Date

8-6-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Leadership (PhD)

Chair

Leonard Momeny

Keywords

Fowler, spiritual formation, discipleship, community, digital communities, COVID-19, emotional intelligence, spiritual leadership

Disciplines

Leadership Studies | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

The need for community is essential in the life of the believer. Without a solid community, a believer may fall into isolation and even driven away from God instead of closer to Him. Psychologists have stated that community impacts human cognitive and moral development. James Fowler takes this a step further, outlined a believer’s stages of faith compared to human development. These levels of development directly impact the spiritual formation process in the life of a believer and demonstrate the vital role it plays in the believer’s life. Discipleship remains an important tool for helping a believer move through these different stages of faith. A believer also goes through the steps of becoming more like Christ, a process known as spiritual formation. The distinct characteristics of the spiritual formation process are essential to the life of the believer regardless of technology or distance. This process cannot be done alone, living in a community is essential in the life of every believer.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to understand how the spiritual formation process may have changed among Bible-believing churches that have at least two services and a digital presence within the American Midwest and Southwest since COVID-19. The data collected from the leaders within these churches provide firsthand insight into perceived changes. This study, focused on how pastoral leaders from the American Midwest and Southwest with multiple services and a digital presence perceived changes in the spiritual formation processes. Face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions to pastors of participating churches were analyzed to identify trends or emerging processes directly related to spiritual formation and associated discipleship strengthening.

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