Date
5-1-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)
Chair
Rusty Small
Keywords
Holy Spirit, Modernism, Non-Cessationist, Christian leadership, church
Disciplines
Christianity | Religion
Recommended Citation
Simmons, Amelia J., "Phenomenological Study: Exploring the Importance of the Holy Spirit Experience Among Non-Cessational Church Leaders in South Carolina" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6875.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6875
Abstract
Over time, many movements have influenced the theological foundations of Western Christianity and culture. For example, modernism has influenced Western culture leading to a rejection of supernaturalism, causing many individuals to overlook the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in personal and social life. Few theological works focus specifically on the Holy Spirit, and what is often proposed lacks a unified synthesis of empirical evidence. The foundation guiding this study is the biblical New Testament, which expresses the importance of the Holy Spirit and how He changes believers into diehards for Christ Jesus. Some church leaders today exhibit reluctance toward the Holy Spirit, having been compromised by worldly influences, resulting in a departure from the bold, Spirit-empowered Christians of the early Church who actively operated in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is ready to empower all to experience the manifestations of power. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the perspectives of non-cessationist church leaders in order to understand the role and importance of the Holy Spirit in Christian leadership in the modern non-cessationist church context. Various leadership theories provide the framework for understanding the complexities of leadership and help guide the research on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian leadership.
