<p> Senior adults face a quandary through the process of aging. While enjoying the benefits of retirement, the senior adult also struggles with issues of health, independence, loneliness, and society&rsquo;s stereotypes concerning their relevance and usefulness. With the aging of the population and graying of the church membership, the necessity to mobilize and equip senior adults becomes critical in maintaining a healthy church. As senior adults face an ever-changing society filled with technological, organizational, and social transitions, they need assistance in coping with and managing these age-related issues.</p><p> The project includes training materials to mobilize and equip the senior adults attending Crowley Assembly for effective ministry within the church and to the local community, thus validating the significance and relevance of senior adults in the local church. The project focuses on four ministry interventions: a four-part sermon series for the congregation, a ministry opportunities seminar for senior adults, an age-related issues management seminar for senior adult leaders, and the development of a senior adult ministries manual. Post-sermon, pre-seminar, and post-seminar surveys identify the understanding of and attitude toward material presented in the respective sermons and seminars. The project promotes a biblical awareness of the importance and value of senior adults in the congregation at Crowley Assembly and encourages acceptance of intergenerational ministries. A closer evaluation reveals the keys to the project&rsquo;s effectiveness and identifies improvements for future projects. </p>

<p> The transition from a usually autocratic to generally participative style of leadership has been a process full of frustration, anxiety, and concerns for Nigerian immigrant pastors in The Apostolic Church (TAC) North America. These pastors have brought the values, concepts, practices, and behavior which they learned in Nigeria to lead the American church, but their inability to identify differences between the two cultures and make the necessary changes for easy adaptation has often led to conflict and power struggle between church authorities, pastors, and members in TAC North America. Thus, this study examined how Nigerian pastors in TAC North America are adapting the leadership style they learned in Nigeria to the North American context. </p><p> The study used the mixed method approach and data was gathered through self-reported questionnaires and semi-structured in-depth interviews. A purposeful sampling method was used in conjunction with snowball sampling. Ten churches with congregations of 100 and above were purposefully selected. The participants included the pastor, an elder, and a member. A total of three participants from each church representing an overall total of thirty participants contributed to the study. The self-report questionnaires provided information on the demographic characteristics of the respondents as well as their cultural dimension and perception of leadership style. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were also used to provide a more thorough understanding of the pastor&rsquo;s life history, experiences, and leadership styles. </p><p> The results obtained showed that most of the participants scored low on power distance, but scored high on uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, and long-term orientation. On the perceived leadership behavior scale, a greater number of the elders and members perceived their pastor&rsquo;s behavior as being high on Instrumental Leadership (IL), supportive leadership (SL), and participative leadership (PL). The pastors interviewed expressed some of their frustrations which includes their accents preventing them from reaching out to people who are not Africans, lack of funds to finance church projects, seemingly lack of respect for pastors as well as the congregation&rsquo;s lack of commitment, and poor attendance to church services. Some doctrinal challenges include men and women sitting together in church, women not covering their hair and wearing pants/trousers to church, allowing unmarried couples to partake in holy communion and even be ordained as church officers, and tithes and offering were concerns for the pastors. </p><p> Despite all the hindrances and challenges, the pastors expressed their determination to fulfill their calling and in their efforts to adapt and accept the democratic and participatory style of leadership, as opposed to the generally hierarchical and autocratic approach used in TAC Nigeria. Nigerian pastors in TAC North America and the executives in Nigeria need to examine these challenges and formulate better policies for sending and supporting missionary pastors in TAC North America.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D., Education)--University of Idaho, December 2008. / Major professor: Karen Wilson Scott. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-172). Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.