Leadership Development Process of Select House Church Networks in North America: A Multi-Case Study

Abstract

This dissertation analyzed the leadership development process among four North American house church networks. The study involved leader/trainers and house church leaders within all four networks. The intent of this study was is to reveal the competencies used by leader/trainers to select, develop, and sustain house church leaders. Accompanying the research findings a possible grounded theory of leadership development could emerge from the resultant analysis. This may occur because these four house church networks, though similar in house church philosophy, will also have attributes that differentiate themselves from the other networks

The research design for this study was a multiple case study. This qualitative research design was achieved by engaging in on-site interviews with leader/trainers and house church leaders among the four selected house church networks. The researcher traveled to the location of each house church network and spent a minimum of two days. This aided in providing a thick description of each network's geographical and cultural setting. There was one quantitative component involved in the research which employed Likert scales to measure objectively the self-perception of house church leaders toward the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of their leadership development.

The findings sought to relay practices of leadership development that are utilized by leader/trainers within the context of selected North American house churches. The findings could reveal a grounded theory or philosophy of leadership development that informs the practices of each network's leadership development process. The goal, therefore, was to expose ministry leaders, existing house church leaders, and potential house church planters of practices and philosophy of network leadership development that may be generalized to their own ministry context.