Date

12-19-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Joe M. Easterling

Keywords

Christian leadership, second chair leadership, pastoral leadership, church leadership, church growth, Level 5 Leadership, Level 5 Leadership Scale, executive pastors, megachurches

Disciplines

Leadership Studies | Practical Theology

Abstract

As the church strives to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and navigate tumultuous times to fulfill its Great Commission, church leaders must strive to understand the type of leadership required to best accomplish their kingdom work. In researching the type of pastoral leadership that will most effectively build the church of Jesus Christ and advance his kingdom, much work has been dedicated to examining the leadership styles and influence of senior or lead pastors. However, few studies have explored the influence of second-chair pastoral leaders (SCPLs). This study is the first to quantitatively examine whether SCPLs who demonstrate the personal humility and professional will characteristic of Level 5 Leadership, as conceptualized by Collins (2001), contribute to the growth of the churches they serve. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study will be to determine if a statistically significant relationship exists between the leadership effectiveness of SCPLs considered to be Level 5 Leaders as conceptualized by Level 5 Leadership Theory (L5LT) and measured by the Level 5 Leadership Scale (L5LS) and church growth as reflected by annual average weekly worship attendance, annual total baptisms, and annual total financial contributions for Southern Baptist megachurches averaging at least 2,000 in weekly worship attendance in comparison to the growth realized by Southern Baptist megachurches led by SCPLs not considered to be Level 5 Leaders (cf., Collins, 2001; 2005; DeNeal, 2019; Reid, 2014).

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