Date

12-16-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Michael Grayston

Keywords

servant leadership, ethical leadership, transformational leadership, experiential education

Disciplines

Leadership Studies

Abstract

Over 55% of young adults in the United States have experienced some form of leadership development; however, their leadership skills are not being used within the church. Nearly 60% of those who regularly attended church during their youth are distancing themselves from it (Barna, 2023). Nonetheless, the same report suggested a link between youth who were well-integrated into a youth ministry and those who stayed active in the church. This Praxis program partnered with Redeemer Classical Academy to implement a Christ-centered leadership development initiative for its high school students. The argument supporting the Praxis program indicates that grounding students' leadership growth in biblically-based principles and teaching three proven leadership methods—Servant, Transformational, and Ethical Leadership—should prepare students to serve their community, assume active leadership roles within their church, and become mentors for others. The leadership consortium anticipates successfully teaching the leadership models; however, achieving the ambitious goals and measuring the students' community involvement may not be feasible within the limited time. Developing leaders among Christian youth to sustain and grow the Christian community should be a top priority, which means more research and program development should be pursued with this aim. Future efforts in Christian leadership development must concentrate on helping young people prioritize Christ's mission.

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