Date

9-2020

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Jason Whitehurst

Keywords

Individuality, Individualism, Pastoral Leadership

Disciplines

Christianity | Practical Theology | Religion

Abstract

Individualism, the concept that a person’s own thoughts and interests are ethically paramount over any governmental system, can be a problem in a church, especially a small church where changes in numbers can directly affect the church’s ability to carry out its vision and mission. This project will look at a rural Illinois church to show how it handles the problem of individualism, specifically in its leaders, by emphasizing the biblical concepts of the body of Christ and the family of God. The project will include an interview with a Bible college president who has researched church leadership to talk about how individualism affects churches as a whole and with the church’s pastor to discuss how the church deals with the issue. A poll of the church’s leadership small group will be conducted to identify the individualistic tendencies within the group, and then the research will be used to create small group lessons that will address the issues presented by the survey. A study of Scripture will provide a basis for how the early church dealt with individualism to gains insights for the modern church

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