Abstract the Extent of Adoption of the Servant Leadership Model in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion): a Case Study of T
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ABSTRACT THE EXTENT OF ADOPTION OF THE SERVANT LEADERSHIP MODEL IN THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION): A CASE STUDY OF THREE DIOCESES By Edmund E. Akanya Leadership has been the bane of most organizations in Nigeria, including the church. The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)has been confronted with this since its inception, and it remains a challenge to this day. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the practice of servant leadership in three Dioceses of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) with the intention of identifying best practices to mentor young and up-coming leaders. This research was pre-intervention, and both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in data analysis,. The surveyed population included bishops, senior clergy, and some lay leaders from the three dioceses who were chosen through purposive sampling. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data collected were analyzed using graphs, tables, and percentages. The answers were coded, and data interpretation enabled conclusions on the level of servant leadership in the communion. This study found that while the level of awareness of servant leadership is very high amongst both the clergy and lay leaders, its practice is abysmally low. Most of the lay leaders explained that most of the clergy pursue their own self-seeking aims without the personal sacrifices necessary for servant leadership practice. Participants also identified several obstacles that inhibited the practice of servant leadership within the communion: poor leadership skills, financial impropriety, spiritual matters, carnality, and lack of role modeling. In addition, the research revealed that since the participants recognized the impactful effect that the servant leadership model could have on the leadership of the communion, training must be given uttermost priority, and the structures that prevent its implementation should be jettisoned from the system. DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is to certify that the dissertation entitled THE EXTENT OF ADOPTION OF THE SERVANT LEADERSHIP MODEL IN THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION): A CASE STUDY OF THREE DIOCESES presented by Edmund E. Akanya has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary Dissertation Coach Date Director, Doctor of Ministry Program Date Dean of the Beeson Center Date THE EXTENT OF ADOPTION OF THE SERVANT LEADERSHIP MODEL IN THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION): A CASE STUDY OF THREE DIOCESES A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry By Edmund E. Akanya May 2018 © 2018 Edmund E. Akanya ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT .....................................................................1 Overview of the Chapter .........................................................................................1 Autobiographical Introduction .................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................4 Purpose of the Project……………………………………………………………. 5 Research Questions ..................................................................................................5 Research Question #1 ..................................................................................5 Research Question #2 ..................................................................................5 Research Question #3 ..................................................................................6 Rationale for the Project ..........................................................................................6 Definition of Key Terms ..........................................................................................8 Delimitations ............................................................................................................8 Review of Relevant Literature .................................................................................9 Research Methodology ..........................................................................................10 Type of Research ......................................................................................10 Participants ................................................................................................10 Data Collection .........................................................................................11 Data Analysis ............................................................................................11 iii Generalizability .........................................................................................11 Project Overview ...................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT .........................................13 Overview of the Chapter ........................................................................................13 Biblical Foundations ..............................................................................................13 Biblical Model for Servant Leadership in the Old Testament ...................13 The New Testament Model of Servant Leadership ...................................16 The Teachings and Examples of Jesus.......................................................16 Theological Foundations ........................................................................................25 The Doctrine of Trinity ..........................................................................................25 Leadership and Leadership Development ..............................................................30 Definition of Leadership ........................................................................................32 Robert K. Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership ............................................................35 Evaluation of Relevant Literature of Servant Leadership ......................................41 Servant Leadership in the Scripture .......................................................................44 Servant Leadership in the Church ..........................................................................52 The Brief History of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) ...................54 Research Design Literature ....................................................................................56 Summary of Literature ...........................................................................................56 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT .............................58 Overview of the Chapter ........................................................................................58 Nature and Purpose of the Project .........................................................................58 Research Questions ................................................................................................58 Research Question #1 ................................................................................58 iv Research Question #2 ................................................................................59 Research Question #3 ................................................................................59 Ministry Context(s) for Observing the Phenomenon ............................................59 Participants to Be Sampled About the Phenomenon ............................................60 Criteria for Selection .................................................................................61 Description of Participants ........................................................................61 Ethical Considerations ..............................................................................61 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................62 Pilot Test or Expert Review (optional) ..............................................................6364 Procedure for Collecting Evidence from Participants ..........................................63 Procedure for Analyzing the Evidence Collected .................................................63 Reliability & Validity of Project Design ..............................................................64 CHAPTER 4 EVIDENCE FOR THE PROJECT ..............................................................65 Overview of the Chapter .......................................................................................65 Participants ............................................................................................................65 Research Question #1: Description of Evidence ..................................................72 Research Question #2: Description of Evidence ..................................................79 Research Question #3: Description of Evidence ..................................................90 Summary of Findings from Interview....................................................................90