Date
5-20-2026
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)
Chair
Michael Grayston
Keywords
Servant Leadership, Discipleship, Revitalization, Church Growth, Leadership Studies, Community
Disciplines
Leadership Studies | Religion
Recommended Citation
Smith, Joseph Raymond Noel, "Discipleship-Led, Servant Leadership: A Process for Equipping and Training Simultaneously in the Local, Revitalizing Church" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8406.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8406
Abstract
Church revitalization has been a topic of conversation in church circles for the better part of the last two decades. While numerous books and trainings have been produced to facilitate the many necessary components of church growth required for revitalization, still more than 3400 churches close their doors annually (Rainer, 2020). Additionally, 39% of professing Christians are not currently engaged in any form of discipleship (Barna, 2022) while 45% of churches are utilizing volunteers to accomplish the work of the ministry (The Unstuck Group, 2017). These numbers indicate a substantial need within the church for a program which can simultaneously disciple believers while equipping them to lead in ministry. This researcher endeavors to show that training in discipleship and servant leadership can happen simultaneously through an intensive, eight-week program executed at Clear Creek Baptist Church, a revitalizing church on the edge of Charlotte, NC.
