An analysis of leadership styles of pastors of growing ethnic churches of the Florida Baptist Convention

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive-quantitative study was to identify leadership styles, specifically the transformational and transactional leadership of pastoral leaders of growing ethnic churches of the Florida Baptist Convention. This study further examined self-perceptions of transformational and transactional leadership styles of pastors and correlated it along with the perceptions of lay leaders designated as raters. The research used the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to assess their self-perceptions of leadership behavior within their ethnoreligious backgrounds.

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, a proven leadership assessment test created by Bass and Alvolio (2000), was administered to pastors of ethnic churches in Florida to determine preferred or dominant leadership styles. The questionnaire measures three styles of leadership: transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. The researcher created a demographic questionnaire to assess demographic variables from the pastors and to relate it to factors of transformational leadership. Description of leadership behaviors was obtained from a sample of 54 pastors and 320 lay leaders of the growing ethnic churches of the Florida Baptist Convention. The questionnaire then compared and related it to demographic characteristics associated with the pastors. This dissertation then recorded and analyzed the findings of the study for a better understanding of pastoral leadership styles in the context of ethnic churches.

The study found that ethnic pastors scored relatively high in all factors of transformational leadership and one factor of transactional leadership (Contingent Reward), suggesting that transformational leadership was the style practiced by the leaders (pastors) of growing ethnic churches. Four demographic variables were analyzed in the study in conjunction with factors of transformational leadership: (1) age, (2) experience in ministry, (3) educational achievement, and (4) ministry status (part time or full time). The age variable and the ministry status did not play any role in factors associated with transformational leadership. However, the educational achievement and---to a lesser degree---the ministry experience of ethnic pastors significantly correlated with factors of transformational leadership. The findings of this study have provided strong support for transformational leadership to work well with pastoral leaders of the ethnic churches.