| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation is an analysis of personality type and perception of a call to the ministry. A concern exists regarding the deficiency of any widely accepted model for determining the presence or absence of a definitive call to the ministry. The S T A N D Model, created by the researcher, is proposed as a possible model with both etymological and epistemological foundations. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II is discussed briefly and then presented as the personality inventory chosen for the research.
Precedent literature identifies insights offered by authors concerning perception of a call to the ministry. These insights are appropriately aligned with each of the five components of the S T A N D Model as presented by the researcher. A brief review of personality inventories follows, with rationale for selecting the Keirsey Personality Sorter II over the others as the personality profile of choice for the research.
The research design for this study is a correlation and causality model, which explores the relationship between personality types as revealed through the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, and the components or variables represented in the S T A N D Model presented by the researcher. A list of fifteen questions, triangulated to represent the five components of the S T A N D Model, comprises the Call to Ministry Survey. An expert panel representing over 100 years of ministerial experience gives final vote of confidence to the Call to Ministry Survey that, along with the Keirsey Personality Sorter II, allowing them both to be administered in a regular dorm meeting to over 200 students of Boyce College. This undergraduate school of The Southem Baptist Seminary was specifically founded for the express purpose of training young people who are at least considering a call to the ministry.
The findings suggest that all five components of the S T A N D Model surface among students called to the ministry. The data further suggests that of the five components to a call to the ministry, Authority (especially among Artisans and Guardians) and iNtuition (especially among Idealists and Rationals) appear most frequently. The results also clearly show that strength of personality has little or no bearing whatsoever on the strength of a call to the ministry.
Further research is encouraged concerning possible relationships between perception of a call to the ministry and gender, age, ministry track, undergraduate vs. graduate students, Christian upbringing, children of ministers, denominational affiliation, U.S. demographics, cultural differences, and growth in understanding of a call to the ministry. | en_US |
