Research at Seabury
Discovering the Key Qualities of Christian Ministry
A Study of Church Leadership Funded by the Lilly Endowment
"Toward a Higher Quality"
The research and development project, "Toward a Higher Quality of Christian Ministry (THQ)", combines in-depth study of highly effective clergy leadership in parish ministry with curriculum revision for seminaries and training and coaching initiatives at local and regional levels. THQ began at Seabury in 1999 directed by the Rev. Dr. John L. Dreibelbis, Principal Investigator, and Professor of Christian Ministries at Seabury. The Rev. Dr. David T. Gortner became the Project Director who was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project, the design of the instruments, and initial analysis of the data.
Both Dr. Dreibelbis and Dr. Gortner are Master of Divinity graduates of Seabury Seminary and Ph.D. graduates of the University of Chicago. With a prior Lilly Endowment grant in 1989. Dr. Dreibelbis studied Episcopal clergy in partnership with the Diocese of Chicago. While working on his Ph.D., Dr. Gortner also worked at the National Opinion Research Center at U. of C. They have presented their findings to parishes in the search process, other educational institutions and gatherings, Commissions on Ministry and other church organizations.
The initial Lilly Endowment Inc. grant ends December 31, 2004, but their work and partnership continues. Dissemination and publication of the research findings are the major tasks. Dr. Gortner is now the Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Church Divinity of the Pacific. Dr. Dreibelbis retired from teaching in December of 2004 but continues his writing and work on THQ at Seabury. Inquiries may be directed to him there j-dreibelbis@seabury.edu.
From a clergy interview:
"I guess it would seem confusing to some, but I think God is working more powerfully because we're in like a first century environment again where Christianity has become passé. It's lost its punch. It's almost virtually unknown.
So God is finding new and wonderful ways and in this technological age to proclaim his love for humanity. I think there is an understanding that in the midst of all that technology humans are still in need of a feeding of their soul and finding new ways to make that happen.
Bringing in, hopefully, new opportunities for the church to look outside of itself instead of being ingrown, looking inward."
This quote is typical of the many honest and thoughtful responses given in the interviews of clergy, laypersons, staff, and townspersons. Many of those who completed surveys also made significant comments. We are grateful for their participation and contribution to this research project.
Toward a Higher Quality of Christian Ministry is one of the new opportunities for the church to look at itself, who its clergy are, and who its laity are. The initial goals of the project were designed to produce the following:
- A thorough description and analysis of effective leadership in the vocation of Christian ministry;
- The development of an assessment instrument and assessment process, by which individual leadership skills might be evaluated and developed;
- A coaching and mentoring process for developing a higher quality of leadership skills among seminary students, clergy, and support systems for clergy;
- The dissemination of our findings, analyses, and assessment and training processes through the creation of leadership networks, conference presentations, incorporation into seminary teaching, and publication.
Our first step was to listen to and ask questions of clergy, staff members, lay members, and townspersons from parishes and communities across the country. There are parishes of all types, communities, and sizes across the country that are flourishing, and we need to learn from them. People in flourishing parishes cannot always clearly explain their success. Some can. But we wanted to take a broad, organized look at why some parish communities do well, (i.e. flourish and live the Gospel), and others struggle - regardless of context or perhaps because of context.
Interviews were transcribed into approximately 6000 pages of transcript and clergy interviews were coded. Analysis of the coded interviews led to the report in preparation for the November 3-4, 2000 Review Conference involving lay leaders, one bishop, parish clergy (including several interviewees), university researchers and faculty members from several seminaries.
Our second step was to design a survey based on the findings from Phase I. Phase II called for the distribution of surveys to a sample of Episcopal parishes. Tests used for wider populations were included in the survey, so that comparisons could be made between Episcopal clergy and other professional populations. 1506 surveys were sent, and we received 456 completed surveys (30.3% return rate). We have been informed by those who used the survey that it took between 1 1/2 to 3 hours to complete.
We consider the clergy's response rate to represent a high level of cooperation.
Survey data has been analyzed and the results to date are in the Power Point presentation that follows. These results point to clergy as a remarkably high-talented group who are deeply spiritually grounded but nonetheless struggle with decisiveness, assertiveness, personal anxiety management in the face of opposition, and group/process organization. Results also point to the importance of mentorship and early post-ordination experience in forming skills, competencies, and habits in clergy leadership.
The transcription and analysis of the supplementary interviews of laypersons, staff, and townspersons give insights into their views of their clergy and their own roles in the church, its leadership and purpose. These interviews were not part of the initial plan of the research project, but became a natural part of the whole interview process and a valuable broader view of parish life and the everyday expectations of clergy.
Results to date raise multiple possibilities for further work, not only in research, but in the design and implementation of training programs for clergy, and in consultations with dioceses, seminaries, and parishes to strengthen and clarify aims for clergy formation, deployment, and hire.
We found significant congruence of patterns and findings between the Hartford Seminary Faith Communities Today (FACT) study and our study. These studies together, along with several others, are providing a consistent picture of congregational vitality and pastoral excellence.
We invite you to click on the THQ power point presentation, originally given by Dr. Dreibelbis to the Seabury Board of Trustees in October of 2004. This presentation offers a succinct view of the specific findings of Toward a Higher Quality of Christian Ministry.
