Date
8-20-2026
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
Jonathan Sullivan
Keywords
Key Words: Structural Family Therapy, action research, congregational health, pastoral leadership, relational health, Seventh-day Adventist Church
Disciplines
Practical Theology | Social Work
Recommended Citation
Munroe, Laundale Leopold, "Restoring Trust and Relational Depth in the Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church through Structural Family Therapy Interventions" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8835.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8835
Abstract
This Doctor of Ministry action research project addressed the challenge of unclear relational and leadership boundaries associated with reduced trust, emotional comfort, and healthy communication within the Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bronx, New York. The purpose of this project was to implement and evaluate an eight-week Structural Family Therapy-informed intervention designed to strengthen trust, emotional comfort, leadership clarity, relational boundaries, and healthy communication among church members. The goals were to increase participants’ awareness of congregational relational patterns, encourage healthier interpersonal interactions, and cultivate practices that support sustained relational health. A mixed-methods action research design was employed with eighteen adult participants representing multiple congregational subsystems. Quantitative data were collected through matched pre- and post-intervention surveys, while qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, participant reflections, relational mapping exercises, intervention artifacts, and researcher field observations. The findings demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all five measured constructs: trust, emotional comfort, leadership clarity, relational boundaries, and communication. Qualitative findings further revealed increased relational awareness, stronger collaborative leadership, healthier communication practices, and a greater sense of shared responsibility for congregational well-being. This project contributes to pastoral ministry by providing a theologically grounded and contextually adaptable framework for strengthening congregational relationships. The findings offer pastors and church leaders practical guidance for cultivating healthier relational systems, strengthening leadership effectiveness, and fostering resilient, Christ-centered congregations through intentional attention to relational health.
