This dissertation examines the relationship between the influence tactics used by senior pastors in Southern Baptist churches, follower outcome levels, and types of congregational change. The intent of this study is to understand the relationships between these three variables as they relate to pastoral leadership. In chapter 1, the researcher introduces the topic and exposes the lack of research in influence tactics in ministerial contexts. In addition, the researcher develops five research questions that drive the research process. In chapter 2, the researcher gives an overview of the precedent literature concerning the theological and theoretical foundation of the topic. In addition, the researcher defines the categorical variables as they relate to the research objectives. In chapter 3, the researcher outlines the methodological design that will be used to gather the data. Instrumentation, statistical analysis, and methodological design are detailed. In chapter 4, the researcher reports on the findings of the research. The researcher uses a variety of tables and charts in order to present the data. In addition, the statistical analysis is given concerning the findings of the quantitative methods. In chapter 5, the researcher summarizes the data and provides conclusions based upon the research findings. In addition, the researcher provides applications for pastoral leadership and gives suggestions for further research. The researcher surveyed 408 Southern Baptist pastors who at the time of this study were currently serving as the senior pastor in churches associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The selected pastors participated in an online questionnaire developed by the researcher. Statistical analysis was performed on each of the select variables along with demographic information. The findings of this research contributed to the understanding of specific influence tactics of senior pastors, the affect of certain influence tactics on church members, and the relationship of these variables to types of congregational change. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

The rapid changes in society today have caused many a leader in different environments to admit that they feel overwhelmed by, and inadequate to face the reality that this brings along. Our society is, according to many, in a transition, or as Roxburgh (2010) calls it, in an “in-between time”. This “in-between time” can be labelled as post-modern, post-colonial, post-democratic, or whatever language seems fitting; the fact of the matter is that studies are starting to show that leaders are struggling to lead in this changing landscape. This has also become particularly true in church leadership. This issue has been visited by many practical theologians of late. What has not been done yet was to visit this problem from an Old Testament perspective and to see if the Old Testament can contribute to this issue. In this study the Old Testament prophetic book of Ezekiel is taken as case study to see if it can shed any light on the matter. Ezekiel as prophet needs to speak to an audience that is also in rapidly changing circumstances. The lives of most Judeans changed with the first Babylonian exile of 597 BCE and got worse with the final exile in 586 BCE that also included the fall of Jerusalem. Suddenly the “known” became “unknown” and the familiar surroundings and lifestyle of Judea were substituted by the unfamiliar surroundings of Babylon and life as exiles. In these times people look to their prophets and their leaders to make sense of the reality and to offer some hope for the future. Ezekiel responds to this with communication. His communication criticises and energises. His communication seems vivid and metaphorically loaded and in the end stirs up imagination. This imagination gives clarity and hope for the future. What this study therefore attempts to do is to look for the process of this communication. It tries to find the different stages that Ezekiel goes through in his communication process. Out of these stages or steps it then builds a process of communication that is suggested as a possible Old Testament perspective on a modern-day problem. In this endeavour it proposes to build a bridge between practical issues of church life, leadership in the church and Biblical Studies. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

Text in Afrikaans / Suid-Afrikaners bevind hulle tans in 'n era van snelle sosio-politieke veranderinge. Hierdie veranderinge dra by tot 'n gevoel van ongemak en onsekerheid by die meeste Suid-Afrikaners, daarom ook by baie wit Afrikaners. In hierdie navorsing het ek gefokus op die reaksies van ses wit Afrikaanse egpare. Hoe reageer hulle op verandering? Hoe 'storie' hulle hul lewens om in te pas by die veranderende 'groter' Suid-Afrikaanse storie? Al die deelnemers was dit eens dat verandering in Suid-Afrika noodsaaklik was. Hulle is egter bekommerd oor die hoë voorkoms van geweld en die onsekerheid oor die toekoms. Hulle kinders se veiligheid en toekoms is veral 'n hoë prioriteit. In my navorsing bet ek ook aandag geskenk aan die rol van die pastor in hierdie proses. Ten slotte het ek aanbevelings gemaak wat waardevol kan wees vir die pastor en sy pastorale werk. / South Africans find themselves amidst an era of rapid socio-political change. These changes create a sense of impermanence and uneasiness amongst most South Africans, and therefore amongst white Afrikaners too. In this study I focused on the reactions of six white Afrikaans couples. How do they react to change? How do they 'story' their own lives to fit in with the changing 'bigger' South African story? All these couples felt that change was necessary. They are coping well with the changes but they are worried about the high levels of violence and the uncertainty about the future. Their children and their safety seem a priority. In my research I have also attended to the pastor' s role in this process. Lastly I made recommendations that can be helpful for the pastor and his pastoral work. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Praktiese Teologie (Pastorale Terapie))

This study examined the biblical/theological foundations found in the Holy Spirit for leading ecclesial change within the text of Luke-Acts. Chapter 1 describes the purpose, goals, rationale, and research methodology for the study. Chapter 2 is a literature review that examines secular, Christian, and biblical/theological models for leading ecclesial change. Chapter 3 examines the role of the Holy Spirit in the empowered Messiah and demonstrates how the same Spirit that empowered, enabled, and equipped the Messiah is the same Spirit that enables, empowers, and equips believers today. Chapter 4 displays the manifestation of the Spirit’s work not only in the believer but inside the New Testament church. Chapter 5 offers conclusions of this study. Here the purpose and goals of the study are examined and biblical reflections as well as recommendation for practices are offered.

The current change theory base is fragmented and siloed. Years of research and studies have yielded nuanced conclusions that demonstrate little practical results. Recent research demonstrates the organizational change failure rate for secular businesses is as high as 80 percent. Since 1994, the church has had a steady failure and plateau rate of 80%. With over two million resources available for organizational change, and an emphasis on church revitalization by organization as such as NAMB, is it possible the disconnected variations of organizational change have created so much confusion that it prevents a simple, comprehensive, and comprehensible understanding? In order to explore this question, and to advance a preferred method, case studies of organizational change within the bible were conducted, and secular organizational change studies were evaluated. A holistic process of organizational change is advanced that is biblical, and universal. Six functions of change are identified: cultural awareness; change catalyst; evaluation of the change and culture, decision, implementation, and monitoring of outcomes. Each function was identified from various organizational change events in the bible, and groupings of secular research. Chapter 1 introduces the problems associated with secular and ecclesiastical change theory, as well as the six core functions of the holistic organizational change process. Chapter 2 reviews the methodology used to compile data in the change theory field. Chapter 3 will use content analysis to provide a literature review of the current change theory field. Six key functions of organizational change are identified, which displayed both divergent and inclusive characteristics with one another: cultural awareness; change catalyst; evaluation of catalyst and culture; decision; implementation; and monitoring the outcomes. Chapter 4 analyzes theological considerations and focuses on seasons of change in the Bible. Three new classifications of change will be introduced based on Scripture and exegesis: change leading to regression, change leading to revival, and covenantal development. Chapter 5 will offer the conclusions of the paper, and will make five key recommendations for future research of organizational change for secular and church related change efforts.

Text in Afrikaans / Suid-Afrikaners bevind hulle tans in 'n era van snelle sosio-politieke veranderinge. Hierdie veranderinge dra by tot 'n gevoel van ongemak en onsekerheid by die meeste Suid-Afrikaners, daarom ook by baie wit Afrikaners. In hierdie navorsing het ek gefokus op die reaksies van ses wit Afrikaanse egpare. Hoe reageer hulle op verandering? Hoe 'storie' hulle hul lewens om in te pas by die veranderende 'groter' Suid-Afrikaanse storie? Al die deelnemers was dit eens dat verandering in Suid-Afrika noodsaaklik was. Hulle is egter bekommerd oor die hoë voorkoms van geweld en die onsekerheid oor die toekoms. Hulle kinders se veiligheid en toekoms is veral 'n hoë prioriteit. In my navorsing bet ek ook aandag geskenk aan die rol van die pastor in hierdie proses. Ten slotte het ek aanbevelings gemaak wat waardevol kan wees vir die pastor en sy pastorale werk. / South Africans find themselves amidst an era of rapid socio-political change. These changes create a sense of impermanence and uneasiness amongst most South Africans, and therefore amongst white Afrikaners too. In this study I focused on the reactions of six white Afrikaans couples. How do they react to change? How do they 'story' their own lives to fit in with the changing 'bigger' South African story? All these couples felt that change was necessary. They are coping well with the changes but they are worried about the high levels of violence and the uncertainty about the future. Their children and their safety seem a priority. In my research I have also attended to the pastor' s role in this process. Lastly I made recommendations that can be helpful for the pastor and his pastoral work. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Praktiese Teologie (Pastorale Terapie))

ABSTRACT BEST PRACTICES IN LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH: A MULTI-CASE STUDY Juan Carlos Martinez Robleto, Ed.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Chair: Shane W. Parker, Ph.D. The current study was designed to identify embedded best practices for leading organizational change in the local church ministering in an urban context. The study also sought to determine whether it was possible for the leadership in the local church to lead their congregations through successful organizational change and meaningful culture engagement without forsaking biblical and theological orthodoxy. The study validates the majority of best practices identified through the literature review and it also encountered distinctive best practices common to all three participating sites that are unique to the ministry contexts of the local church. These five distinctive best practices are: allowing doctrine and theology to inform practice, discipleship, preaching, adaptation and flexibility, and internal cultural change through transformational leadership. Chapter 1 introduces the research problem and the purpose of the research study. Chapter 2 reviews extensively the precedent literature on the subject of organizational change. This chapter emphasizes the church’s role as an organizational system and provides essential information on the area of leadership. It also focuses on John Kotter’s 8-Stage Process for leading organizational change and The Transformational Journey Method proposed by Jim Harrington, Mike Bonem, and James H. Furr. Chapter 3 provides a detailed explanation of the research methodology of the entire research study while describing the roles of the case study and content analysis approaches. Chapter 4 provides a profound and detailed analysis of the findings, and chapter 5 offers some concluding thoughts regarding the study’s contribution to the literature base as well as considerations for future research.

The rapid changes in society today have caused many a leader in different environments to admit that they feel overwhelmed by, and inadequate to face the reality that this brings along. Our society is, according to many, in a transition, or as Roxburgh (2010) calls it, in an “in-between time”. This “in-between time” can be labelled as post-modern, post-colonial, post-democratic, or whatever language seems fitting; the fact of the matter is that studies are starting to show that leaders are struggling to lead in this changing landscape. This has also become particularly true in church leadership. This issue has been visited by many practical theologians of late. What has not been done yet was to visit this problem from an Old Testament perspective and to see if the Old Testament can contribute to this issue. In this study the Old Testament prophetic book of Ezekiel is taken as case study to see if it can shed any light on the matter. Ezekiel as prophet needs to speak to an audience that is also in rapidly changing circumstances. The lives of most Judeans changed with the first Babylonian exile of 597 BCE and got worse with the final exile in 586 BCE that also included the fall of Jerusalem. Suddenly the “known” became “unknown” and the familiar surroundings and lifestyle of Judea were substituted by the unfamiliar surroundings of Babylon and life as exiles. In these times people look to their prophets and their leaders to make sense of the reality and to offer some hope for the future. Ezekiel responds to this with communication. His communication criticises and energises. His communication seems vivid and metaphorically loaded and in the end stirs up imagination. This imagination gives clarity and hope for the future. What this study therefore attempts to do is to look for the process of this communication. It tries to find the different stages that Ezekiel goes through in his communication process. Out of these stages or steps it then builds a process of communication that is suggested as a possible Old Testament perspective on a modern-day problem. In this endeavour it proposes to build a bridge between practical issues of church life, leadership in the church and Biblical Studies. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

The research started in a school context where the teachers were severely affected by the changes in and closing of their school. In my qualitatively based research project, I embarked with the research participants on a pastoral, narrative- and appreciative inquiry approach which assist the teachers to deal more efficiently with the effects of the changes they experienced. By sharing and reflecting on their stories, a climate that's conducive to their well-being was constructed. I describe how my participatory action research invited the teachers to be active research participants, who are responsible for their own construction of richer or alternative meanings in their lives. / Practical theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

The research started in a school context where the teachers were severely affected by the changes in and closing of their school. In my qualitatively based research project, I embarked with the research participants on a pastoral, narrative- and appreciative inquiry approach which assist the teachers to deal more efficiently with the effects of the changes they experienced. By sharing and reflecting on their stories, a climate that's conducive to their well-being was constructed. I describe how my participatory action research invited the teachers to be active research participants, who are responsible for their own construction of richer or alternative meanings in their lives. / Practical theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)