Date
3-22-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Rachel Piferi
Keywords
local church, volunteer satisfaction, volunteer intent to stay, organizational commitment, servant leadership
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Hunley, Sheena Denise, "Ministry Satisfaction of Volunteers Within the Environment of the Local Church: The Role of Servant Leadership and Organizational Commitment" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5265.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5265
Abstract
In churches, it is imperative to attract, engage, and retain volunteers effectively to accomplish its mission. The impact church leaders have on volunteer satisfaction is undoubtedly far from well explored within the local church. This exploratory, qualitative case study examined the quality of church leadership’s influence on ministry satisfaction and sustained serving over time in lay volunteers. The case study took place in a non-denominational church located in East Tennessee. A central research question asked, how do lay volunteers experience satisfaction within the environment of local church and its leadership? Three research questions examined the areas of volunteer satisfaction and intent to stay. Data and findings from 20 individual semi-structured interviews supported and extended prior research associated to volunteer satisfaction and intent to stay. The final result of this study was a collection of best practices church leaders can employ to improve volunteer management. After analyzing the data, it was revealed that successful volunteer satisfaction is obtained through numerous factors with that main factor being connection with the leader, others, and their peers. Based on the findings, the researcher introduced six best practices church leaders can administer: authentic engagement with volunteers, volunteer motivation throughout the lifecycle, staff turnover and inconsistency, volunteer role fit, effective communication, and volunteer satisfaction during disruptive change.
