Date
8-29-2025
Department
School of Music
Degree
Doctor of Worship Studies (DWS)
Chair
Jerry Leonard Newman
Keywords
human resource management, biblical leadership, church employment, volunteerism, user journey, people operations, organizational studies, Protestant church
Disciplines
Human Resources Management | Liturgy and Worship
Recommended Citation
McCutchen, Brandon Marshall, "The Role of Standard Business and Biblical Principles in the Strategic Human Resource Management Practices of Contemporary Protestant Churches" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7441.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7441
Abstract
Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) practices have consistently evolved in the for-profit business sector to support business profitability. Nonprofit organizations have also adopted strategic HRM practices. Despite their status as tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, contemporary Protestant churches have not been included in the current literature discussing the use of strategic HRM practices in nonprofit organizations. Adoption of an HRM strategy varies across the spectrum of nondenominational Christian churches, and churches that are affiliated with a denomination. This qualitative study assesses the leadership perspective of five local churches to determine how standard business practices and biblical principles combine to create a formal or informal HRM strategy. Five Christian church leaders were surveyed to understand the formal or informal HRM strategy at work in their organizations. Based on the responses of the church leaders in this study, three primary factors impact a church’s ability to adopt new business practices for an HRM strategy: denominational affiliation, membership size, and the institutional age of the church. This study’s findings also argue that the biblical principles of servant leadership, the Body of Christ, equipping the saints, and stewardship are crucial tenets of the human resource strategy of churches, differentiating them from other nonprofit organizations. The findings of this study hold value for churches without an HRM strategy by providing an understanding of the benefits of a formal HRM strategy. This study also showcases how churches can adopt standard business practices for organizational growth and stability while maintaining biblical and spiritual integrity.
