Internal Pastoral Changes in a Growing Church

Authors

John G. Kearns

Files

Summary

The purpose of this study was to discover how pastors of growing churches change internally. The necessary functional changes for the pastor of a growing church have been previously identified, but not all pastors are able to make these external changes. This study researched the internal changes that are a necessary prelude to changes in function. Church growth literature, Scripture, and leadership literature from both the church and the marketplace, were surveyed in order to lay the groundwork for this study.

Thirty-two pastors were interviewed based on their meeting the following criterion: pastoring a church during the time that worship attendance rose from fewer than 150 to over eight hundred. Data analysis focused upon the information from these interviews.

Major findings included 1) the issue of control is clearly the dominant internal change with which most pastors deal; there are three elements of control that pastors face: releasing control, the emotions of control, and staff issues related to control; 2) a pastor must understand that his/her own relationship to God is crucial to the growth and health of the church; 3) a pastor must come to terms with the fact that lifestyle changes must be made as the congregation grows; 4) church members and other pastors were the greatest help and the greatest hindrance to the pastor's internal change.

This research addresses the internal changes a pastor must first make so that the necessary external changes in function can also take place. This dissertation looks at how a select group of pastors actually made these internal changes as they grew large churches for the kingdom of God.

OCLC

45701247

Series

Thesis (D. Min.), 2000

Publication Date

2-22-2000

Adviser

Joe Green

Keywords

2000, D., Min., 45701247, Church, Growth, Christian, Leadership

Disciplines

Other Religion

Comments

Thesis (D. Min.)--Asbury Theological Seminary, 2000.

Biography

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-111).

Call Number

BV652.1 .K42 2000

Language

English