020). The researchers suggested that this
susceptibility toward burnout may be driven by the extreme pressures of pastoral work, limited
support for pastors, and role confusion (Barna, 2020). As a result, pastors are vulnerable to
emotional and ethical failures (Pooler, 2011). The problem is further exacerbated because most
churches have no apparent strategy for developing pastors (Green, 2015). A survey of the
literature revealed that there is a need to explore the types of support and conditions needed to
enable Black Pastors to lead their congregations and serve their communities more effectively.
Leadership Skill Development
The development of pastors is of critical concern for the future viability of the church as
an organization and necessitates a systematic framework grounded in research to facilitate
development efforts (Crispin, 2020). The literature offered a variety of secular and Christian-
based leader development practices aimed at fostering the skills, knowledge, and attitudes
required for effective leadership practice. Those practices emphasized both the administrative
and spiritual elements of leadership. One model recommended by Palestini (1999) was based on
educational leadership theories which emphasize the skills of decision-making, culture building,
communication, instruction, and creating an effective organizational structure (Figure 1).
Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005) posited that educational leadership can be likened to
pastoral leadership because it focuses on people, processes, culture, and structure.
Northouse (2018) organized the essential skills a leader needs to develop into three broad
categories: administrative, interpersonal, and conceptual. Administrative skills encompass
30

managing people, managing resources, and showing technical competence. Interpersonal skills
focus on social awareness, emotional intelligence, and conflict management. Conceptual skills
include vision casting, strategic planning, and problem-solving. Northouse (2018) contends that
these three skill sets combine to enable effective leadership.
A third approach to leader development comes from the Center for Creative Leadership, a
non-profit leadership education, research, and development organization specializing in training
delivery and assessments for organizations worldwide (Center for Creative Leadership, 2019).
Through their expansive research activities in the leadership space, they recommended leader
development efforts focused on the following outcomes: (1) leading oneself: includes self-
awareness, ability to balance conflicting demands, ability to learn, and leadership values; (2)
leading others: includes ability to build and maintain relationships, ability to build effective
teams, communication skills, and ability to develop and motivate others; 3) leading the
organization: includes management skills, ability to think and act strategically, and the ability to
initiate and implement change (Van Velsor et al., 2010)
In contemplating strategies for leader skill development, the literature was replete with
proven models but also revealed that no one approach incorporates all aspects needed to
engender effective leadership (Crispin, 2020). Further, leader skill development must be viewed
as an ongoing life-long learning process.

31

Figure 1

Theoretical Foundation
The current disruptive global landscape requires organizations to be agile and adaptive to
achieve success in the face of mounting discontinuous change (Machida & Schoubreck, 2011,
Venter & Hermans, 2020). This places an enormous amount of pressure on organizational
leadership. The environment in which today’s leaders must function invariably tests their
leadership capabilities for meeting the multiplying demands of their roles (Abou, 2017). As a
result, there has been increasing interest and targeted research regarding the impact and
effectiveness of leaders (Mesterova et. al, 2015). Researchers have attempted to understand what
contributes to making one leader more effective than the other (Dwyer, 2019). According to
Mesterova et al. (2015); McCormick (2001), one significant factor could be the degree of a
32

leader’s self-efficacy, or their belief in their ability to successfully accomplish a task or goal and
meet the demand of the leadership situations they face. During the past two decades, self-
efficacy has been studied extensively in organizational research with consistent results and has
been found to lead to successful performance (Hoyt, 2005; Ramchuder & Martins, 2014). Thus, I
attempted to examine the association of a leader’s self-efficacy in enhancing their leadership
effectiveness.
Self-efficacy is a social construct developed by Alfred Bandura (1997) that describes an
individual’s belief in their capacity to accomplish a desired goal. Bandura (1997) posited that
self-efficacy beliefs affect motivation and action through their impact on goals and aspirations.
Based on efficacy beliefs, people select goals to pursue, determine the amount of effort to invest
in the endeavor, and how long to persevere in the face of adversity (Bandura, 1997; Locke &
Latham, 1990). Conversely, individuals with low self-efficacy beliefs might abandon their goals
or settle for less when they encounter difficulties (Gist, 1987). Thus, perceived self-efficacy
positively impacts the probability of outcome expectations (McCormick, 2002). The outcomes
people anticipate depend largely on their beliefs of how well they can perform in given situations
(Bandura, 1977).
Beliefs of self-efficacy shape how people respond to the opportunities or the hurdles that
their life situations present (Gist, 1987). People with high self-efficacy focus on the opportunities
worth pursuing and believe they can overcome obstacles (Krueger & Dickson, 1993, 1994).
Through ingenuity and grit, high-efficacy individuals figure out ways of exercising some
measure of control even in environments of limited opportunities and overwhelming constraints
(Bandura, 1977). Those overcome by uncertainty, fear of failure, or what may appear as
33

insurmountable obstacles achieve limited success even in environments that provide many
opportunities (Bandura, 1977).
The premise of leadership efficacy is that leaders with higher self-efficacy beliefs
increase the probability of them having greater success as a leader compared to those individuals
with lower levels of self-awareness and leadership self-efficacy (Van Knippenberg et al., 2004;
Hannah et al., 2008). These high-efficacy leaders may be better equipped to handle various
situations and may transfer their efficacy to their followers, resulting in superior group
performance (Mesterova, 2015). The intensity of one‘s self-efficacy beliefs determines how
confident they will feel about successfully completing a task (Villanueva & Sanchez, 2007.
Bandura (1986) stated that self-efficacy is the key linkage between ability to performance. Self-
efficacy has also been associated with the ability of the individual to maintain cognitive abilities
despite difficulties, obstacles, and disappointments (McCormick et al., 2002; McCormick &
Martinko, 2004).
According to Zimmerman (2000), self-efficacy develops the inspiration and knowledge
of people to be more productive and perform better. Self-efficacy is viewed conceptually and
psychologically, and, in both aspects, it has been determined that self-efficacy is responsible for
development of an individual’s performance. Shamir et al. (1993) pointed out that when self-
efficacy is involved, a leader can generate a positive thought process, outstanding performance
and execution of outstanding achievements of goals and objectives. Chen et al. (2006)
emphasized that faith in self to plan, organize and perform a plan requires having high level of
self-efficacy which is needed by a leader.
Researchers have identified several specific activities involved in leadership, which
include planning, setting overall direction, delegating, coordinating tasks, communicating, and
34

motivating others (Chemers et al., 2000; Ng et al., 2008). Leadership self-efficacy captures the
individual’s beliefs about his or her own capability to perform these activities effectively and is
likely to provide the drive and persistence to get better at these activities over time (Chemers et
al., 2000).
The theoretical foundation selected for this study provides a lens to explore each research
question and to interpret the results. Self-efficacy is an appropriate theory because the theory of
Self-Efficacy is closely associated with performance and goal achievement (Friesen, 2007; Shoji
et al., 2016). A pastor’s perception of their self-efficacy demonstrates what their beliefs are and
how those beliefs impact their ability to continue in ministry. The findings will be useful for
pastors and researchers who want to better understand factors that contribute to leadership and
ministry effectiveness and protect against burnout and gross misconduct. If scholars and
practitioners have greater insight into the self-beliefs of clergy in the urban Black communities,
it may help shape interventions and best practices for improving and sustaining performance and
regulating failure. Since research has consistently shown that observed feelings of greater self-
efficacy is associated with higher levels of performance, this supports the notion that leaders can
make a difference by increasing levels of self-efficacy (Burns, 2009).
Summary
The literature survey in this chapter highlighted the fact that for churches to thrive or
even survive in this post-modern environment, effective leadership is critical. To enable and
support the kind of leadership required in this rapidly changing and uncertain environment,
churches need to prioritize the development of its pastors. Research has shown that the church
and its clergy lag other organizations in establishing spaces for the ongoing development of its
leaders. Further, in the black urban Pentecostal church where there is an amplified expectation of
35

the pastor’s role within the congregation and community, the problem is even more pronounced.
Scholars agreed that through implementing an appropriate leadership development praxis,
pastors can learn the requisite skills, thought processes, and behaviors needed to equip them for
effective, adaptable, and sustained ministry to the communities they serve. To be successful,
pastoral leaders must not only possess the required skills, but also have a resilient self-belief in
self-capabilities to exercise control over events to accomplish desired goals (Bandura & Wood,
1989). Therefore, a pastor needs to have self-belief in his/her capability to undertake leadership
tasks to be effective in his/her role as a leader (Hannah et al., 2008).

36

Chapter Three: Methodology
The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of Black Pentecostal
pastors in the Northeast Region of BHW regarding the supports needed for their ongoing
leadership development and ministry effectiveness. Specifically, the study sought to understand
the pastor’s perceived self-efficacy about their leadership capacity and the factors that can
contribute to their ongoing development. The study’s aim was to recommend a process by which
urban Black Pentecostal churches are able to identify, measure and evaluate the support systems
for facilitating the ongoing leadership and ministry effectiveness of their pastors. The execution
of effective leadership by pastors will result in greater impact for the congregations and
communities they serve and mitigate against personal and organizational ruin.
Research Questions
The study was directed by the following research questions:
RQ1: How confident are BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors in their
leadership skills?
RQ2: What experiences have BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors experienced
that have influenced their leadership skills and self-efficacy?
RQ3: What do BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors feel they need to be more
effective leaders?

37

Overview of Design
This study followed a mixed methods design format. Mixed methods research design
allows researchers the opportunity to incorporate quantitative and qualitative research and data
to facilitate interpretation (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). Because of the value it places on the
stories behind the numbers, where the insights of the participants under study inform the
quantitative investigation (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004), the mixed methods approach was
particularly appealing to this study. Since the aim of this study was to improve practice and
outcomes as opposed to advancing knowledge, the mixed methods approach was most
appealing.
Scholars asserted that the use of mixed methods enables researchers to answer research
questions with sufficient depth and breadth (Enosh et al., 2014) and helps generalize research
findings to the entire population. For example, the quantitative component helps a researcher to
collect the data from many participants; thus, increasing the possibility to generalize the findings
to a wider population. The qualitative approach, on the other hand, provides a deeper
understanding of the issue being investigated by respecting the voices of its participants. Further,
quantitative results can be triangulated with qualitative findings and vice versa. Triangulation, as
a qualitative research strategy, is the use of multiple methods or data sources to develop a
comprehensive understanding of a research problem or to test validity through the joining of
information from different sources (Carter et al., 2014). Yin (2013) emphasized the use of
multiple data sources to validate the test and support the overall conclusion. A mixed-methods
design, therefore, offered the best chance of answering research questions by combining two sets
of strengths while simultaneously counterbalancing for the weaknesses of each method (Johnson
& Onwuegbuzie, 2004).
38

Table 1
Data Sources
Research Questions Survey Interview
RQ1: How confident are BHW’s Northeast
Region Black Pastors in their leadership skills?
X X
RQ2: What experiences have BHW’s
Northeast Region Black Pastors
experienced that have influenced
their leadership skills and self-
efficacy?

X X
RQ3: What do BHW’s Northeast Region Black
Pastors feel they need to be more effective
leaders?
X X

Research Setting
The study’s targeted population was comprised of 55 senior pastors in the Bridge of
Hope’s Worldwide Northeast Region which includes New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, and the island nation of Bermuda. The sample size in this study
was selected based on the maximum variation sampling method. This method viewed a small
sample as a strength because it is not expected for many common themes to be espoused by a
diverse group. Any common patterns that emerged from great variation wereof particular interest
39

and value in capturing the core experiences and central, shared dimensions of a setting or
phenomenon (Patton, 2002).
I relied upon BHW’s Northeast Regional office to disseminate the email inviting its
pastors to participate in the study. The regional office located in Albany, NY has access to the
contact information for all 55 pastors. The 55 senior pastors in BHW Worldwide’s Northeast
Region were diverse in nature representing multiple age ranges, tenure in the pastorate, gender,
and formal education. Each pastor’s participation was voluntary and without compensation.
Once a participant agreed to be part of the project, he or she signed a Consent Form.
The Researcher
I am a Black male of Afro-Caribbean heritage. Other social constructs that I ascribe to are
Christian and heterosexual married man. I have experienced success in my profession as a Talent
Management and Organizational Development executive. I am also a licensed minister and
volunteer lay leader in BHW where I have been a member for over 40 years, serving in a variety
of administrative leadership roles in the Northeast Region and formerly in the Caribbean. In my
secular and congregational roles, I have served as a change agent in helping transform
organizations to achieve their mission. Those experiences have given me a front row seat and
greater awareness and insight into the factors that impede leadership and organizational
effectiveness within BHW. Because of my organizational development background, I have
become increasingly disenchanted with the complacency and inertia that hinders BHW from
continuing to thrive. For most of my life, BHW has played a significant part in my moral,
spiritual, personal and even professional development. Over the past two decades, I have
observed and experienced it becoming irrelevant both to my life and to generations that follow.
As Creswell & Creswell (2018) posits, owning one’s background, biases, and experiences
40

enhances the value of the research. By questioning aspects of my positionality that might include
blind spots leads to more socially responsible and ethically just research practices (Creswell &
Creswell, 2018). The level of frustration I have experienced over the past 12-15 years, my
impressions of leadership and thoughts of what needs to be done based on my professional
experience can undoubtedly color my interpretations throughout the process. To establish my
trustworthiness and credibility, I employed the reflection prompts adapted from (Secules &
Groen-Macall (2019). This practice encourages researchers to query themselves using prompts
around the impact of their positionality on (1) how you know what you know, (2) what you can
observe, (3) the methods you choose, (4) how you relate to the research participants and (5) how
you express yourself in written, oral and non-verbal communications (Secules & Groen-Macall,
2019). Reflecting on these questions assisted me in setting aside my biases and assumptions, to a
large extent, and taking a fresh perspective toward the phenomenon under examination.
Data Sources
Survey
The primary research method used in this study was an online survey. Surveys are
considered most appropriate when attempting to draw conclusions from a large group. The
surveys can help gauge the representativeness of individual views and experiences.
Participants
The target population for this study werethe 55 Black pastors in BHW’s Northeast
Region. This group was selected as the stakeholder of focus because they were at the epicenter of
the problem of practice that I wanted to examine. They wereclosest to the ground and had the
most impact in transforming the organization. According to Pazzaglia et al. (2016), with a
population size of 55, the sample size should be about 44 to achieve a 95 percent confidence
41

level. Accordingly, I invited the entire group of 55 to participate in the study. Of the group of 55,
there were 44 who started the survey. Only 29 of the 44 who began the survey ended up
completing it. Thus, my sample size was 29.
Instrumentation
The first data collection instrument used was a survey questionnaire containing 27
questions and composed of three sections. Likert-scales tended to yield more reliable and valid
information than a single item and are often thought to be more accurate for testing than
ambiguous concepts, such as satisfaction or leadership styles (Sullivan & Artino, 2013). One of
the advantages of the Likert scales was that they allowed me to assign numeric values to each
participant's questionnaire answers. Since participants were given predetermined choices, it
created consistency in the survey outcome (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016).
The first section of the survey consisted of six questions to determine some of the
socioeconomic and ethnographic characteristics of the population being surveyed. Those
questions focused on the participants’ age, whether they pastor full-time or bi-vocational, and
tenure in the pastorate. The second section consisted of 17 questions developed by this
researcher utilizing information contained in two studies: The Self-Efficacy and Leadership
Practices of Presidents of New Mexico Public Community College Hispanic Serving Institutions,
(Casados, 2014); The Preparedness and Self-Efficacy of Youth Ministers Regarding Technology
Integration in Ministry (Totman, 2018) and following the format of a five-point Likert scale (1 =
strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 == neutral, 4 = somewhat agree, and 5 = strongly agree) related
to the pastor’s self-efficacy beliefs. The third section consisted of four open-ended questions
asking the pastors to recall moments of peak performance and the conditions surrounding them.

42

Interviews
The second data collection method used in this study was a semi-structured interview.
Research showed that one of the main advantages of a semi-structured interview method was that
it successfully enabled reciprocity between the interviewer and participant (Galletta, 2013).
Further, the semi-structured method allowed the interviewer to ask follow-up questions based on
participants’ responses while also allowing space for participants verbal expressions (Kallio et
al., 2018).
Participants
At the conclusion of the survey questionnaire, I asked for volunteers to participate in the
interview phase of the study. Once the participants were identified, interviews were scheduled
either by Zoom or in-person, depending on availability. Interviews were scheduled for at least 60
minutes. The targeted number of interviews was 5 to 8 participants.
Instrumentation
There were at least seven predetermined interview questions but to probe a bit deeper, I
asked unplanned questions where appropriate. The interview questions were designed to elicit
responses that addressed the participants perceptions of their leadership self-efficacy, their lived
experiences, and helped to identify supports needed to enhance their ongoing development as
leaders.
Data Collection Procedures
Through analysis of the data from the interview questions, I highlighted relevant
statements that provided insight into how the participants experienced and perceived the
phenomenon. Following Creswell and Creswell’s (2018) recommendation, I then clustered
43

statements into meaningful themes. The themes were used to describe what the stakeholders
experienced along with the context that influenced how they experienced the phenomenon
(Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Finally, I recommended a process by which urban Black
Pentecostal churches can identify, measure and evaluate the support systems for facilitating the
ongoing leadership and ministry effectiveness of their pastors.
I conducted the survey electronically using the secure online tool administered by
Qualtrics. Arrangements for the survey questionnaire was sent via email. The survey was
launched in mid-to-late fall 2022 and concluded in December 2022. The Qualtrics platform
provided an integrated framework for conducting and evaluating survey data (Creswell &
Creswell, 2018). The online survey was shared with each participant via email.
Qualtrics automated the process of quantitative research, saving time and administration
work. Further, utilizing its computational techniques helped to avoid human errors and
participant results can be viewed and analyzed in real time (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).
Data Analysis
The survey and interviews generated the data for this study. For the qualitative analysis
(for the interviews and observations), data analysis began during data collection. Analytic
memos were written after each interview and each observation. I documented thoughts,
concerns, and initial conclusions about the data in relation to the conceptual framework and
research questions. Interviews were then transcribed and coded. For the quantitative analysis,
frequencies were calculated. For participant groups of fewer than 20, the percentage of
stakeholders who strongly agreed or agreed was presented in relation to those who strongly
disagreed or disagreed. For larger participant groups, means and standard deviations were
presented to identify average levels of responses. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted
44

once all survey results were submitted. Through the use of triangulation, the quantitative output
from the survey questionnaires was cross-checked against the emerging themes from the
qualitative interviews.
Validity and Reliability
Salkind (2014) asserted that any survey in which the tools used were unreliable led to
inconclusive results and hypotheses. To avoid this type of research error, Salkind (2014) insisted
that reliability and validity must be hallmarks of the research project. To ensure reliability
(measuring something consistently) and validity (the assurance that a test does what it says it will
do), Salkind recommended various approaches that I employed. For example, Salkind (2014)
suggested removing unclear questions from the survey instrument because of how they might be
interpreted by different participants. To ensure validity, I focused on content validity (Salkind,
2014). In so doing, I sought the input of experts in the field of pastoral leadership to ensure that
the survey instrument will yield the intended results.
Maxwell (2008) proposed various strategies to assist a researcher in addressing potential
threats to the validation of the research. The first of those strategies he described as “intensive,
long-term involvement” which requires the researcher to have familiarity and participation with
the case over an extended period of time (Maxwell, 2008; p.24). I have been a member and
served in BHW for over 40 years and am very familiar with the organization’s culture and modus
operandi. To counter the downside of the familiarity factor with the research subject and
participants, I employed the practice of bracketing in contemplation of the effects of my personal
biases on the research subject. Chan, Fung and Chien (2013) defined bracketing as an approach
used in phenomenological inquiry that requires intentionally setting aside one’s perceptions and
what you know about the topic.
45

A second method to enhance validity and reliability of the research study was being
mindful of how survey questions were structured to avoid inferencing, leading or ambiguity
(Sorsa et al., 2015). I found this to be true after conducting a pilot survey which resulted in
rewording or eliminating a few questions after feedback indicating certain questions were
unclear.
Thirdly, Ahern (1999) recommended that the researcher maintain a journal to capture
their thoughts and feelings and their possible effect during the data collection process. I kept a
journal throughout all stages of the data collection process to identify and isolate any inherent
biases from objective observations. As a researcher, I resisted the temptation to think about
myself, past experiences, and my own distracting thoughts while moving through the data collection
process.
Ethics
Ethical considerations have been contemplated in pursuit of this study. First, I followed
the expectations outlined by the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board.
Potential participants were informed of the nature and intent of the study. Each participant was
given an informed consent form with sufficient time for them to understand the nature of the
project. To maintain the confidentiality of the participants, names of participants or any other
identifiable characteristics were not reported in this study. Further, a pseudonym known only to
the researcher was used in describing the organization under study. No transcripts or original
documents were shared at any during or following the study.

46

Chapter 4: Findings
The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the experiences of
Black Pentecostal pastors in the Northeast Region of BHW regarding the supports needed for
their ongoing leadership development and ministry effectiveness. Utilizing a contextual
framework based on Bandura’s (1977, 1997, 2001) social cognitive theory, this chapter sets out
to answer the following research questions and related emerging themes:
RQ1: How confident are BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors in their
leadership skills?
RQ2: What experiences have BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors
experienced that have influenced their leadership skills and self-efficacy?
RQ3: What do BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors feel they need to be
more effective leaders?
Participants
Fifty-five Senior pastors in the predominantly Black congregations of BHW Worldwide
Northeast region participated in the study. Participants initially completed the online survey and
were invited to participate in the interviews on a voluntary basis. Those respondents who chose
to be interviewed for the study submitted their names to the BHW Regional Office, who then
shared the information with me.
Survey Participants
The single-stage online survey via Qualtrics was conducted over a three-week period in
January 2023 and used census results to capture responses received. Of the 55 pastors who
received the invitation email from the organization’s regional office to complete the survey, 44
pastors initiated the survey but only 29 completed it, yielding a 53% completion rate. Of the 29
47

respondents, their tenure as a pastor ranged from 0-5 years (Six participants, 21%), 6-10 years
(Six participants, 19%), 11-15 (Three participants, 10%), 16-20 (Five participants, 19%), and 21
or more (Nine participants, 31%). More than half of the survey respondents were seminary
trained and (17 participants, 58%) were bi-vocational compared to (12 participants, 42%) full-
time status. While more than half of the total contingent of senior pastors completed the survey,
the data does not represent all the voices. Those 15 senior pastors who started but did not
complete the survey are noteworthy. Future attempts should be made to determine the source of
their reluctance and gain their thoughts on this topic.
Interview Participants
Of the 29 survey respondents, eight volunteered to be interviewed. I conducted
interviews via Zoom during a one-month period between February and March 2023. The
participants' thoughts are synthesized and quoted throughout the Chapter Four findings.
Pseudonyms were assigned, providing the participants and their organizations anonymity,
enabling honest and open discussions of individual experiences. Each participant responded
favorably to the interview requests and the protocol’s line of questioning. Table 1 below
summarizes the interview participants, their tenure, highest degree earned, average Sunday
morning church attendance, and full-time or bi-vocational status. The interview participants'
tenure ranged from 0-5 years to 21 or more. All interviewees completed some post-secondary
education, and all but one is a bi-vocational pastor. Finally, they each pastor a church of at least
50 congregants or more.

Table 2
Interview Participants
48

Pseudony
m
Tenure as
Pastor
Highest Degree
Earned
Average Sunday
Morning
Church Attendance
Full-time/Bi-
Vocational
Benjamin 6-10 Bachelor’s 0-50 Bi-Vocational
Joseph 6-10 Master’s 0-50 Bi-Vocational
Asher 0-5 Master’s 0-50 Bi-Vocational
Judah 10-15 Master’s 0-50 Bi-Vocational
Dan 21 or more Doctorate 200 or more Bi-Vocational
Levi 21 or more Master’s; ABD 51-100 Bi-Vocational
Simeon 0-5 Master’s 101-150 Full-time
Reuben 10-15 Master’s 101-150

Bi-Vocational

The following sections of this chapter present the data collected through the online
survey and interviews on the types of leadership supports needed to enhance the ongoing
leadership development and ministry effectiveness of BHW Worldwide Northeast Region Black
senior pastors.
Findings for Research Question 1: How confident are BHW’s Northeast Region Black
Pastors in their leadership skills?
The first research question explored the confidence level of BHW pastors as it pertains to
their leadership skills. This research question focused on areas of leadership including strategic
planning, conflict management, collaboration, change management, and leading others and
overcoming opposition. Results and findings for this research question and its theme of
confidence and self-efficacy in demonstrating leadership skills follow.

49

Survey Results
The survey results revealed that most of the pastors who responded to the survey felt
confident about their leadership skills as illustrated in Table 2 below. Survey respondents were
asked to rate the extent to which they agree or disagree with statements related to their
confidence in a variety of leadership skills including conflict resolution, vision casting, change
management, and collaboration. The rating scale ranged from Strongly Agree (5 points) to
Strongly Disagree (1 point). On the eight survey questions in Table 2, survey participants
reported that they strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with each statement about their self-
confidence with individual leadership skill factors, as reflected by a mean score of greater than
4.0 on a 5-point scale for each question.

Table 3
Pastor’s Self-Reported Confidence Ratings
Factor Min. Max. Mean SD
I can respond to internal and external challenges that arise in
my leadership.

1.0

5.0

4.10

1.09
I can work with others to envision a better future and
strategic path for my local church.

1.0

5.0

4.62

0.85
I can set and create an environment to achieve goals. 1.0 5.0 4.31 0.95
I am confident in my ability to assess progress towards goals
and objectives.

1.0

5.0

4.24

1.04
I feel confident in my ability to handle conflicts as they arise. 1.0 5.0 4.21 0.92
I feel confident in my ability to collaborate with others to
arrive at solutions.

3.0

5.0

4.59

0.67
50

Factor Min. Max. Mean SD
I feel confident I can find the ways and means to persevere
amidst opposition.

3.0

5.0

4.52

0.62
I feel that I can adapt my leadership as situations evolve. 3.0 5.0 4.32 0.66
_____________________________________________________________________________
These high confidence ratings were consistent for all the leadership skill related
questions. Further, over two-thirds (69%) of survey respondents reported that they clearly
understood their role as a pastor, providing further evidence of the confidence in their leadership
abilities reported by the senior pastors. I conducted a correlational analysis between years of
service, bi-vocational/full-time status, educational preparation, and the pastors’ reported
confidence levels to determine if any statistical relationships (p-value < 0.05) existed. The results
for each are as follows: bi-vocational/full time status and confidence levels, p-value = 3.25; years
of service and confidence levels, p-value = .051; educational preparation and confidence levels,
p-value = 0.143. Thus, no significant statistical relationships existed between these variables and
the reported high confidence levels. Yet, despite the high confidence levels, 39% of the interview
participants indicated they felt dissatisfied with their effectiveness. The overall sense was that
once participants began to reflect and talk about leadership in terms of people practices,
decision-making, and other administrative matters, there was more acknowledgment of a need
for help. This finding would lead me to probe more deeply with the interview participants
regarding the reported high confidence levels. Consequently, they became more open to
examining their perceptions about their leadership effectiveness and opportunities for
improvement.

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Interview Findings
While all interview participants expressed high confidence levels in their leadership
skills, there was some variation about what contributed to their high levels of confidence. Fifty
percent of the interview participants highlighted their spiritual preparation when asked about the
source of confidence in their leadership skills, focusing on study of scripture and preaching
efficacy. Levi emphasized “I have developed in the word of God, my brother...I went through the
Bible from cover to cover five times.” Reuben echoed a similar sentiment, “I think the most
important development is my knowledge of what truly the Word of God is saying and how to
correlate the Word of God to the present and the future.” Asher and Judah also attributed their
confidence to their “experiences with God” in their formative years. Those four interview
participants leaned into the spiritual when describing confidence in their leadership until I
rephrased the question. Once they perceived the question to focus more on their leadership skill
development and ministry effectiveness, their responses would later be in line with that of the
other participants.
The remaining four participants attributed their confidence to their strengths, the impact
of relationships, and training. Dan remarked, “I would say, it's a combination of three elements.
It's a lot about my personal commitment to and relationship with the Lord, and also training,
academic and otherwise, and the hands-on experience of how to be a pastor.” Joseph pointed to
“…the leadership that I have come up under right. So those tangible expressions of leadership
whether they are in church or out of church…because I think leadership principles are consistent
across every spectrum…”Benjamin insisted “I've always been able to connect with people
relationally more than any other. But I've learned over the years that how I function, how I
practice things is really through relationships.” Likewise, Simeon shared, “I believe, would say
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my interpersonal skills, my ability to interact with people across a broad spectrum of ages,
socioeconomic classes and status in life.”
The interview responses revealed a more balanced perspective from the senior pastors
about confidence in their leadership skills. Although the senior pastors indicated confidence in
their leadership skills, they all expressed a need for further and ongoing development. They
identified areas such as the need for critical self-reflection, motivating people, counseling,
managing conflict, and planning as some areas they need to develop. Having an opportunity to
reflect upon their confidence in their leadership practice and ministry effectiveness seemed to
spark the interest of the senior pastors as they freely shared their experiences.
In summary, this first section revealed that BHW’s Northeast Region Black Senior
Pastors claim high confidence levels in their leadership skills and self-efficacy. The survey and
interviews revealed that BHW’s senior pastors felt confident about their leadership skills. Upon
further probing during the interviews, for some, their confidence seemed to be tied more to their
preaching and pulpit abilities than their capacity to carry out leadership behaviors such as
delegation, communication, strategic planning, vision casting, coaching, and motivation. As I
clarified the difference between their pulpit ministry and their understanding of leadership
regarding the specific tasks associated with leading people and their organization, the senior
pastors became more contemplative when addressing their confidence in their leadership skills.
The interviewees then freely shared how they bridged perceived gaps to improve their leadership
skills and self-efficacy.

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Findings for Research Question 2: What experiences have BHW’s Northeast Region Black
Pastors experienced that have influenced their leadership skills and self-efficacy?
The second research question focused on the experiences that Black senior pastors felt
contributed to their leadership self-efficacy. Through the in-depth interviews, participants shared
that mentoring, vocational and professional training, and peer networking helped to influence
their leadership acumen. Some interview participants pinpointed self-directed efforts including
reading books and relevant articles to improve their leadership skills, but all highlighted the three
factors mentioned above as central to their development as leaders.
Mentoring
Of the eight pastors interviewed, all identified mentors in their lives as being instrumental
to their development as leaders. Five of the eight interviewees specifically named the same
bishop as having significantly guided them through their leadership journey. The other three
referred to other individuals who had influenced their leadership philosophy. All eight pastors
unequivocally credited their mentors with shaping the foundation of how they approach
leadership.
When describing his mentor relationships, Benjamin expressed joy in “…connecting with
them on an intimate level and having them walk with me through the whole process of becoming
a new pastor was tremendous”. Benjamin added that with the various mentors in his life, he “got
to understand what made them tick,” so he could learn from their mistakes. He shared that he and
his mentors have developed a “wonderful healthy relationship that allows him tap into them”
when he is encountering any type of leadership challenge. Similarly, Joseph expressed “…just
having those literal tangible examples have helped me compartmentalize my life and look at it in
different ways.” Joseph spoke fondly of one of his mentors who advised him to “always have
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“three men in your life that you can be totally transparent with”. He added that he understood
those words “…within the framework of mentorship.” Over time, he stated that his his mentors
“…have become voices of wisdom” that have helped him face his inadequacies and develop the
strength and perseverance to work through them He added his mentor would also ask “how
would this decision impact your family, your finances…” and in effect, hold him accountable for
his actions. Due to the profound impact mentors have had in his life, Joseph has established a
pastoral oversight council to maintain that level of accountability and ensure that he is effectively
leading his church. Reuben stated, “They helped me by showing the human side of being a
leader.” Asher shared of his mentor “he was able to kind of just pour into me some practical
things foreign to my life. Some of the practical aspects of ministry - of loving people, of caring
for people, of caring for a church. He pulled me in…pulled me close.”
The common thread among these accounts was the presence and accountability of
mentors in the lives of these senior pastors. These mentors came alongside the senior pastors and
helped them with their personal growth, but more importantly, they helped them build their
leadership practice.
Judah declared that his mentor “…had a way of stretching you to get better…pushing you
to another level.” For example, Judah shared that one of his mentors would assign him to
present topics at conventions that seemed beyond his level of training and academic preparation.
Judah was puzzled by this approach, thinking others could better present the topic. Judah later
appreciated those teachable moments once he realized what he was becoming and that his mentor
“thought more of me” than he thought of himself. When talking about one of his mentors,
Simeon conveyed that “He was a deep thinker, and he knew how to strategize. So, I watched him
very, very carefully.” Simeon added “I watched how he led through his parish through his
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leaders, and so I sat in the passenger seat…we would talk, he would advise me, and I’d listen to
what he'd have to say, and take his guidance along with self-reflection.”
Many of these pastors’ mentors were men and women who previously served as pastors
or had led organizations before and were able to share the experiences and lessons learned with
the senior pastors.
Dan described a mentor as that “person who guides, teaches, and directs you on a path of
excellence; and when you are not following the standards, and they assist you and correct you.”
Dan recalled the time when his mentor recommended him to become a pastor, much to his own
displeasure. “…I was angry. I didn't take kindly to it, stated Dan. For Dan, the concept of pastor
carried “a lot of weight to it”, and he was quite content in his role working with youths. Upon
reflection, Dan shared through that and many other similar experiences, “it helped to build my
self esteem…helped to build my confidence.” He expressed that his mentors “saw the best in me
and they seemed to have pulled it out.” For that reason, Dan declared “every pastor needs a
mentor.”
These mentoring moments created a safe space for the senior pastors to reflect upon their
leadership practice and receive guidance. All interview participants reported maintaining close
contact with their mentors and stressed their continuing value and impact on their lives.
Vocational Training and Professional Development
The majority of the pastors (seven of eight) interviewed were bi-vocational, splitting their
time between their day job in the marketplace and serving as a pastor. Of those seven, five
regarded their exposure to vocational training as a key contributor to the development of
leadership skills that were not previously addressed through BHW. These developmental
experiences, while they occurred outside of their roles as pastors, helped bridge the gap between
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their pulpit ministry of preaching and sacramental service and that of leading people and their
congregations. The senior pastors conveyed being energized when they could connect their
vocational professional development experiences and their pastoral leadership work.
Joseph shared about his participation in a leadership academy, “…just being in that
focused, intentional leadership development program probably has had the most profound impact
on me as a pastor.” His participation in the leadership academy has helped him to address areas
such as time management, organization, and identifying strength in others. Joseph remarked that
“I was all over the place…no real order of operations, and not being able to take a step back and
look at how the overall system was working together.” From those professional experiences,
Joseph remarked that he was able to realize that the “value of the team is not necessarily about us
all having the same strength” but being able to identify everyone’s strengths and weaknesses “so
we become complementary to one another.” Simeon highlighted their former military training
and involvement in a leadership program for managers on the job, “I push people to work as fast
as I work, or I push myself. I had to unlearn that.” Simeon added that their work in industry
helped with this. Simeon emphasized “I am a doer…I like to get things done and get it done
quickly,” and was affirmed in this perception through their completion of a Meyers-Brigg
personality test on the job. Once Simeon understood how this was impacting their leadership, “I
have to learn to delegate tasks to key leaders and to allow them to do the work and report to me.
Simeon further added, “I had to give people time to work at their own pace, but at the same time
hold them accountable for the tasks that they were assigned.” Simeon said they relied heavily on
their military training to help adapt to this aspect of leadership.
Asher talked about his experience in going through 360° reviews at work and how
“having frank conversations about my strengths and weaknesses” helped him address some areas
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of development. Through the 360° exercise, Asher learned that “I've had to develop in some
areas - things like scheduling…things like vision casting…things like having courageous
conversations and not shying away.”
Contrastingly, these pastors found that bringing their vocation and professional training
and experiences into the church realm has not always been welcomed. For example, Simeon
pointed out, “You sound too much like business”, revealing the push back they would receive
when referencing strategies used from their secular employment. While the pastors indicated
more openness towards so-called "business strategies" within BHW, very little training, if any, is
offered in the practical aspects of leadership. Thus, there was minimal opportunity for them to
develop and hone their skills in the areas associated with running a church well.
Thus, the pastors all highlighted the value of their vocational training/professional
development experiences. They found the leadership skills development they were exposed to in
their secular jobs to be transferrable to their pastoral leadership. They related being able to apply
the leadership principles and skills acquired through their vocational and professional
development experiences in their roles as pastors. For the senior pastors, these on-the-job
experiences filled a void they felt was missing from their BHW pastoral training.
Peer Groups and Networking
While the interview participants emphasized mentoring relationships and professional
development experiences as integral to their leadership skill development, they also expressed a
yearning for opportunities to engage with peers within and external to BHW to help navigate
their personal and professional lives and enhance their leadership self-efficacy. The interviewees
acknowledged that there is no shortage of corporate worship-type gatherings where pastors come
together to worship and hear good preaching. However, they contend that the opportunities for
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them to meet with their fellow pastors in non-worship style atmospheres to share ideas, best
practices, challenges, and to resource and support each other are few and far between.
Asher expressed that pastors need more than just someone “preaching or lecturing” to
them. He said that he would like “connecting with other pastors to form sort of a support group
where you can.” He mentioned that such a forum is evolving in his district. He said, “It's just
been kind of like organic when we're either fellowshipping, or maybe just talking about our
experiences over the last couple of weeks or months.”
Levi spoke of pastors pouring out to their congregations but not having a vehicle to be
“poured back into.” For that reason, he relishes his weekly meeting with his wife, and three other
pastors and their spouses. He called those meetings “keeping it real” and said they have “never
missed a meeting in 12 years.” According to Levi, the four pastors and their spouses can talk
about any topic of interest ranging from administrative concerns to matters of pastor’s well-being
in a safe, unscripted, non-threatening, and supportive environment.
Dan expressed a similar need for peer encouragement and support where confidences can
be maintained. “I mean you need people…where you can be able to say, you know, this
happened at the church, and this is how I'm feeling,” he remarked. He added “pastors need a safe
space where they can be themselves, express how they feel and can be free…because leadership
can be a lonely job”.
Further, the pastors interviewed admitted that BHW has held a historically insular view
regarding networking with other church denominations and parachurch organizations, which has
hindered their ability to interact with and learn from peers. When the senior pastors were able to
incorporate peer networking opportunities within their schedule, they said they found them to be
beneficial to their leadership development.
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Benjamin described his participation as part of a cohort of New York area pastors from
various denominations who met regularly over the course of several months for targeted training
as “…just being able to sit with other pastors and really hearing their experiences, and also
having to bounce certain things off them, having to ask certain challenging questions…was
tremendously helpful for me personally.” Judah commented on his participation in a year-long
pastor-centered project during the pandemic sponsored by a national organization, “I think that
was a powerful thing. I feel that was a good support for me at the time, because…well, this is
something new. I didn't know any of this before.” Asher, who also participated in the same
program as Judah, relished being part of a non-denominational “group of men who were
studying what it means to preach the gospel and what kind of gospel are we preaching.”
Without the exposure and networking experiences with peers internal and external to
BHW, these senior pastors felt they miss out on growth and new learning opportunities. They
recognized that there is a lot to be gained through interfacing with and tapping into the wider
Christian community. Through expanding their networks, these senior pastors found they are
better able to stay updated on current trends, deepen their knowledge, and sharpen their
leadership skills.
In summary, this section of the findings focuses on the experiences BHW's Black senior
pastors believed influenced their leadership skills and self-efficacy. For all their years of service
and varied experiences, the senior Pastors identified mentoring/coaching, vocational
training/professional development, and peer networking as key contributors to their leadership
development. The senior pastors considered a mentor's presence and impact on their lives crucial
to their leadership development. In addition, the pastors believed bringing their vocational
training in management and leadership to bear upon their pastoral leadership enhanced their
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leadership skills. Further, the senior pastors reported gaining new perspectives, strategies, and
relationships through connecting with peers inside and outside BHW. These pastors praised
BHW's efforts to enhance the spiritual development of its pastors. Still, they sought more support
in building pastors' capacity to lead people effectively and successfully direct the administrative
and financial aspects of leading a church. They recognized that if these areas are run poorly, they
will be ineffective in their leadership and the church will not succeed in achieving its mission.
Findings for Research Question 3: What do BHW’s Northeast Region Black Pastors feel
they need to be more effective leaders?
This research question explored what supports BHW senior pastors believe they need to
foster their leadership development and ministry effectiveness. The interviews revealed three
themes: coaching and mentoring, leadership skills development, and peer networking. First, the
senior pastors believed that having a mentor or coach relationship is integral to fostering greater
leadership self-awareness and growth. Second, providing targeted leadership skills training to
address the people and administrative aspects of pastoral leadership was highly desired by the
senior pastors. Third, the senior pastors felt creating spaces and promoting opportunities for
networking with peers within and outside of BHW to address similar challenges and identify and
act on new opportunities would be advantageous.
Coaching and Mentoring
Senior pastors in this study affirmed the need for ongoing coaching and mentoring. Each
senior pastor interviewed spoke to the positive impact of mentors in their lives. Mentors/coaches
provided a trusting relationship where these pastors could reflect upon their practice without
judgement and make improvements to their leadership practice.
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In describing the importance of the mentoring relationship, Joseph stressed “… we can
never grow personally if we won't accept where we are and be honest with who we are and
what's going on. So, Joseph surrounded himself with three mentors, one to instruct on his
preaching, another for his pastoral work, and a third for his family life. Joseph insisted that they
have become “sounding boards” and have been known to oppose or advise against certain of his
actions as a leader. Joseph admitted that “when you bring these men into your life, you have to
give them the power to hold you accountable.” Levi asserted that “every pastor needs somebody
to walk along with them. I call it a paraclete…somebody who has walked the road before. None
of us have it all, even if we’ve been pastoring for 50 years.” Levi reported even relying on
mentors from a distance, like notable Christian pastors including Charles Swindoll, Tony Evans,
David Jeremiah, and Alistair Beg. He called them his “pastors.” For Levi, looking to these
mentors through their admonitions, writings and admonitions has helped him in disposing of his
day-to-day pastoral duties. “Pastors are pouring out so much, you need somebody to pour back
into you,” Levi remarked. He credits these mentors with helping him to reflect upon and improve
his leadership. Simeon agreed with this perception stating, “it's hard to give what you haven't
received.”
According to the interview participants, having mentors and positive role models in
pastoral ministry can greatly impact a pastor's leadership effectiveness. Further, learning from
experienced pastors, observing their leadership style, and receiving guidance and advice can help
shape a pastor's own approach to leading and caring for their congregation. While each pastor
acknowledged that their mentor relationships were formed organically and, in some cases,
serendipitously, the senior pastors felt strongly that this needs to be an essential component of a
pastor's leadership development.
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Leadership Skill Development
In addition to ongoing coaching and mentoring, pastors need intentional leadership skills
development. The interview participants spoke to the organization's emphasis on preaching as
the overriding skill for pastors. Still, there needs to be more attention addressing skills relating to
how to be a leader of people and the organization, such as strategic planning, vision casting,
dealing with people, and knowing one's leadership style. Interviewees shared their belief that this
type of training and development has been a deficit in the church's training model. All
interviewees acknowledged the need for more targeted and earlier and ongoing leadership skill
development. Further, the pastors seek help in becoming more critically self-reflective and
gaining feedback on their performance to know where improvement is needed.
According to Levi, “The way our church put people into ministry is to find a person who
preached a few good messages and…say that person is good to be a pastor…and put them out
there and they either swim or drown.” Benjamin echoed that sentiment as he disclosed that “I’ve
never really gone through the process of really training on how you function as a pastor. That
aspect should be developed before you appoint someone as a pastor.”
Joseph furthermore expressed that much of the training offered by BHW leans more
towards doctrinal teaching and insisted “…need to make sure that we have a framework to just
develop the leader …many of our people are more focused on their charismatic expression of the
ministry.” He added that increased emphasis needed to be placed on “one's ability to lead other
people when they're not preaching.” Reuben further explained that “leading a church is not like it
used to be… You need to know some legal aspects… some financial...some administrative. You
got to be computer literate. We got to know a whole bunch of things.” Levi added “Seminary is
giving you the basics…a few leadership courses …but when you get into a church…depends on
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how you lead as to whether you can get the majority of these people with you or fighting you.”
Dan emphasized “People are the greatest resource that you have, and so pastors who are
impatient with people won't do very well in terms of leadership…they need to know how to
inspire and motivate their people and learn not to take things personally.”
These pastors were impassioned in their plea for more targeted leadership skill
development. They recognized that their leadership went beyond their ability to preach the Word
of God and needed the organization to recognize and act upon it. As they shared their
experiences, the pastors seemed to want a more holistic leadership development approach that
integrates the spiritual with the pragmatic aspects of leading an organization.
Simeon shared that “a lot of time we say you’re sounding too much like business but the
thing of it is the church is the biggest business on the earth. So having knowledge of things like
strategic planning is key.” Judah expressed that he would appreciate the opportunity to get
deeper into understanding the human psyche “…I think that would help you to be a better pastor
and a better preacher, because…when you prepare your sermon, by understanding the human
psyche, you can now…relate to the people on that level.” Judah further lamented, “I don't think
we've invested as a body enough in equipping pastors for leadership.”
While those pastors with high self-efficacy can seek growth opportunities, there is strong
support for a more comprehensive and concerted effort to strengthen the leadership capability of
the BHW’s pastors to effectively lead their congregations in these turbulent times. The senior
pastors welcomed the recent shift in focusing on more contemporary topics and events such as
Covid response, human trafficking, virtual church, etc. Still, they would like more opportunities
to strengthen a pastor's practical leadership skills. They believed there needs to be a greater focus
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on leadership skill development instead of relying solely on pastors to figure it out
independently.
Critical Self-reflection
A critical component of leadership development and effectiveness is having a healthy
sense of self-awareness as it pertains to building and maintaining relationships with others.
Specifically, these pastors want to better understand how they show up as leaders to their
congregations and the organization, so they know where improvements are needed. Several
interviewees referenced moments when they realized a blind spots and understood the impact of
the way they were leading. These pastors shared that by engaging more in self-reflective
practices, they could have better navigated some of the people and organizational minefields they
faced over the course of their pastorate. They all agree that taking the time to build critical self-
reflection into their leadership practice can enhance their leadership and ministry effectiveness.
Simeon declared “I think that the first thing a leader needs to do is to discover him or
herself and know what type of leader he or she is.” He added, “they may be a great preacher,
might be good with exegesis analysis of Scripture, but he or she needs to know what type of
leader he or she is, and that is done through some leadership profiling.” Simeon further
underscored that “It doesn't start with the Bible and the Scriptures. It starts with the leader and
himself, or herself…then the leader and the family, then you go into the Bible and other things.”
Asher said he has questions about his leadership style that need answering. Questions he raised
included, “What are the deficiencies in your leadership style? Given your personality and some
of the things you gravitate towards, what are some of the areas you're likely to struggle with, and
how can you overcome them?”
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These pastors shared that the kind of vulnerability it takes to be more critically reflective
is not openly or regularly discussed among their ranks but is sorely needed. Without providing a
space for these conversations, participants feel that undesirable leadership behaviors go
unaddressed, leading to adverse outcomes for the leader and the congregation.
Reuben shared “…there's a lot to being a pastor. There's a lot to being a leader of people.
So, the ethics and characteristics of the person must be there even before the spiritual and
theological development is there.” Joseph argued “It is not just information...not just courses on
leadership. But courses that are developing pastors. I don't just want to take an organizational
development course…a writing course, they have to lead to some intended progression and
maturation.”
The interviewees were uniformly transparent in acknowledging the need for taking time
to reflect on their leadership practice. There was a genuine interest in having this topic becoming
a part of pastoral leadership training going forward to better enable pastors to identify their
tendencies and potential derailers as it pertains to leading people and congregations.
Performance-based Feedback
These pastors realized that self-awareness cannot be gained in a vacuum. Pastors also
expressed a desire to gain real time information about their performance as a pastor. None of the
participants could recall any formal performance feedback, either real time or otherwise. Asher
shared “I don't really think that there has been a lot of quality feedback. I think that's probably
because nobody is able to be up close and personal...to watch my ministry, to see if there are any
gaps.” Levi insisted, “I need someone to be sitting, observing my ministry and see if I know what
I’m doing, but that does not happen. If you don't know what I’m doing, what feedback are you
going to give me?”
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Without feedback from supervisors, the pastors expressed having not knowing what they
are doing well and where there is room for improvement. Judah maintained, “I don't think
supervisors get involved…to really know how effective your ministry is. They may visit you, but
unless they really invest time to see what's happening and how you operate, they really cannot
tell you how you're doing.”
The feedback they might receive from supervisors or peers was usually in passing
or ceremonial and not with any intentionality. Benjamin stated “It's more informal...it's a chat.
It's not like…okay, we're sitting down. We're going to evaluate what's going on. I think that's so
needed.” He added, “But also, I think it feels weird to evaluate this person that you never gave
them any resources to do any of their job effectively.” Benjamin stated he would welcome
conversations around “how has your church grown, what have you done in this area, how are you
doing” from a leadership perspective. Dan showed agreement, maintaining “…there needs to be
structured evaluation, so that the pastor can know how well he's performing…what are the things
he's doing well and…not doing so well, so that he can be of a greater blessing to the church.”
This study found what appears to be a dearth when it comes to providing feedback to
BHW senior pastors about their leadership effectiveness. Interviewees could not recall any
formal or informal discussion around their performance for the purposes of building their
leadership self-efficacy. As a result, skill deficiencies were not addressed. This void created a
false sense of security about pastors’ self-efficacy and leadership development.
Networking
A third need pastors expressed was for more peer networking opportunities within and
external to the organization. BHW senior pastors often expressed feeling they are on an island
alone. Partnering or gaining perspectives from peers, particularly outside of BHW, was not
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promoted within the organization. When they managed to look beyond the prevailing mindsets
and sought out and took part in networking opportunities, they experienced greater confidence in
their leadership skills. Further, they even longed for occasions to meet more regularly with their
BHW peers to show support and learn from each other. The pastors agreed that there have been
gatherings for fellowship, but not enough around building a coalition of support and
encouragement for the pastoral leadership work.
Peer Networking Internally
The senior pastors sought increased networking with their BHW peers. They expressed a
desire for more dialogue, information sharing, and critical thinking among their fellow pastors.
Asher surmised, “I think one of the things I would benefit from is discussions on leadership, its
challenges, and pathways to success.” For instance, Asher explained “I’d love to be able to
engage and say, hey, you know this is the situation I’m facing. How would you handle? How
could I go about doing this in the most effective way?”
Other pastors commented on the feeling of isolation that creeped into their leadership
experience from time to time. To this point, 69% of the online survey respondents reported
feeling some sense of ministry isolation. Benjamin pointed out “just coming together and being
able to say we’re not in competition. We are really on the same team,” needs to be underscored.
He added that one of the highlights of his pastorate was “when several pastors in my locale
decided to forego their Sunday morning service and join each other for worship and fellowship.
It felt like you were not alone.” Benjamin expressed “It was a tremendous moment. I wish we
could do that more…just having a fellowship that you can rely on constantly and
consistently…and being here for each other intentionally.” Joseph stated “You can go to all the
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seminars. But at some point, you're going to need real hands-on experience to apply what you
have learned, but that application cannot be done in isolation.”
Levi took matters into his own hand by establishing a small cohort of pastors that meet
regularly for prayer, encouragement, and information sharing. Levi stated “…we have a prayer
group that's been going on for 12 years…that has been a source of strength. There is no putting
on. We can be ourselves in a judgment free zone and learn from each other’s experiences.”
The senior pastors believed that coming together with their BHW peers to share
experiences, learn from, and strengthen each other cannot be overstated. These senior pastors felt
there was a need for more transparency, vulnerability, and information sharing among their
peers. Some senior pastors expressed concern that there were colleagues who give the impression
that "all is well" with their leadership but might be struggling and just afraid to admit it. The
pastors believe if there were dedicated safe spaces for pastors to be their authentic selves and
find help and support from their brethren, more pastors would feel more confident about their
leadership and overall ministry effectiveness.
Peer Networking Externally
The interview participants felt they could benefit equally from peers external to BHW.
They acknowledged that BHW held a closed-door policy for many years about engaging with
other denominations. As more leaders within BHW break out of this mold and find synergies
with other denominations, the senior pastors found that their leadership has benefited greatly
from the exposure and interactions with these external peers and partners. ”Benjamin shared “as
a small church with all volunteers, I’ve had to look to other organizations that are planting
churches and really hearing their experiences and also having to bounce certain things off of
them, asking challenging questions. Judah said “…we can even look at other denominations and
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see how they come up with something that better prepares pastors.” Along similar lines, Asher
stated “Sometimes we come together for a leadership meeting, and we can have somebody from
outside BHW…talk on a topic. It's like being in a university. You can bring psychology and the
Bible together to understand the human psyche. Levi accentuated the need for going outside of
BHW “when the resources and expertise are not present.”
For the pastors interviewed, they highly regarded their experiences learning with
and from external peers. From those experiences, their eyes and minds were opened to topics and
ideas that they would not have been exposed to otherwise. Two of the pastors recounted recent
experiences as part of organization which runs a church planting and evangelism training
program for pastors. Some pastors interviewed asked to have BHW peers with specialized
training in relevant fields be given opportunities to speak to areas such as dealing with human
behavior, counseling, and financial literacy. They believed that there are untapped expertise and
resources within the organization that could be enlisted to help build the leadership capacity of
BHW’s pastors.
In summary, this final segment of findings addressed the types of supports BHW senior
pastors believe they need to enhance their leadership skills and ministry effectiveness. The
interview responses revealed four emergent themes - ongoing coaching/mentoring, targeted
leadership skill development, increased networking among peers internal and external to BHW,
and a need for increased performance feedback.
BHW senior pastors emphasized the need for pastors to be engaged in a
mentoring/coaching relationship early and continuously throughout their pastoral tenure. The
pastors felt that most knew how to do church but were deficient in their knowledge of leading a
church. Specifically, they asked for more training in the practical aspects of leading a church. To
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further develop their leadership skills, the senior pastors also wanted to interface more with their
BHW peers as well as organizations external to BHW to provide much needed information
sharing and encouragement. Finally, the senior pastors wanted more conversations about
performance so they can know what they are doing well and where improvement is needed.
Summary of Findings
This study encompassed two components: (1) an online survey to examine beliefs about
the leadership development experiences of BHW's Black senior pastors, and (2) 30 to 45-minute
semi-structured interviews to extrapolate in-depth perspectives of participants leadership
development experiences. The research study centered on three questions. Research Question I
explored the confidence levels of BHW's senior pastors regarding their leadership skills.
Research Question II examined the types of experiences that contributed to the leadership
development of interview participants. Research Question III probed into the types of support
that interview participants need to enhance their leadership development.
Data collected from the online surveys showed that BHW's survey respondents strongly
believed in their ability to lead. The research methodology allowed me to delve into the
leadership development experiences of eight BHW senior pastors for additional insights to build
a comprehensive understanding and provide a better context around their leadership development
and ministry effectiveness. Throughout the interviews, BHW's senior Black pastors were more
than willing to share their leadership development experiences. Each interview participant shared
their journeys that revealed their dissatisfactions, hopes, and expectations for building their
leadership self-efficacy and enhancing their ministry effectiveness. The conversations revealed
distress and a longing for attention to this somewhat deprived aspect of their roles. The
participants reflected on how they had to harness what they could find to guide their
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development. The participants reported seeking mentors, professional development
opportunities, increased peer interactions, and enhanced performance feedback to strengthen
their leadership practice. These key findings formulate the recommendations in Chapter Five.

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Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations
This study sought to understand the types of supports that BHW Northeast Region Black
pastors need to foster their ongoing leadership and ministry development. First, the study
surveyed how confident BHW Northeast Region’s Black pastors were in their leadership skills.
The second research question gathered experiences that influenced BHW Northeast Region’s
Black pastors' leadership self-efficacy and skills. The third question probed what supports the
pastors felt they needed to be more effective leaders. Undertaking this study was critical to gain
an understanding of how to support BHW Northeast Region Black pastors so they can effectively
lead their congregations through these disruptive and uncertain times. The lived experiences and
perspectives of the senior pastors provided greater insight into how they can be better supported
to become more effective leaders. A mixed method research approach was used to answer the
research questions. Data was gathered from participants via an online survey and semi-structured
interviews. In this chapter, the major findings of this study will be explained and synthesized
with the researcher’s personal observations and contributions from the literature review. In
addition, the implications for ministry will be explored and the limitations of this study
identified. Finally, recommendations for implementing supports to enhance the leadership
development of BHW Northeast Region pastors will be offered.
Discussion of Findings
The findings and results of this study explored the three questions using analyzed data
described in Chapter Four. Generally, the findings and results were consistent with other studies
of this nature. The findings of this study show that BHW Northeast Region’s Black pastors:
1) felt confident about their leadership skills,
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2) enhanced their leadership abilities through mentoring, peer networking, and
vocational/professional training, and
3) desired more performance feedback to help them improve their leadership
effectiveness.
BHW’s Senior Pastors confidence in their leadership skills
This study found that generally, BHW Northeast Region’s Black pastors felt confident
about their leadership skills. Their mostly positive outlook seemed to be based primarily on their
spiritual preparation and experiential learning. Through further probing of and reflection by
interview participants, the senior pastors disclosed a disquieting need for further and ongoing
leadership development. The pastors shared how most BHW Northeast Region pastors started as
great preachers who were then appointed as pastors without any formal training or guidance on
how to lead a group of people within an organizational context. The interview participants all
agreed that that model is no longer sustainable. While they applaud BHW Global’s efforts over
the past two decades for emphasizing ministry preparation through its varied educational
offerings, the pastors admitted that there is still a gap when it comes to being prepared for all the
people and administrative matters that are inherent in a pastor’s role. This perception aligns with
the literature as Day and Harrison (2007) asserted that beyond their theological preparation,
pastors need to demonstrate “incredible leadership capacity to navigate the complexity of a
globalized world,” (p.17). In addressing the urgent need for pastors to develop leadership skills,
Tilstra et al. (2011) echoed a similar alarm that today’s pastors function in social contexts in
which their seminary training has not equipped them. Elkington et al. (2015) took it a step further
by specifying that pastors need to acquire competencies in the areas of administration, policy,
and strategy.
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One interviewed pastor shared that he believed there is a sense of insecurity among some
BHW Northeast Region pastors about their leadership skills which have affected their confidence
level, but they feared exposing that weakness. As a result, these pastors lean into their spiritual
leadership while the other equally important aspects of their leadership suffer. With such a
narrow understanding of their roles, senior pastors may possibly have a false sense of their
leadership and ministry effectiveness. Consequently, many pastors are uncertain about what
congregational leadership from the pastor necessitates (Quicke, 2006).
The eight pastors that volunteered for the interviews all had some form of higher
education, advanced degrees in non-secular majors, and an awareness of the importance of
leadership development beyond the pulpit ministry. While they expressed an overall confidence
in their leadership skills, they also acknowledge a desire to take their leadership to increased
heights of ministry effectiveness.
Influence of Mentors
Mentorship played a significant role in developing the leadership skills of the interview
participants. All interviewed pastors spoke of the influence of one or more leaders whose impact
on their leadership ability has resounded throughout their ministry. Participants described how
mentors helped to shape their leadership philosophy and guided them through defining moments
in their pastoral journeys. They indicated that the notion of having a mentor was rarely discussed
or even operationalized within BHW. Mentorship was something these pastors pursued on their
own and developed a great appreciation for its place in enhancing their leadership capabilities. A
survey of the literature supports the findings that mentorship is critical to leadership
development. Han (2015) suggested a mentor is a must have for anyone contemplating the
intricate responsibility of leadership an organization. Mentors provide leaders with wisdom,
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insights, accountability and the reflective space essential to nurture vision and sustain leadership
momentum (Han, 2015). For the interview participants, this was found to be particularly true
with their first pastoral assignment. The literature corroborates this point as McKenna et al.
(2007) noted in their study that mentors emerged as the most common developmental experience
for young pastors.
Interview participants in this study spoke fondly of the same Bishop who mentored them
during critical junctures in their pastorate. They discussed how he came alongside, met regularly
with them, listened to their struggles, and offered wisdom, but most of all, he gave them himself.
He became so influential in their lives that when certain situations arose in their ministry, they
often thought about what he would do in that situation. This and other mentoring type
relationships left lasting impressions on these senior pastors. Others spoke of how their mentors
stretched them to perform beyond what they even thought they could do. Wright (2009) contends
that leadership is viewed as a relationship and as a result, mentor relationships greatly enrich the
development of a leader. Jones and Gordon (2022) assert that lifelong mentor relationships are
important to pastors to help them identify areas of strengths, weaknesses and potential pitfalls of
leadership.
Peer Networking
The study found that participants experienced growth and development through their
involvement in peer groups and networking opportunities with peers from other faith traditions
and organizations. Participants valued those relationships because of the common understanding
of ministry, which provided an opportunity to talk through ministry issues with someone who
understood and to share ideas and resources. The senior pastors shared that the relationships they
established and the stories, encouragements, anecdotes, and shared wisdom that followed were
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invaluable experiences that broadened their perspectives about their pastor role. They expressed
feelings of being "alone on an island" or feeling in a bubble because the culture of BHW for
many years had been somewhat close-minded when connecting with other faith traditions and
denominations. Interviewees shared how they branched out from BHW and interacted with other
faith-based organizations to gain knowledge and insights about pastoral work. They described
how the experience of being with peers from other organizations facing similar challenges or
implementing innovative practices opened their minds to new and exciting possibilities. The
literature supported this study's findings that peer groups were essential to the participants'
development. A study conducted through the Lilly Endowment Sustaining Pastoral Excellence
program found that people in ministry benefit significantly from peer groups (Burns, 2013).
Maykus and Marler (2010), who conducted the Lilly study, found that peer groups and networks
with practices like sharing personal concerns, enjoying fellowship, getting feedback on ministry,
and praying for each other, led to clergy growth. Research by Burns et al. (2013) concurred
and added that peer groups make a pastor's experiences seem normal, providing them a time to
commune with people who can relate to and appreciate the unique challenges of leading a
church. Meek et al. (2003) also emphasized the satisfaction clergy experience when sharing their
struggles in an empathetic and non-judgmental environment. Wind and Wood (2008), who
conducted a similar assessment of clergy peer groups, found that the key benefit was that clergy
felt heard, supported, and seen. Ruffing et al. (2018) maintained peer groups engender self-
awareness and authenticity, build safe connections, and foster relational development.
Ultimately, peer groups serve as a time for encouragement and partnership instead of
competitiveness that can at times characterizes ministry (Ruffing et al., 2018).

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Leadership Skills Development
The need for leadership skill-specific development emerged from the data. While all
interview participants pursued advanced theological training, they recognized that there is much
more to being a pastor than the pulpit ministry. Participants spoke about developing the skills
necessary to lead and build strong churches. They discussed the need to develop skills such as
counseling, conflict management, vision casting, planning, and motivating and influencing
teams. They reported that these topics and types of training were not necessarily addressed or
prioritized within BHW Northeast Region. Consequently, they had to look elsewhere to acquire
those skillsets. For many of the interviewed senior pastors, being bi-vocational pastors filled in
the gap and exposed them to various training opportunities aimed at building their leadership and
management acumen. Participants shared that they were able to apply principles learned on their
secular jobs to their pastoral roles. The need to gain proficiency in the administrative and
management areas aligns with the literature, which supports that skill development enables
pastors to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to effectively perform the range of
work they are engaged in as pastors (Clarke et al., 2022). A key concern as discussed in the
literature is that having the theological preparation and gifting does not correlate to skill
proficiency in leadership competencies (Burns, 2013). Further, Burns (2013) emphasized that
gaining knowledge in and becoming skilled at the details of leading people and an organization
are critical to the pastor’s ability to enable the advancing of the church’s mission. Burns (2013)
further stressed that pastors need to embrace the leadership and management aspect of their role
as fundamental elements of their pastoral role. Accordingly, pastoral leadership needs to
emphasize both administrative and spiritual aspects of leadership. When emphasis is placed
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equally on both aspects, one can begin to understand pastoral leadership as a process of influence
and persuasion includes both spiritual and administrative works (Kim, 2019).
Performance Feedback
The pastors interviewed described a need for performance feedback that could help them
improve and be more effective in their ministry. They expressed receiving guidance and
instruction along the way from supervisors or regional leadership but not quality feedback about
how they are doing as pastors. The pastors generally agreed that the feedback they received came
mostly from parishioners. However, they wondered who is evaluating or assessing their time,
priorities, ministry expectations, and overall leadership. The pastors talked about the importance
of receiving feedback to allow those areas of growth to surface so they could become better
leaders. They desired to have prospective-thinking conversations on establishing personal and
congregational goals, generating new ideas, and strategies for making them successful. The
literature supports the value of performance feedback focused on future actions in helping the
recipient build confidence in their ability to attain goals and execute the appropriate strategies
and necessary behaviors needed to succeed (Gnepp et al., 2020). Further, the increased
confidence gained through feedback has been shown to influence the goals people select, the
effort and resources they devote, their persistence in the face of obstacles, and the motivation to
get started (Gnepp et al., 2020). In, effect, the individual’s self-efficacy is strengthened.
Pastors specifically stated that they wanted feedback that came from a non-threatening
and good place. They desired feedback that was constructive, encouraging, and affirming while
identifying areas of growth or improvement. They wished to have more opportunities for
collaborative, interactive dialogue on advancing the work of the ministry with their supervisor.
The pastors sought feedback to ensure that they were channeling their energies and appropriately
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discharging their duties. In essence, the pastors wanted conversations that could enhance and
enlarge their leadership vision and capability. The pastors admitted that they sometimes
struggled to see their blind spots and remain focused on their leadership responsibilities.
Without the presence of ongoing feedback, pastors can stagnate, and growth is stunted
(Boekestein and Swets, 2019). Further, according to Boekestein and Swets (2019), pastors need
feedback to continue developing their calling, avoid unwanted and destructive habits from
creeping into their personal lives, and impact their ability to lead the congregation effectively.
The senior pastors' desire for more performance-based feedback speaks to a need for a
more reciprocal relationship between the organizational leadership and the pastor. The senior
pastors wonder who will help and hold them accountable to be what they ought to be as leaders.
They want to believe everything they do is advancing the church's mission but have no idea if
that is the case. In this reciprocal understanding of leadership, organizational leadership, pastors,
and congregants all play integral roles in helping the local church to be everything it aspires to
be.
Recommendations For Practice
The findings for this study provided an understanding of the resources that the senior
pastors reported as being beneficial to fostering their leadership capability and ministry
effectiveness. From the findings, there was a clear indication that BHW Northeast Region needs
to create a culture of pastoral development and support. By intentionally prioritizing and
developing a system where pastors are nurtured, supported, and held accountable for growing
and enhancing their leadership and ministry effectiveness, BHW Northeast Region can enable
thriving churches. There are multiple ways in which the organization can foster such a culture.
Four recommendations emerged from this study’s findings and results that can be used for future
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consideration within the organization. The four recommendations include 1) establishment of a
semi-structured mentoring program for new pastors, 2) establish pastor peer groups and increase
peer networking opportunities, 3) design and implement leadership skills training, and 4) design
and implement an ongoing system of pastor performance review. These recommendations derive
from grounded practices in enhancing leadership development and effectiveness and address the
types of relational and social, skill development, and institutional support the pastors need to
build their leadership self-efficacy. Given the limited number of survey and interview
participants, the organization will need to employ a thoughtful process to implement the
following recommendations. One possible approach is to begin the discourse with a theological
reflection that drives them to profound questions about God, self-awareness, leader development,
and the larger purposes their leadership serves. From there, the organization can build a case for
change.
Recommendation One: Design and Implement A System Of Pastoral Review
As the pastors shared, many carry out their roles without substantial interaction with and
feedback from leadership about their performance. Garland (2006) found this to be true when he
stated that after a pastor has been ordained, there tends to be no oversight or system in place for
continuing accountability or support. Thus, pastors have no indication of whether they are
meeting their ministry and leadership obligations. The senior pastors interviewed shared that
most of the feedback they receive is from parishioners but as McDonough (1998) posited
congregants’ feedback is often circumstantial, emotionally laced, and generally exaggerated.
To support the leadership development of its pastors, BHW Northeast Region should
implement a system of review that will intentionally provide pastors with feedback on their
performance. Having a regular cycle of review pastor’s performance will enable the growth of
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the pastor and can energize them to exercise more leadership acumen and be more mission
minded (Boekestein and Swets, 2019).
Currently, BHW Northeast Region pastors may receive feedback from generally but
nothing material about their actual performance. Instead of just general shows of appreciation, a
system for feedback will provide pastors with what for the most part is working well in their
congregation, how well they are staying on mission, identification of individual or systemic
issues hampering ministry effectiveness (Gubi, 2016). With the many and varied demands facing
pastors, a system for feedback would provide a mechanism for goal setting, prioritization of
objectives, and accountability for staying on track (Gubi, 2016). If feedback is regularized and
done effectively, pastors are more likely to see the value of developing and exercising greater
leadership acumen (McDonough, 1998).
To carry out a performance review program, BHW Northeast Region needs to strengthen
the supervisory role that supports the pastors. There are currently nine supervisors in BHW
Northeast Region. The role is loosely defined but is generally expected to provide support and
direction to the pastors within a particular district. The pastors interviewed shared that
supervisors rarely visit their churches to observe pastors in action. Supervisors may have an
occasional meeting with pastors or meet during an annual District Convention which is a time of
worship and preaching. The Supervisor role can be leveraged to provide more direct support to
pastors, as well as ongoing accountability. Therefore, BHW Northeast Region should define
more clearly the role of the Supervisor to emphasize more one-on-one with the pastor and more
drop-ins to services and business meetings to observe the pastor in action. Guidelines for
observation and feedback should be provided to supervisors so that there is clarity and
consistency about how they approach their work. If done correctly, Boekestein and Swets (2019)
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asserted that the pastoral review can be one of the best and most rewarding ways to promote a
healthy ministry.
The pastoral review should be simple, clear, and intentional in its content. It should occur
at a frequency level that creates a conscious awareness of its requirements and impact for pastors
without overburdening them. According to Boekestein and Swets (2019), a simple and
straightforward way to design the pastoral review is to focus on the primary duties of the pastor:
preaching and worship, personal and family life, member care and development, and leadership
and administration.
BHW Northeast Region’s annual leadership conferences and district conventions provide
pastors with timely and needed spiritual uplift to stay focus and engaged in their calling but in
today’s pastoral setting, it is no longer sufficient to make sure that the pastors are only renewed
spiritually. Pastors need a system for ongoing support and accountability that reinforces them to
strive for continued leadership development and effective ministry. Regular reviews would
provide a very direct forum for attending to the direction and quality of the pastor’s leadership
practice. Periodic assessment of a pastor’s core priorities and their associated activities will
provide feedback designed to encourage and develop the pastor. Consequently, members of the
congregation will realize a healthy, committed, and accountable relationship between the
regional church leadership and pastor. As Pooler (2011) stated a supportive ecosystem is created
when churches take more ownership for supporting pastors, as opposed to waiting for problems
to occur or pastors to fail. When the organizational structure provides the supporting elements
for pastor leadership effectiveness, congregations and communities reap the benefits of a faithful,
fruitful, and thriving leadership and ministry (Sielaff, 2020).

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Recommendation Two: Design and Implement Leadership Skill Training
BHW Northeast Region will need to develop a learning and development program for its
pastors that support the development of specific skills to address the complex needs of leading a
congregation, including but not limited to interpersonal skills, vision casting, planning, conflict
management, self-care, time management, boundaries, and communications. These topics should
be covered in 1) a pre-service training for new pastors and 2) ongoing training for existing
pastors. Several professions have continuing education requirements to maintain currency in
their field. Comparatively, clergy-type positions do not have anything of that nature. However,
the clergy cannot keep up with all the rapid changes (Kim, 2019). The literature provides
different ways to approach training in leadership skills. In his introductory leadership text,
Northouse (2018) provided a competency-based approach to focus leadership development
efforts. His comprehensive overview includes nine skills in three categories: administrative,
which includes managing people and resources and technical competence; interpersonal which
focuses on social awareness, emotional intelligence, and conflict management; and conceptual
which highlights creating visions, strategic planning, and problem-solving (Northouse, 2018).
Day and Dragoni (2015) offered a slightly similar framework that focused on the
proximal and distal development of a leader. Proximal near-term indicators are grouped into two
categories, leader self-views (self-efficacy, self-awareness, and leader identity) and the general
“knowledge, skills, and competencies most needed for effective leadership . . . those that enable
effective direction setting, relationship building, change management, and external environment
navigation” (Day & Dragoni 2015, p. 140). BHW Northeast Region leadership can implement
either or similar approaches to address skill-specific leadership training for its pastors.
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Currently, BHW holds an annual one-and-a-half-day leadership conference for its
pastors. In addition to this conference which typically covers current affairs topics such as sex
trafficking, COVID-19 response, social justice issues, and marriage enrichment, BHW Northeast
Region leadership can develop a leadership skill development program that builds the capacity of
its pastors to be effective in leadership roles and process. The program should consist of topics
such as strategic planning, managing people, effective communications, setting boundaries,
change management, emotionally intelligence, and decision making, among others. To ensure
that this becomes a priority, the organization should consider creating a regional pastor
development position to develop and administer the program. Having a position with this
concentrated focus at the regional level will signal a priority and commitment to pastoral
development in a more intentional way than previously.
Lifelong learning through formal education or professional development promotes
flexibility, self-reflection, and growth (Clarke et al., 2022). Ongoing training to fill in knowledge
gaps should be pursued to achieve the desired results within the organization (Jones &
Gordon, 2022). Thus, ongoing skill-specific leadership development will help BHW Northeast
Region pastors to build self-confidence and strengthen their leadership self-efficacy.
Recommendation Three: Create A Semi-Structured Mentoring Program
First, this study revealed that pastors need increased relational and social support to
nurture their leadership development. To provide the type of relational support that pastors need
to enhance their ongoing leadership development, BHW Northeast region should develop a semi-
structured mentorship program that includes a process for identifying mentors for new pastors,
guidelines for enacting the relationship, and resources to support both the mentor and mentee.
The mentor will serve as a listener, advocate, and resourcing friend for the growth of the pastor
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being mentored. The Regional Ministerial Leadership Committee, along with the District
Supervisor, and in conversation with the new pastor, will select a mentor. The mentoring
relationship can typically involve a 60- to 90-minute monthly meeting between the mentor and
the new pastor. The pastor being mentored will be encouraged to bring to the meeting goals,
plans, and experiences from their personal life and professional ministry for reflection and
learning. Usually, the meetings will occur in person; however, other means of virtual
communication may supplement these face-to-face meetings. The mentor will initiate regular
monthly meetings. Still, the pastor is free to create contact with the mentor as special needs arise
in their personal life or ministry. The regional supervisor will offer occasional training
opportunities for mentors so that they may experience support and guidance for this ministry.
While, in general, the conversations between the pastor and mentor will be considered
confidential, the two must clearly understand this matter. The mentor relationship must be based
on trust, vulnerability, openness, and willingness to learn (Lester et al., 2011). Hannah and
Avolio, 2010) emphasized that to grow, leaders must be motivated and open to discovering their
strengths and weaknesses, and they must be rooted in a context that supports openness,
exploration, and growth.
Early ministry support through mentoring can help new pastors to respond to the
challenges of early ministry life and develop and build confidence in their leadership skills.
Williams (2005) argued that patterns of leadership are being developed in those early years of
pastoring and without the help of a mentor to intentionally guide a pastor’s development as a
leader, he or she will be shaped by their circumstances or a socialized way of being. According
to Hybels (2002), the effective Christian leader needs deep mentoring relationships because our
hearts were not designed to tackle the complexities of ministry alone. Effective mentors help
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their mentees to see themselves in a healthy way, inspiring them to reach beyond their present
abilities and stimulate them to maximize their innate gifts and abilities (Smith, 2008). As pastors
gain tenure and build confidence, the regular presence of a mentor may not be as needed but
should still be strongly encouraged. Having the guidance, encouragement and support of a
trusted and experienced mentor can provide a mentee confidence and competence, which
ultimately leads to improved performance (Williams, 2005). Lester et al. (2011) posited that
pastors who commit to the mentoring process and are more open to feedback are more likely to
respond positively to developmental inputs, leading to enhanced leader self-efficacy.
Recommendation Four: Establish Peer Groups and Increase Peer Networking
Opportunities
BHW Northeast Region should establish peer groups that offers pastors a local, informal,
relationship-based environment to receive peer support and build up and strengthen each other.
Many of the current activities for pastors are formal in nature and do not provide space for open
sharing and for them to be affirmed and supported. According to Pooler (2011), pastors need
“healing communities” and “safe places,” (p. 710) where they can be vulnerable. The Great
Plains United Methodist Group has established “clergy covenant groups” to offer a space for
pastors to bond in three to eight member groups to meet for encouragement, support, and
accountability. The group determines the frequency of the meetings and are simply designed for
pastors to find community and share pastoral wisdom and support with one another. Wind and
Wood (2018) asserted that bringing pastors together to learn from one another's experiences
provides collective wisdom that uplifts and supports the individual pastor's effectiveness. As
pastors share and link their personal and ministry experiences to the stories of peers, they can
experience an increase in confidence, agency and effective leadership (Burns et al., 2013;
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Burton, 2016; Cocklin, 2013). Peer groups can serve as a connective tissue where pastors and
their peers can learn and work together and safeguard each other from feeling isolated in
ministry (Staley et al., 2012; Sielaff et al., 2022). Through these relationships, pastors can gain
greater clarity about personal development and the opportunity to be challenged constructively
by someone who cares. Han (2015) asserted that the absence of trusting relationships among
pastors often gives rise to the downfall and failure of leaders who fall prey to the misuse of
power, sex, and money and damage reputations and congregations. By creating these safe places
for pastors, churches embrace the fact that pastors have needs just like others and need care and
support to be effective (Pop et al., 2008).
BHW Northeast Region can establish pastor peer groups following the Great Plains
United Methodist design. The regional leadership can divide the 55 churches into about nine peer
groups. The peer groups can be led by an appointed leader who will require training and
development in peer group facilitation. The appointed leaders can be held accountable for
executing and sustaining effective peer groups.
Increase Peer Networking Opportunities
Another form of relational and social support can be found through networking with
pastors and other faith-based communities external to BHW Northeast Region. Connecting and
collaborating with these peers and organizations draws on the unique strengths and positioning
of various stakeholders in the Christian community and helps to address diverse contextualized
needs. BHW Northeast Region should actively maintain and share a repository of external
organizations that might provide opportunities for its pastors to grow their leadership
effectiveness.
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Peer networks as a source of pastoral leadership development are fully supported by the
literature. Stanley and Clinton (1992) posited that leaders must have a significant network of
meaningful relationships in their lives for them to succeed. According to Stanley and Clinton
(1992), a maturing leader must surround themselves with a network that incorporates mentors,
peers, and other leaders to foster their leadership development.
One of the nine BHW Northeast Region districts has already begun to explore partnership
with an organization in New York City that helps leaders start and strengthen churches to
advance the gospel together in their city. They provide training resources, publish material,
coach church planters, teach churches to embed faith and work training into their discipleship
approaches, and encourage leaders to connect and collaborate across denominational lines.
Mainly, the organization equips pastors, church planters and ministry leaders to build and grow
healthy churches and join a network of support and provide coaches, mentors, and peers from
across the globe in the journey of church planting. This northeast based organization believes
ministry itself is challenging and their goal is to help leaders to navigate the difficulties.
There are other resources available to BHW Northeast Region including, The Pastors
Summit, a peer group program that has developed a best-practices reference guide (Burns et al.,
2013). The Wellbeing at Work research team, led by Matt Bloom of Notre Dame, created an app,
WorkWell, that helps pastors incorporate well-being practices into their everyday lives. The
Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiative (of which the Pastors Summit was a part) produced a
guide with multiple models of peer support groups (Marler et al., 2013).
Limitations and Delimitations
The first limitation to this study was the clergy response. Out of 55 senior pastors
selected for this study, only 29 completely the survey, and only eight agreed to be interviewed.
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While the study yielded credible data, the small number of participants makes it somewhat
difficult to generalize for the BHW senior pastor population. Second, the study did not focus on
the spiritual formation aspect of leadership development. The inclusion of the pastor’s spiritual
formation would have widened the scope of the study. One can argue that spiritual development
is antecedent to Christian leader development. Without a foundational and ongoing relationship
with Christ that examines and develops the pastor’s practices related to prayer, bible study,
meditation, stewardship, personal generosity, humility, and other similar traits, leadership
development can be incomplete. Thirdly, the study did not explore or address if supports varied
for male versus female pastors. The foremost delimitation in this study was its singular focus on
a specific geographic location, BHW’s Northeast region.
Future Research
One area that is conspicuously missing from this study was the impact of race as it
pertains to leadership development opportunities within the BHW Worldwide. While there has
been a recent push to promote the development of pastors within BHW through several
educational opportunities, the question of access, contextualization, and effectiveness of the
programs for underrepresented minorities needs to be examined. While more underrepresented
minorities are attaining advanced degrees through these programs, there is no evidence to
support that their congregations and communities are being impacted. To truly understand the
impact of these supports for the Black pastor, future research should focus on the challenges
\specific to pastors of color. Further, future studies should also look at intersectional identities
such as gender and education background to explore its impact on the types of supports needed.
Another topic for further research is the impact of the bi-vocational pastor. In this study,
most of the interviewees had dual careers. While these senior pastors were able to leverage
90

aspects of their secular jobs to enhance their pastoral leadership, more research is needed to
determine the effectiveness of these pastors, given their dual focus.
The absence of regular and ongoing feedback concerning the pastors' performance greatly
concerned the senior pastors. Based on the interview participants' responses, the lack of feedback
may permeate the organization. Since pastors do not receive feedback on an ongoing basis, it
begs the question of whether they are providing input to the lay leadership who serve under them
and its impact on congregational health.
One final topic for future research is an assessment of seminary programs and how
expansive they cover the practical aspects of pastoral leadership. By ensuring the curriculum
includes the pastor’s congregational leadership role, seminaries can do their part to better prepare
pastors.
CONCLUSION
Changes are taking place so rapidly that leaders need to regenerate and transform
themselves, to keep abreast of the challenge of leading people spiritually in a world of increasing
uncertainty. The reality of being a pastor in a changing world demands constant adaptation.
Further, the job of a pastor frequently requires more skills and roles than any one person can
realistically provide. This puts a huge responsibility on the leadership skills of pastors, Niemandt
(2016). More than ever before, pastors should be theologically adept and have the incredible
leadership capacity to navigate the complexity of a globalized world (Day & Harrison, 2007).
According to Day and Harrison (2007), for pastors to function effectively in this context requires
both a skillset and mindset to successfully navigate a world which they describe as vu jade
(opposite of déjà vu), a time in which these pastors have not experienced before, know where
they are or how and who can help them.
91

Thus, the systems that pastors work in need to do more to intentionally create conditions
of ongoing support for pastors’ leadership development process. Through a supportive ecosystem
consisting of a mentoring program, encouraging clergy to seek relationally supportive
environments both inside and outside their congregation and denomination, leadership skill-
specific development training, and a system for ongoing feedback and accountability, BHW
Northeast region can build and sustain a culture which prioritizes pastors leadership development
and ministry effectiveness. If BHW Northeast Region can establish a strong intentional
leadership development culture and process, they will provide the environment needed for
identifying and growing the whole range of pastoral leaders.
Leadership must not be seen as some optional organizational function tacked onto the
pastor’s otherwise spiritual job. If congregational leadership means helping the church to
flourish, then every aspect of the pastor’s work should be considered leadership.

92

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Appendix A
Survey Draft

Research Questions:
RQ1. How confident are BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors in their
leadership skills?
RQ2: What experiences have BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors experienced
that have influenced their leadership self-efficacy?
RQ3: What do BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors feel they need in order to
be more effective leaders?

I. Demographic Data

1. What is your age? (Select age from drop-down menu)

2. Are you a full-time pastor or bi-vocational pastor? (Select from the drop-down menu)

3. How long have you been in ministry? (in years)

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21 or more

4. Please select the number of years you have been pastoring in your current church.

107

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21 or more

5. What is the average worship attendance of your church on a weekly basis? (Select from
drop down)

6. What is your highest level of education?

● High School

● Associate Degree, Community College, Trade School

● Bachelor Degree (4 years College)

● Master’s Degree (M.Div., MA, etc.)

● Advance Degree (Ph.D., Ed.D, D.Min, etc.)

● Other Post-graduate Degree

II. Survey

Open or
Closed?
Level of
Measurement.
(Ordinal, ordinal,
interval, ratio,
continuous)
Response options (if
close-ended) RQ
108

1. I have a clear
understanding of my
role as a Pastor.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
2. I feel satisfied with my
level of effectiveness
as a pastor.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)

3. I solicit feedback and
am willing to be held
accountable.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
4. What activities do you
engage in to foster your
own leadership
Closed Nominal ● Conferences
● Mentoring
● Coaching
● Books
2
109

development? Check
all that apply, if any:

● Training
Sessions
● Other
● Fill in the
blank
5. Of those that you
checked, how many
hours per year do you
spend on each?
Closed Interval ● 0-20
● 21-40
● 41-60
● 61-80
● 80+
2,3
6. Are you aware of the
leadership
development
opportunities offered
by the church’s global
office?
Closed Nominal 1 = Yes
2 = No 2
7. I am part of a group of
pastors that meet
regularly for
encouragement and
fellowship.
Closed Nominal 1 = Yes
2 = No
2
8. I am able to respond to
internal and external
challenges that arise in
my leadership practice.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
9. I am able to work with
others to envision a
better future and
strategic path for the
organization.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
1
110

5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
10. I am able to set and
create an environment
to achieve goals.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
11. I am confident in my
ability to assess
progress towards goals
and objectives.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
12. I can identify when I
am experiencing stress
that might be hindering
my effectiveness.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
111

13. I make space for
preserving my
emotional, mental and
physical wellbeing.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
2
14. As a pastor, I often feel
isolated in ministry.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
2
15. I have considered
leaving my role as
Pastor.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
112

16. I feel confident in my
ability to handle
conflicts as they arise.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
17. I feel confident in my
ability to collaborate
with others to arrive at
solutions.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
18. I feel confident I can
find the means and
ways to persevere even
in the midst of
opposition.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
113

19. I feel that I can adapt
my leadership as
situations evolve.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
1
20. My organization
supports my
development as a
leader.
Closed Ordinal 1= Strongly disagree
(SD) 2= Disagree
(D)
3= Neutral (N)
4 = Agree (A)
5 = Strongly Agree
(SA)
2
21. Are you in a
mentor/mentee
relationship?
Closed Nominal 1 = Yes
2 = No
2
22. When have you felt the
most effective as a
leader?
Open
2
23. What did you or others
do to make that
happen?
Open
3
24. When have you felt the
most supported with
regards to your
development as a
leader?
Open
2,3
25. What did others do to
make that happen?
Open 2,3

114

Appendix B
Interview Draft

Research Questions:

RQ1: How confident are BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors in their leadership skills?
RQ2: What experiences have BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors experienced that
have influenced their leadership self-efficacy?
RQ3: What do BHW Northeast Region Black Pastors feel they need in order to be more
effective leaders?

Respondent Type: Select Pastors of the Northeast Region of Bridge Hope Worldwide
(pseudonym)

Introduction to the Interview:

Thanks so much for agreeing to meet with me today. As you know, I’m conducting research on
the topic of the types of supports needed to build pastors’ leadership capacity and ministry
effectiveness. Your participation and insights on this topic will be extremely impactful to the
study.

You might see me taking a few notes at times. This is to ensure that I capture key responses that
I’d like to refer to later. Also, I’d like to record the session, so I don’t miss anything, if it’s
alright with you. I’m the only person who will see the recording and as I mentioned, it’s
primarily to help me accurately represent your thoughts on this matter. Let me know if you are
ok with the recording. Before we begin, do you have questions that I could answer?

Interview Questions RQ Addressed
1. What experiences do you feel have
contributed the most to your leadership
skills?
RQ2
2. What steps have you taken to build your
leadership skills and practices?
RQ2
115

3. In what ways have you developed as a
leader?
RQ2
4. Who have been your mentors and how
have they helped to shape your
leadership?
RQ2
5. When have you felt the most effective as a
leader?
RQ3
6. What did you or others do to make that
happen?
RQ3
7. What do you need in order to achieve
your leadership goals?
RQ3
8. When have you felt the most supported
with regards to your development as a
leader?
RQ3
9. What did others do to make that happen? RQ3
10. How can the [organization] help you
achieve these goals, if at all?
RQ3
11. What else would you like to add about
your leadership experience at BHW?
RQ3

Conclusion to the Interview:

Thank you for your time and willingness to participate in this study. I appreciate all that you
have shared and I know it will help me understand and address this problem better.

Abstract (if available)

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Asset Metadata

Creator Petty, Warren (author)

Core Title Leadership development and Black pentecostal pastors: understanding the supports needed to enhance their leadership development and ministry effectiveness

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Degree Conferral Date 2023-12

Publication Date 09/11/2023

Defense Date 09/01/2023

Publisher Los Angeles, California (original), University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Black pastor,leadership development,ministry effectiveness,OAI-PMH Harvest,pastoral support,pentecostal

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hirabayashi, Kimberly (committee chair), Ball, Roger (committee member), Lynch, Douglas Eugene (committee member)

Creator Email warrenpett@gmail.com,wpetty@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113305038

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Format theses (aat)

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