Scandinavian Journal for Leadership and Theology
Scandinavian Journal for Leadership and Theology (SJLT) advances research on leadership in religious settings, the processes of congregational development, and the life of the church as a social, spiritual, and organizational body.
Denna artikel svarar på frågan "Hur skulle en definition av lovsång kunna se ut som skapar förutsättningar för interdisciplinär dialog genom att ta på allvar sin utgångspunkt i hymnologins mångfacetterade studieobjekt utan att därmed begränsas till att representera endast ett specifikt kulturellt, liturgiskt eller teologiskt uttryck?". Frågan besvaras genom att först ge en översikt över betoningar i det Lester Ruth och Lim Swee Hong kallar "Contemporary Praise & Worship" och överlappningar med den svenska hymnologiska forskningens definitioner av begreppet "psalm". Dessa ställs sedan i dialog med ett bibliskt "rotsystem". Tillsammans utgör dessa en grund för att definiera "lovsång" som "tonsatt bön", med vidare betoning på att den som sådan kan ses som en respons på Guds närvaro och frånvaro. Definitionen ligger så till grund för en taxonomi där olika aspekter av denna tonsatta bön specificerade i dialog med teoretiska ramverk som utvecklats inom hymnologin och musikvetenskapen. Avslutningsvis resonerar artikeln kring tre områden där taxonomin kan fungera klargörande både inom och utanför akademin.
Copyright (c) 2024 David Davage https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
On Religious Emotions and Their Theological Value
The purpose of this article is to give a constructive proposal on how to understand the role of Christian affections in theological reflection and work with systematic theology. Recent decades have seen an increased interest within different academic disciplines, including theology, in the topics of emotions, feelings, and affections, and their significance for human rationality. In a Norwegian theological context, the question of the significance of Christian affections is accentuated by the 250th anniversary of the revivalist and social reformer Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824). Within Pentecostal theology, a consensus has emerged that Christian affections are necessary for right doctrine and right practice to be sustained coherently. However, more work is needed to spell out their relationship in detail. In the first part of the article, I will present a theological understanding of Christian affections, based on the work of Steven Land and Simeon Zahl, exemplified and illuminated by the historical testimonies of Hans Nielsen Hauge and Thomas Ball Barratt. In the second part, I will give my constructive proposal, employing Antonio Damasio’s somatic marker hypothesis to explain how Christian affections and their positive significance for theological reflection can be understood, in that the bodily conditioned emotional markings of mental images function more properly, which enables the theologian to make more rational choices in his or her theological work.
Copyright (c) 2022 John Daniel L. Andersen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
When Neo-Charismatic Practices Travel Across the Atlantic
In this article, we discuss the possible adoption of prophetic ministry, as it is practiced at the Neo-Pentecostal Bethel Church in Redding, California, in a Scandinavian-Lutheran context. Using an empirical qualitative study design, a selection of lay prophetic ministers at Bethel have been interviewed, supplemented with data from Bethel’s sermons and literature. Through the empirical study, we identified some key theological themes that we find to be particularly important to assess, if personal prophecy, or similar practices, are to be used in Scandinavian churches and parachurch organizations. Some of these themes correspond to themes that emerge from Pentecostal-Lutheran dialogues, like the interpretation of divine presence and the evaluation of divine and human agency in particular (spiritual) practices. Following this second theme, questions concerning Bethel’s theological anthropology and theology of suffering are evaluated, drawing on, amongst others, Reinhard Hütter’s theology of Christian practices. Prophecy appears to be a sort of semi-sacramental practice at Bethel, and a Lutheran understanding of Christ´s presence in practices offers a constructive and critical interpretative lens as we discuss the Pentecostal notion of manifest presence. When it comes to the (theological) limitations of human agency in Christian practices, the Orthodox-Lutheran dialogue on divinisation, or theosis, proves helpful. Towards the end of the article, we draw on these elaborations on theological anthropology to discuss the relationship between notions of suffering and prophetic ministry, suggesting that an underdeveloped theology of suffering may result in a superficial prophetic ministry focusing on blessings and prosperity. Hence, Scandinavians who seek to adopt a prophetic ministry, would benefit from integrating a complex Lutheran theology of a) Christ`s presence and b) the cross in their practice. Such a theological emphasis includes acknowledging that humans are at best secondary agents ministering God’s grace and mercy to those whom they minister to and with.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bjørn Wang, Bård Norheim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Linn Sæbø Rystad og Hilde Marie Øgreid (red.). Synlig og usynlig. Kvinner i pastorroller i norske frikirker.
Høsten 2025 kom boken Synlig og usynlig- Kvinner i pastorroller i norske frikirker, en bok redigert av Linn Sæbø Rystad og Hilde Marie Øgreid, men med mange bidragsytere i de forskjellige kapitlene. Det første som slår meg etter å ha lest denne boken er at det er en bok til å bli berørt av. Jeg ble både overrasket, engasjert og provosert av å lese funnene som er gjort i dette store forskningsprosjektet blant kvinner i pastorroller i syv forskjellige frikirkelige kirkesamfunn i Norge. Selv om jeg selv ikke har pastorbakgrunn eller tilhører en frikirke, så var det overraskende at det var flere opplevelser jeg kjente meg igjen i med min erfaring som prest i Den norske kirke. Jeg som leser er, som alle andre, farget av min erfaringsbakgrunn og leser denne boken med mitt utgangspunkt som kvinne og ordinert prest i Den norske kirke.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marthe K. Østerud Primstad https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Organizational and leadership development is assumed to promote efficiency and improve services. The research question of this article is: How can a leadership development project with co-generative learning promote co-leadership in an organization with two employer lines? The empirical data is drawn from a local development project for senior pastors and general managers in parishes within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. I conducted a qualitative study using action research and interviews. Theories on leadership development and co-generative learning illuminate the findings. Through joint reflection and experimentation in daily work tasks, a learning leadership community was experienced, with increased awareness of leadership roles and practical culture-building. The study shows that structural coordination is insufficient, and how it needs to be supplemented with relational collaboration between leadership dyads in the form of co-leadership across three distinct arenas within the organization.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stephen Sirris https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leadership and Relationships according to the Apostle Paul
The nature of the sources does not allow us to analyse and assess the leadership style of the apostle Paul with the parameters and tools used in leadership studies today. What we have is Paul’s perspective and counsel on selected issues, not a comprehensive portrayal of his actual performance or an understanding of it. In addition, what we have defies empirical analysis. However, it is possible to read his letters from the particular perspective of relational leadership. Therefore, this article focuses on the way in which Paul, as the leading figure in what can be called the Pauline mission enterprise (a closely knit network of communities of Christ-believers, co-workers, mission partners and Paul himself) empowered and developed the congregations he and others had founded. To this end, Paul made use of several measures. He not only led people to Christ, but gathered them in congregations and stayed for longer periods of time to nurture the new believers. He shared his life and ministry with them, could characterise his relationship with them in affectionate terms, taught them carefully, implemented the necessary local structures and assisted in discovering and using the resources provided through the Holy Spirit. Paul was well informed about the congregations and saw to a steady flow of information in the “holy internet”. Whenever possible, he re-visited the congregations and/or sent his co-workers when he could not do so himself or when others were more suitable. Last but not least, he wrote letters to address burning issues when he could not be there to do so in person. We owe a number of the New Testament’s 27 writings to Paul’s understanding of relational leadership! In this way, Paul can serve as a historical example of effective relational leadership in a Christian context. In closing, the article relates this portrayal to contemporary challenges and concerns in Christian leadership.
Copyright (c) 2025 Christoph Stenschke https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Active Presence of the Spirit in the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper has been central to the Christian church since its institution by Jesus Christ. Within Pentecostal tradition, it has predominantly been considered a symbolic memorial meal. In recent decades, however, several theologians have questioned the coherence between this memorialist interpretation and broader Pentecostal theology and practice. This article explores multiple theological perspectives from recent scholarship, inviting renewed reflection on the Pentecostal understanding of the Lord’s Supper. It aims to contribute to a more integrated and theologically robust view of the Lord’s Supper within a Norwegian Pentecostal context. The article argues for a pneumatological real presence—affirming the active and tangible presence of the Holy Spirit in the Lord’s Supper—and suggests that a more sacramental approach is both compatible with and enriching to Pentecostal faith and practice.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jarle Waldemar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leading the church without knowing the way
All institutions in Europe are facing increasingly complex societies and organisations. The elevated level of complexity has also placed considerable strain on numerous church leaders, who are required to lead their congregations without knowing a likely successful way themselves. To meet this pressure, a paradigm shift in church leadership is necessary. In complex scenarios leaders must rather act as sense makers and facilitators helping people to collectively make sense of their incomprehensible experiences than being top-down leaders and providing answers. Solutions must emerge from the context as the stakeholders are experts for their situation. Stakeholder-centering is a crucial method in the business world today. This concept exhibits notable parallels to the concept of contextualisation within the field of missiology. In missiology, the majority of churches have already undergone a paradigm shift by acknowledging that attempts to address new societal and ethnic spheres without a contextualisation of the gospel is hardly conceivable. To be contextual requires an engagement with the stakeholders. This paper tries to emphasise that a similar paradigm shift in church leadership is necessary because in individualised societies the unfamiliar is usually just around the corner. Stakeholder-centering is the most promising way to deal with an increasing complexity in society. The principles of critical contextualisation could inform the guidelines for a stakeholder-centric approach to church leadership.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nils Dreiling https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Longitudinal Church Development: Evaluating the Long-Term Impact of Natural Church Development Natural Church Development (NCD) is one of several reform ideas Norwegian congregations use. Since 1998, 464 congregations have completed the NCD survey. 28 of these have used NCD for over ten years and completed at least four surveys. The research question in the article is: What changes have congregations that have used NCD for a long time experienced, and how can we understand these changes? In the results, I present findings from the 2024 study on the experiences of the 28 congregations. Based on the results, I then discuss how we can understand the changes in the long-standing NCD congregations, and I end with three conclusions: The 2024 survey of the 28 congregations shows that quality increased in 26 (92%) congregations. Two congregations scored lower. 21 (75%) of the congregations increased their score by more than five. Long-term use of NCD contributed to new individual sub-skills and relational skills. The 2024 survey shows that 21 (75%) of the 28 congregations made progress on all three statements about praise, encouragement, and recognition. 20 (71%) of the congregations scored higher on gift-oriented ministry. In more than half of the congregations that used NCD for a long time, church attendance also increased. 15 (54%) of the 28 congregations made progress. Two other surveys confirm that church attendance often increased in congregations that used NCD for a long time.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ommund Rolfsen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Are Swedish Pentecostals progressive? On theological motivation for social engagement in the Swedish Pentecostal movement in the 2000s This article explores how Swedish Pentecostals motivate and understand their social engagement. The results are tested and analyzed against the theoretical framework of "progressive Pentecostalism." The purpose is twofold: firstly, to gain a deeper understanding of Pentecostals' social engagement, and secondly, to assess the applicability of the theoretical framework of progressive Pentecostalism in a Scandinavian context. The findings are based on five individual interviews with national Pentecostal leaders and eight focus group interviews from four different Pentecostal congregations. It emerges that social engagement is best understood against the backdrop of what can be described as practical spirituality. This differs from what is internationally termed progressive Pentecostalism, where the Spirit is given greater importance. Swedish Pentecostals are driven, like their international counterparts, by God's guidance and the needs of individual persons. However, Swedes describe it more in relation to Jesus rather than the Spirit. Additionally, they do not perceive it as a spiritual battle but rather as an ideological one. They also describe how, in everyday life, they experience a struggle between the values upheld by the majority society and those the congregation wishes to express. This implies that authorities demand the activities they provide, but they are not interested in the values underlying Pentecostal engagement. The article suggests that Swedish Pentecostals, similar to progressive Pentecostalism, would benefit from understanding their social engagement more in terms of political commitment, thus recognizing it as a spiritual struggle. This insight could help them address structural challenges within societies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fredrik Wenell , Ulrik Josefsson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This paper explores dimensions of Pentecostal spirituality, considering its individual, collective, and missional aspects and how they intersect with late systematic theologian Clark H. Pinnock’s theology of the Spirit and the church. A classical Logos-centred Christology, by which a traditional Pentecostal spirituality has been influenced and shaped, is contrasted with Pinnock’s perspectives on the role of the Spirit in Christology and ecclesiology. Furthermore, the study examines Pentecostal spirituality through the lens of Pinnock’s theology, analysing the dynamic interplay between individual God encounters, collective worship, and missional outreach. I argue that overemphasising any single aspect risks neglecting the others. While affirming the Spirit’s centrality in ecclesiology, I underscore the need for a balanced focus on these three dimensions to cultivate a holistic Pentecostal spirituality.
Copyright (c) 2025 Øystein Udnes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fluctuations of Faith and The Quest for Community
This study explores the dynamic relationship between fluctuations of faith and the quest for community among Norwegian millennials using a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from a survey of 585 participants with follow-up interviews. The research reveals that faith is not static but evolves throughout life, and for many, it changes back and forth several times. The study also looks at when these changes seem to happen and elaborates on what lies behind them. The application of McAdams' Life Story Theory suggests that these faith narratives are integral to individuals' broader life stories and identity formation, where one looks back at different vantage points in life, and what you see may be different from how you once saw it. The relation aspect seems to be an important point, where warmth, trust and integrity play a central role, which makes it interesting to look at this also through the lens of the integrative model of organizational trust. Among the stories of those who have distanced themselves to a greater extent from the faith, an interesting aspect nevertheless emerges. It seems to be a form of longing for the community that once was a part of their life, at least where trust re-emerges, even if the community was perhaps left intentionally at an earlier point in life. Perhaps faith does not stand alone? Perhaps the Christian community has an attraction in itself that should not be underestimated, at least for those who have once experienced it. How can the church meet fluctuation of faith, be experienced as relevant through the different seasons of life, and help the individual with the transition from mere longing to actual reintegration with a community?
Copyright (c) 2025 Andreas Bjørntvedt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This paper combines my previously published 3D-model of spirituality in general, and Christian spirituality in particular, with a constructivist understanding of leadership, to define and explore Christian leadership as serving followers by exercising a virtue-orientated rhetorical influence over their spirituality in a way that flows from the leader’s own spirituality as a follower of Christ. I also explore how Christian spirituality offers leaders and followers resources for mitigating against the abuse of leadership.
Copyright (c) 2025 Peter Williams https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This article presents the S-E-R-V-E model as a model of sustainable leadership. It does so by offering a contextual, constructive theological deliberation on a particular case: The Norwegian Schools of Leadership and Theology. It is demonstrated that sustainable organizational leadership includes at least five meta-categories or forms of leadership and that these dimensions are orientated towards different forms of sustainability. There are both trade-offs and tensions between these modes of organizational leadership, and leaders need to develop the virtue of prudent (phronetic) leadership to provide a sustainable integration. However, within this context, prudence will be seen as a form of spirituality that integrates deliberation, narrative, practices and affections to form a sustainable whole.
Copyright (c) 2025 Karl Inge Tangen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This article introduces a new perspective on Christian leadership. The theoretical framework critically integrates and transforms Gary Yukl’s theory of four meta-categories of leadership. It is argued that spiritual leadership should be defined as a distinct meta-category. Spiritual leadership includes self-transcendent practical wisdom (phronesis), occurring Coram Deo. This serves as the integrating center of the model. Furthermore, change-oriented leadership is reconceptualized as visionary leadership grounded in the Christian story. Yukl’s basic description of relational behavior is expanded through the lens of Christian virtue ethics. Effective leadership is understood as stewardship, requiring a balance between internal moral goods and external instrumental goods. The church’s external relations are defined in terms of missional or evangelistic hospitality. Consequently, Christian leadership comprises five key dimensions: spiritual, effective, relational, visionary leadership, and external relations, summarized in the acronym S-E-R-V-E.
Articles from The Christian Leadership Project
Copyright (c) 2023 Karl Inge Tangen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Ledelse, organisering og nådegaver i menigheter
Leadership, Organization and Spiritual Gifts in the Church In this article, we discuss whether leadership and organisational structure can influence and facilitate the use of spiritual gifts in congregations. The purpose is to substantiate a link and give some examples of what this relationship may be like. We argue that leaders contribute to the design of organisational structures and that they apply different leadership styles, which may have implications for the development of spiritual gifts. For instance, we try to show that proactive construction of various arenas; the size and composition of the group of participants at these arenas; and strong relational and change orientation within a transformational leadership style, will contribute positively to the development and practise of various gifts developed in the congregation.
Copyright (c) 2014 Jan Inge Jenssen, Kjell Birkeland https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The subject of this article is the role of spirituality in diaconal work. This raises two questions: first, what do we mean by spirituality, and second, what characterises the field of diaconia and diaconal practice? To begin with, a few conceptual clarifications are necessary. C. Otto Scharmer’s Theory U (TU) provides the conceptual and methodological framework for operationalising spirituality in diaconal work. It is argued that the concept of “presencing” is an adequate way to express “spirituality”, and that, overall TU is an appropriate model to describe and develop the essential features of diaconal social work and diaconal leadership. I shall use the Danish Blue Cross as an example of an organisation that can be interpreted as working on the basis of TU.
Copyright (c) 2014 Ullrich Zeitler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Sjukdom och lidande och den kristna berättelsen
Illness and Suffering in the Christian Narrative How do Christians, who try to understand their lives according to the Christian narrative, cope with illness and suffering? This issue is the main concern of this article. Its point of departure is the assumption that the concept of “narrative” expressed in the idea that Christian faith is a narrative, might be taken to refer to a worldview, to a larger narrative (ie salvation history) or to the fact that Christians, in a process of hindsight, interpret their lives narratively. Based on talks with students and a process at Örebro Theological Seminary (ÖTH), in which we have been discussing the subject of illness and healing, I argue that some Christians are rethinking their understanding of illness and suffering. Since these Christians often have a high view of the Bible, it is important to examine how these issues are handled in scripture, and how biblical texts have been used traditionally. These Christians also refer to their experiences and to common apprehensions of illness and suffering in society. I propose that the Christians I refer to tend to avoid religious causal or teleological explanations of illness and suffering. They even seem to prefer not to involve God in these issues at all. This could be taken as a token of secularisation, but I argue that this is not the only possible explanation. I suggest instead that it can be linked to a reconsideration of basic tenets of these Christians’ theology and I make the claim that this reconsideration occurred during the process at Örebro Theological Seminary I have referred to above. The narrative reinterpretation of illness and suffering in the personal lives of these Christians is thus closely linked to a reinterpretation of the Christian worldview and salvation history.
Copyright (c) 2014 Greger Andersson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Om å konseptualisere ledelse i lys av spiritualitet og etikk
Conceptualising Leadership – with Regard to Spirituality and Ethics This article argues that leadership has four basic dimensions. It begins as a critical engagement with Gary Yukl and Henry Mintzberg’s theoretical models of leadership. Yukl argues that it is possible to identify three metacategories in leadership research. This article basically agrees that a) task-oriented behaviour, b) relationsoriented behaviour, and c) visionary (information-based) change are essential dimensions of leadership. Nevertheless, both Yukl’s and Mintzberg’s models lack a robust ethical vision beyond organisational efficiency. Moreover, these models also overlook a possible fourth dimension of leadership, that of spirituality or liturgical leadership. Liturgical leadership may include prayer and worship, facilitation of Christian practices or sacraments and spiritual discernment. It may also serve as the integrating discipline that shapes change-, relations- and task-orientated leadership into a unified whole.
Copyright (c) 2014 Karl Inge Tangen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Spirit and the Church In what way is the Holy Spirit present in the life of the church? Questions of ecclesiology and pneumatology have traditionally divided denominations. Today these questions are at the centre of renewed ecumenical rapprochement. This article presents the contribution of the classic study on Martin Luther’s pneumatology,Spiritus Creator (1946), by the Danish theologian Regin Prenter (1907–1990). One basic insight in Prenter’s interpretation of Luther is the Spirit’s role of conveying the real presence of Christ in the life of the believer. This also means that the Spirit conveys the experience of Christ. As a Lutheran, Prenter underlines the role of word and sacrament as the tool of transmitting the Spirit. This does not mean that the Spirit is limited to word and sacrament, as an institutionally oriented reading of the Augsburg Confession may advocate. A pneumatologically oriented ecclesiology inspired by Prenter’s reading of Luther may open new possibilities for a “re-ceptive ecumenism”, including insights from Pentecostal and Charismatic theology in a Lutheran context.
Copyright (c) 2014 Harald Hegstad https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Pneumatology and Discipleship: Trinity and Church in the Theology of Stanley Grenz In today’s ecclesiology, the notion of the Spirit and the church has been heavily influenced by a recent and broad retrieval of Trinitarian theology. In this article, I discuss this in relationship to baptist and evangelical traditions as it is represented by Stanley Grenz. His “theology for the community of God” demonstrates the fruitfulness of the Trinitarian retrieval for such traditions. However, the main argument in the article is that it also implies certain risks. According to the Baptist tradition, the central message of the New Testament is the invitation to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As Kathryn Tanner and Karen Kilby have argued elsewhere, when the biblical challenge to be like Jesus Christ is turned into a more general exhortation to become an image of the Trinity, it often results in abstract ethics and an ecclesiology that focuses mainly on general exhortations to love and to live in community. In contrast, this article claims that the biblical notion of discipleship has greater possibilities to allow for a more substantial and more holistic account of the Church, one that reunites ecclesiology, ethics and the Spirit’s transformative work within liturgy, charismatic service and mission.
Copyright (c) 2014 Roland Spjuth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A “Macedonian Calling”: Pastors’ perspectives on declining church attendance within the ecclesiological dynamic between folk church and faith community The Sunday worship service, in Lutheran ecclesiology, is the place where the Word is proclaimed, and the sacraments are administered. It is the main assembly of the congregation, according to the liturgical ordinance of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Norway. Over the last decades, however, worship service attendance has continuously declined. This article examines the pastors’ perspectives on lower attendance by presenting new empirical material from four group interviews with a total of 16 pastors. The data is viewed theoretically by considering ecclesiological perspectives. The analysis shows that the pastors use the well-known categories of folk church and faith community. While also problematizing these concepts, they experience that normative and descriptive ecclesiologies are somewhat contradictory. The pastors point to fellowship and new relationship-building initiatives as central to congregational life but question whether the Sunday worship service is capable of including such dimensions. Our study emphasizes the necessity of developing strategies that identify and meet local needs for the church’s presence.
Copyright (c) 2024 Stephen Sirris, Frode Fjeldbraaten https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leading with faith and wisdom from the Bible
This paper explores the integration of biblical wisdom with contemporary leadership theories to inform effective leadership practices. Drawing upon themes and principles from the Bible, the paper proposes a synthesis of biblical insights and modern leadership approaches. It examines the biblical foundations of leadership and presents a model linking biblical themes to relevant leadership theories. The paper suggests that future research should empirically validate these connections through various methods. By investigating the interplay of biblical principles and leadership practices, researchers can build theory informing a more comprehensive understanding of faith-based leadership. Practically, integrating biblical wisdom with contemporary leadership theories can provide valuable insights for leaders seeking to navigate modern organisations while remaining faithful to their spiritual convictions. Research under the proposed rubric may contribute to refining a theologically-grounded and empirically-validated model of leadership that promotes individual, organisational, and societal flourishing.
Copyright (c) 2024 Stephen J. Perkins, Susan Shortland https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Friendship, followership, and leadership
This article investigates church members' understanding of leadership and the follower–leader relationship in local congregations. The main problem is: How do followers in three Lutheran free churches in Norway describe the follower–leader relationship, and how can this relationship influence the leadership process? The material is constructed from qualitative interviews with followers; as such, it is the followers’ perspective on the leadership process. The informants in this study associate leadership with responsibility. This is a responsibility given and monitored by the congregation. Leadership is understood as socially and relationally constructed. It is a process co-created by leaders and followers in the congregation. This relationship between leaders and followers is described with friendship terminology by the informants. The pastors are described as close or personal friends of the informants. This understanding of the follower–leader relationship as friendship means influence is connected to equality. Moreover, pastoral friendship has implications for the accessibility and expectations of leaders, whereas money becomes more of a challenging matter in relationships understood to be friendship. Finally, findings suggest that the pastor also is seen as representing friendship with God.
Copyright (c) 2024 Robert Lilleaasen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Volunteering is a pressing concern in civic organizations. This article explores how voluntary work can be best organized by using a case study from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, which is characterized by both voluntarism and professionalization. Drawing on interviews and observations in congregations following different modes of organizing, we investigate the roles of volunteers and professionals. The findings highlight how actors distribute their work tasks and interpret functional and moral responsibility. The patterns of roles and responsibilities reflect two ideal-typical forms of organizing. We discuss the degrees of formalization in each context and propose a new categorization, which we conceptualize as informal and formal organizing of voluntary work. The first places emphasis on the individual employee, who works through personal relationships, and task distribution is scarcely regulated. The latter is formalized by explicit mandates and responsibilities shared systematically. We conclude that congregations, professionals, and volunteers can benefit from a formal approach to organizing voluntary work.
Copyright (c) 2024 Eirik Aadland Tappel, Stephen Sirris https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leading through service, stewardship and suffering
In this article, the leadership of Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824), the founder and main figure of the significant Haugean movement in Norway during the 1800s, will be explored through the lens of servant leadership theory. More specifically, a theoretical framework described and developed by van Dierendonck will be systematically utilized to understand the legacy of Hans Nielsen Hauge better, especially as it relates to his leadership and people development. Thus, three broad questions will be asked: (1) How can Hauge's role as a leader and role model be understood? (2) What are some important characteristics of his leadership thinking and practice, also based on his followers' perceptions? (3) To what extent can servant leadership theory provide a deeper understanding of Hauge's leadership?
Copyright (c) 2024 Truls Liland https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leading the church through institutional change
While institutional changes in the religious landscape of Norwegian society have received much scholarly interest in recent decades, less attention has been paid to the agency provided by actors within the Church of Norway. Among the many ecclesial actors, the role of Director General of the National Council of the Church of Norway has emerged as one of the more important in the process of disestablishing the Church of Norway as a state church. In asking how the Directors General of the Church of Norway performed their institutional work during the disestablishment of the Church of Norway, the article reveals the manner in which three sequential Directors General provided institutional leadership while navigating the church through its institutional change. Using theoretical perspectives on institutional work and leadership, the article analyzes the work undertaken by these three Directors General in relation to state–church matters between 1998 and 2021. By considering previous studies showing how institutional leadership engages in securing internal cohesion and external support while overcoming external opposition, the article shows how each of these elements played a pivotal role in directing the agency of the Directors General at a specific point in the process.
Copyright (c) 2024 Helge Nylenna https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
On the Formation of a Pentecostal Ecclesial Identity in Light of John Zizioulas’ Theology of Communion
This article explores implications of John D. Zizioulas's theology of freedom in communion for the formation of a Pentecostal ecclesial identity. I examine the interplay between divine and ecclesial relations as presented by Zizioulas, considering individuality and communal identity within Pentecostalism. I call for a nuanced exploration of individualism that recognises its complexity and suggests that an integrated approach to individuality and communion can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of human identity and freedom within the Christian context. Finally, I address how a Pentecostal understanding of the Spirit's participation in ecclesial practices may impact the empowerment of church members, especially in relation to spiritual gifts and leadership roles.
Copyright (c) 2024 Øystein Udnes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leadership in unknown terrain: A qualitative study of Norwegian Pentecostal pastors' experiences of leading during the corona pandemic When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Norway in March 2020, churches, akin to the broader society, were subject to closures. This qualitative study explores how the extensive upheavals and changes that ensued from the wave of COVID-19 affected leaders of independent Norwegian Pentecostal congregations. The article particularly addresses how the pandemic impacted pastors and the social dynamics within ecclesiastical organizations. Systematic text condensation of semi-structured lifeworld interviews shows that church leaders experienced uncertainty and disorientation in the face of the new reality they found themselves in. They felt a burden of responsibility for the people and the church they led, which also served as a driving force for innovation and learning. Complex issues and dilemmas necessitated contextual judgment on the part of church leaders to make informed decisions. However, the most challenging aspect for these leaders was the experience that relationships with their co-workers became more ambivalent and demanding than usual, which meant that many had to adjust or change their leadership style.
Articles from Christian Leadership Conference 2022: Sustainable Leadership
Copyright (c) 2023 Guro Hockley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The significance of the senior pastor for change and growth
This is a literature-based article on the importance of the pastor for change and growth in the local church. The article discusses five themes derived from a review of the research literature, namely the general leadership literature and the church leadership literature. The contribution of this article is its discussion of the church leadership literature on the role of the pastor, taking into account the general research on the role of a top leader. Six propositions on how the pastor contributes to change and growth in the church are derived: 1) The pastor, as the senior leader, is vital for team development, change, and growth. 2) The personality traits and gifts of the pastors are important. 3) To increase change and growth, the senior pastor must emphasize a change-promoting leadership role and style, moderated by the roles and styles of the leadership team members. 4) A change- and task-oriented style must be moderated and reinforced - probably more so than in other organizations - by a transformational and relational leadership style. 5) The pastor should build an influential top-leader team to create direction, strategy, and change. Diversity facilitates the necessary discussion within the team. A common goal and appealing vision contribute positively to cooperation within the team. 6) Leadership should not only be understood as what the leader or pastor does but also as a complex interaction with other actors and the context. Building trust and good relationships with subordinate leaders and coworkers is thus vital for change and growth. Finally, a model for understanding the connection between the pastor, change, and growth is outlined.
Copyright (c) 2023 Jan Inge Jenssen, Arne Mella https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0