Date
3-22-2024
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Donald W. Bosch
Keywords
leadership, Christian leadership, church, church health, church polity, pastor, elder, deacon, elder-led, deacon-led, conflict
Disciplines
Christianity | Leadership Studies
Recommended Citation
Biller, Travis L., "A Phenomenological Study of Church Polity and Its Impact on Pastoral Leadership and Congregational Health" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5262.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5262
Abstract
It is reported that deacon-led churches produce conflict and high pastoral turnover (Harbuck, 2018; Payne, 1996). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how a church governance structure impacts a pastor’s ability to lead, the health of the church, and pastoral retention. The experiences of pastors from deacon-led churches were evaluated for clusters of meaning and compared with the experiences of pastors who serve under an elder-led model of leadership. Nine interviews were conducted—five pastors from deacon-led churches and four from elder-led churches. This study approached the phenomenological design from an interpretive, or hermeneutical approach to understand the experiences of pastors under these models. Data from interviews were analyzed for broad themes to understand the structure and essence of the experiences of pastors living under their respective leadership models. There was a noteworthy difference between their perceptions of how their given leadership model impacts their ability to lead and the health of their church under that model. Specifically, there is more potential for conflict and control issues in deacon-led churches. In addition, elder-led churches appeared to experience better health and unity, experienced less conflict, and had more trust from their congregations. Further, under the deacon-led model, pastors were required to be more intentional in leveraging influence over individual leaders and members with the goal of achieving ministry objectives; whereas elder-led pastors, working as a team, spend more time focused on organizational objectives. In addition, under the deacon-led model pastors lacked the support enjoyed by those under the elder-led model. The goal of this research was to help churches understand how their church polity impacts their pastor and the health of their church.
