The relationship between servant leadership and team effectiveness of deacon ministries in Southern Baptist churches

Abstract

This dissertation contained quantitative research elements to determine correlations between servant leadership practices and team effectiveness in deacon ministries in the local church. This study attempted to advance the base of knowledge for deacon ministry teams in the areas of servant leadership practices and team effectiveness.

The research was a survey of Southern Baptist church pastors within the state of Ohio (n=156). The pastors were asked to complete a professional survey which combined and modified the Servant Leadership Profile - Revised (Wong and Page, 2003) and the Team Effectiveness Survey (Adkinson, 2006). An online survey delivery methodology was utilized. Descriptive statistics and correlation testing was used in order to find statistically significant mean differences and a correlative relationship.

The total scores of the servant leadership subscales were compared to the team effectiveness subscales to determine the relationship between the two. In addition, respondents were subdivided based on the servant leadership subscale totals and compared to each team effectiveness subscale to seek if a relationship exists. Finally, both the servant leadership and the team effectiveness subscales were compared to selected demographic variables among the respondents.

The findings of the research demonstrated a very significant relationship between the servant leadership practices of deacon ministry teams and team effectiveness in the churches studied within the state of Ohio (p <.001). In deacon teams that demonstrated a high level of servant leadership, there was also a high level of team effectiveness (p < .001). In teams that practiced a low level of servant leadership, there existed a low level of team effectiveness. The research has shown that servant leadership teams existed across all selected demographic categories. In a similar manner, the research indicated that deacon teams were effective regardless of the demographic variable. It was concluded that servant leadership and team effectiveness in deacon ministry teams had a very high correlative relationship.