ABSTRACT

 

LISTENING TO GOD: THE CHALLENGES OF DEEPENING

SPIRITUALITY IN THE GOVERNING AND

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES OF

MAINLINE DENOMINATIONS

by

 

 Dr. Donald E. Zimmer

7979 Terry Drive

Port Tobacco, MD  20677

livingourcall@comcast.net

  

United Theological Seminary, 2007

 

 Mentor

Jay McDaniel, Ph.D.

 

 

This study identified the challenges faced in deepening spirituality in the governing and administrative structures of mainline denominations. A qualitative methodology emphasizing a grounded theory approach was used. It documents the experiences of seventy-eight men and women, clergy and lay, who served in senior leadership roles in mid-level judicatories, congregations, and seminaries representing nineteen denominations. The findings correlate with the results of an extensive review of associated topics from the business community and the church. The research highlights the fundamental polarity between spiritually and the business/parliamentary model used in most church organizations and suggests a path toward accommodation and integration.