Michael Kiju Paul

The Role of Transformational Leadership Michael Kiju Paul

Both small and large churches have continued to experience challenges relating to a declining number of youthful congregants. St. Peter's Episcopal Church is an example of churches facing this challenge. The researcher was interested in examining the role of transformational leadership in preparing youth as future church leaders. The leadership model was considered to be suitable since it has the potential to encourage youth to attend church and to participate in leadership roles. A case study approach was adopted for this project. Seven pastors and seven youth were interviewed. A self-developed interview protocol was used to gather data from the participants. The project further included review of biblical passages and relevant literature concerning the topic of transformational leadership. The results revealed that transformational leadership practices, such as: empowerment, delegation, appreciation, encouragement of creativity, and articulation of clear goals have the potential to encourage more youth to take up church-related roles and to increase their church attendance. So this project is really a work in progress. With this small beginning, it is hoped that other church leaders will be empowered to help in the implementation of this work and engage in more research as we seek to empower our youthful congregants. Rev. Dr. Michael Kiju Paul was born in Kajokeji, South Sudan. His parents were members of the Episcopal Church and his early life was influenced by their faith and that of his maternal grandmother who played a big role in his early upbringing. Michael obtained B. A. in Theology (1995), M. A. in Missiology (1997), M. A. in Theological Studies (2000), M. A. in Pastoral Care & Counseling (2011), and Doctorate, Bethel University, St. Paul, MN, (2020). Michael has served as Pastor in Episcopal Churches in California, Washington, Minnesota, North Dakota, and is currently Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church Wharton, Texas.