Listening is a critical skill for those who lead. Research indicates that leaders significantly influence followers through their listening practices; however the relationship between leadership styles and listening is assumed but not conclusively proven (Kouzes and Posner 2002). The purpose of this current study was to determine if a relationship exists between leadership style and listening practices of International Mission Board (IMB) overseas team leaders (Burns 1978, Bass 2004). The population for this research was overseas team leaders of the IMB serving in this position for more than six months with a team of four or more team members. A total of 145 of 391 team leaders participated in this study with a response rate of 37%. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to measure transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership style and the Listening Practices Feedback Report-360 (LPFR) assessed listening practices of attention, empathy, memory, open mind, respect, and response. A correlational analysis using Pearson r was conducted between leadership styles and listening practices. Further analysis was conducted to determine which leadership style was most significantly correlated with each of the six listening practice subscales. The subscale of open mind was not significantly correlated with any leadership style. The findings indicated that transformational leadership had a statistically significant and moderately positive correlation with the total LPFR score and on five of the six listening practices subscales. Transactional leaders also had a moderately positive correlation with total LPFR score and significant correlations on empathy, memory, and response subscales. Passive/avoidant leadership style had a significantly moderate negative correlation with LPFR and with empathy, memory, respect, and response subscales. Transformational leadership scored highest on the LPFR total listening score. Passive/avoidant leaders' showed the lowest total listening scores and were rated ineffective listeners. This study shows that transformational and transactional leadership styles have a statistically significant and moderately positive relationship with listening dimension scores as measured by the LPFR and supports transformational leadership theory.

ABSTRACT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HANDS ON PROGRAM IN ATTAINING THE STATED GOALS OF THE INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY Jeffrey Martin Gayhart, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013 Chair: Dr. George H. Martin This dissertation examines the effectiveness of the International Mission Board's Hands On program in reaching stated goals. Chapter 1 introduces the research question by examining the current state of short-term missions (STM) and the Foreign Mission Board/International Mission Board's (FMB/IMB) methodological embrace of STM. This chapter introduces a particular short-term mission (STM) opportunity offered by the IMB, called Hands On. The research questions are addressed by a historical study and by a quantitative study of the effectiveness of the Hands On program. Chapter 2 is a more in depth historical study of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the history of the FMB/IMB and its embrace of new methodologies, particularly STM. The chapter notes the FMB's initial use of college students for STM assignments, which blossomed into the Journeyman program. The chapter concludes with the FMB's adoption of Bold Mission Thrust as impetus for a more robust student mission strategy, including Hands On. Chapter 3 is an additional historical sketch for this study that reviews the history of STM and student missions. This chapter explains how the early histories of the SBC and student missions/STM movement parallel one another chronologically but not methodologically. The student missions/STM movement is a historical phenomenon that both informs the IMB's strategy and benefits from the IMB's methodological embrace. Also, this chapter surveys technological and sociological advances that opened the world to shorter-term missionaries. The final two chapters focus on the results, analysis, and answers to the research problem. Chapter 4 includes the results and findings of the quantitative survey. In addition, this chapter explains the data analysis method of structural equation modeling (SEM), which is used to analyze multivariate data. Chapter 5 discusses presented resolutions (or lack thereof) to the research problems introduced in Chapter 1. In addition, this chapter includes recommendations for changes in the Hands On program. Finally, this chapter highlights some potential areas for further research.

This dissertation examines the current state of global youth ministry leadership, with a focus on the training of indigenous youth workers. The goal of this work is to encourage the International Mission Board and other missions organizations to consider the need for a global strategy to train youth workers for every people group. Chapter 1 introduces and defines the subjects of youth ministry and youth missions. Attention is given to the emergence of the North American Youth Culture in the twentieth century, as well as the church and parachurch organizations that developed concurrently with the American Youth Culture. Chapter 2 examines the strategies for global youth ministry that are currently being implemented by ReachOut, Youth Ministry International, Youth Builders, and SonLife. In addition to presenting a brief history along with the guiding vision of each organization, this chapter sets forth the similarities and differences among the various organizations, and identifies indigenous youth worker training as a key component of each strategy. Chapter 3 analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of the strategies of each of the aforementioned missions organizations. Strengths and weaknesses of each organization are presented, with special attention to their respective strategies for training indigenous youth workers. Chapter 4 describes the current state of Southern Baptist mission work among the youth of the world. The results of surveys from IMB missionaries from every region, as well as feedback from interviews with IMB missionaries, are set forth. Data from the surveys and interviews is used to assess the current situation and priority of global youth ministry among Southern Baptists. In Chapter 5, IMB youth work is evaluated and critiqued. Chapter 6 offers a proposal for the IMB of the SBC to train indigenous youth workers for the people groups of the world. A brief concluding chapter offers suggestions for further study in the area of global youth ministry. This study suggests that youth ministry ought to be playing a key role in the world of missions in the twenty-first century. The fact that the majority of the world's population is under age 25, accompanied by evidence that youth are the most receptive age group for the Christian gospel, serves as an indictment against missiologists and missions organizations that fail to incorporate youth into their world missions strategies. In spite of the evidence, it appears that only a handful of missions "experts" and organizations are strategizing to reach the young people of the world. This dissertation seeks to perform an assessment of youth work done by IMB personnel. The research revealed that many IMB missionaries are focusing on young people. This study concludes that although the IMB is involved in youth work around the world, its involvement is generally not strategic, completely uncoordinated, and not sufficiently prioritized and encouraged. I argued that youth ministry and indigenous youth worker training warrant a higher level of emphasis and priority from the IMB, and I have made a series of recommendations for the IMB to address its shortcomings in the area of global youth ministry. The work of ReachOut, Youth Ministry International, Youth Builders, and SonLife were analyzed and principles from the work of these organizations informed the evaluation of, and recommendations for, IMB youth work. / 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.

In 1976, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted its Bold New Thrusts in Foreign Missions with the overarching goal of sharing the gospel with every person in the world by the year 2000. The formation of Cooperative Services International (CSI) in 1985 and the assigning of the first nonresidential missionary (NRM) in 1987 demonstrated the Foreign Mission Board's commitment to take the gospel message to countries that restricted traditional missionary presence and to people groups identified as having little or no access to the gospel. This thesis traces the historical development of the NRM paradigm along with an analysis of the key components of the paradigm and its impact on the Board's missiology. Chapter 1 presents on overview of the thesis, outlining the primary research question addressed by this thesis and the rationale for this research. Chapter 2 focuses on the key events, persons and concepts that directly and indirectly influenced the leadership of the FMB in the development of this new missiological paradigm. Chapter 3 outlines the events leading up to the launching of CSI and the NRM program, the unique contributions of key Board leaders, and the initial growth of the NRM paradigm. Chapter 4 examines the years of growth and maturity of the NRM paradigm under the leadership of Mike Stroope. During this time, the nomenclature changed from NRM to Strategy Coordinator (SC). Chapter 5 seeks to demonstrate the impact of the NRM/SC paradigm on the Board's reorganization in 1997 called New Directions. Chapter 6 explores the CPM phenomenon and its impact on the SC paradigm, giving special attention to the reductionism that occurred as the Board sought to define and describe these movements. Chapter 7 revisits the major objective of this research as expressed in the introductory chapter and offers suggestions for further research. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th.

In 1976, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted its Bold New Thrusts in Foreign Missions with the overarching goal of sharing the gospel with every person in the world by the year 2000. The formation of Cooperative Services International (CSI) in 1985 and the assigning of the first nonresidential missionary (NRM) in 1987 demonstrated the Foreign Mission Board's commitment to take the gospel message to countries that restricted traditional missionary presence and to people groups identified as having little or no access to the gospel. This thesis traces the historical development of the NRM paradigm along with an analysis of the key components of the paradigm and its impact on the Board's missiology. Chapter 1 presents on overview of the thesis, outlining the primary research question addressed by this thesis and the rationale for this research. Chapter 2 focuses on the key events, persons and concepts that directly and indirectly influenced the leadership of the FMB in the development of this new missiological paradigm. Chapter 3 outlines the events leading up to the launching of CSI and the NRM program, the unique contributions of key Board leaders, and the initial growth of the NRM paradigm. Chapter 4 examines the years of growth and maturity of the NRM paradigm under the leadership of Mike Stroope. During this time, the nomenclature changed from NRM to Strategy Coordinator (SC). Chapter 5 seeks to demonstrate the impact of the NRM/SC paradigm on the Board's reorganization in 1997 called New Directions. Chapter 6 explores the CPM phenomenon and its impact on the SC paradigm, giving special attention to the reductionism that occurred as the Board sought to define and describe these movements. Chapter 7 revisits the major objective of this research as expressed in the introductory chapter and offers suggestions for further research. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th.