Date

5-20-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Paul Esswein

Keywords

ministerial education, lay leadership, Hispanic ministries, assessment, competencies, leadership development, course of study

Disciplines

Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Leadership Studies

Abstract

Hispanic ministries within the Virginia District of the Church of the Nazarene continue to experience sustained membership growth; however, leadership development has not expanded proportionally, creating emerging capacity gaps. Many Hispanic pastors serve bi-vocationally, limiting capacity to meet increasing congregational demands, and lay leaders are leveraged to meet those needs. Using an assessment tool designed to measure lay leadership competencies, this research project evaluates the effectiveness of a Nazarene Course of Study to function as a leadership development framework for laity within Hispanic church contexts. The study examines the implementation of a pastoral-level ministerial education program among Hispanic laypersons and analyzes its impact on laypersons’ leadership competencies, including language and communication, cultural intelligence, character formation, theological preparedness, practical ministry skills, and organizational leadership. Using a mixed-methods action research design, the project integrates pre- and post-assessments, leadership competency analysis, and phenomenological reflection to assess measurable growth, and experiential outcomes resulting from the ministerial education program. Findings suggest that structured ministerial education contributes to lay leadership capacity development. Rather than proposing an alternative curriculum, this research argues for the broader application of established pastoral ministerial education programs as a resource for scalable leadership development pipelines for Hispanic ministries.

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