Scott Douglas | Southern Baptist Theological seminary (original) (raw)

Papers by Scott Douglas

Leadership development is the process of becoming like those who have come before, carrying on th... more Leadership development is the process of becoming like those who have come before, carrying on the legacy of pastoral ministry. Jesus echoes this in Luke 6:40 “but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Mentoring, or in this study, discipling, provides an opportunity to bring the younger and older together in a relationship designed to produce a mature disciple who can then replicate the process and create a cycle of leadership development. Discipleship and leadership development are linked together for a deep work, creating a lasting legacy. Pastors are expected to carry many qualities, largely tied to their character. In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, there are some clear expectations for who pastors are to be, but less on what they are to do (apart from the command to “be able to teach). This is where discipling younger leaders is important - it provides a template for the development of particular skills to learn in order to be a more effective minister.

When considering the qualifications for being a pastor, the primary biblical texts of 1 Timothy 3... more When considering the qualifications for being a pastor, the primary biblical texts of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 demonstrate the base levels of character and competence. But beyond that, what are the most important skills and qualities for an effective pastor? Much of the work in pastoral skills focuses on the management aspects or was developed using a previous generation as the research base. This study examined twenty-one qualities and skills for their importance for effective pastoral ministry. The qualities and skills for this study came from the recent book "Dream Teams: Building and Leading Winning Ministry Teams," written by the study author. A total of 441 participants were surveyed, who are in these roles in local churches: 229 lead pastors, 63 staff members, and 149 laypersons. From their input, several observations were made based on the demographic variables. Also, participants were asked to add any skills or qualities they felt were important. From those responses, one additional skill and four qualities were considered for future addition to the list. A total of five conclusions and six application points are provided for local churches, pastors, and seminaries.

The purpose of this study was to examine the career trajectories of associate pastors in SBC chur... more The purpose of this study was to examine the career trajectories of associate pastors in SBC churches. Recent denominational surveys have shown a potential generational leadership gap. A total of 463 associate pastors were surveyed. While many had a desire to remain in those roles for the duration of their careers, some noteworthy trends (church size, associate pastor role, and if they feel called to their current position) were observed among those who sensed a call to be a lead pastor. Those aspiring to be a lead pastor were asked how their pastor is preparing them. Several points of application are introduced for churches and seminaries as well.

The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership development of Millennial associate pasto... more The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership development of Millennial associate pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention by exploring the discipling relationship the associate has with the lead pastor. A sequential, mixed-methods line of inquiry was used in this study. The quantitative part utilized an online survey for the lead pastor and associate pastor. The online survey contained demographic questions, a thirty-item questionnaire about the associate pastor's leadership development along the Five Exemplary Practices of Kouzes and Posner, and a fifty-item questionnaire on necessary pastoral competencies. Following the quantitative analysis, five interviews were conducted with churches that displayed a high level of perceived leadership development.

A significant sample size was not reached in this study, with n = 99 participating church ministry teams in the study. Despite this, several conclusions were reached. Most notably, Millennial associate pastors and Generation-X lead pastors had a significant relationship with regard to the associate pastor's perceived leadership development, but that Millennial associate pastors and Baby Boomer lead pastors shared more in common in terms of necessary pastoral competencies. The follow-up interviews explored four lines of inquiry: the competency development of the associate pastor, the dynamics of the discipling relationship, the balance between personal and professional aspects, and the generational differences on the church staff. One interview that was conducted was an anomaly, but the other four interviews shared many similar qualities. The lead pastor and associate pastors shared a strong friendship, they were committed to not only ministry success but also to the pursuit of Christlikeness, there was an intentionality on the part of the lead pastor to allow the associate opportunities to serve outside their specific ministry area, and the informality of the relationship did not diminish the intentionality the lead pastor had for the growth of his associate pastor.

A pastoral staff has a variety of ages, and as the Baby Boomer generation retires, thousands of M... more A pastoral staff has a variety of ages, and as the Baby Boomer generation retires, thousands of Millennials are waiting in the wings to take the leadership mantle. What are the Boomers doing to develop the Millennials as future leaders? Servant leadership, as first expounded by Robert Greenleaf, provides a foundation and frame- work for developing Millennials for effective and fruitful ministry leadership. Larry Thomas lays out four prin- ciples for doing this: Equip, Enable, Empower, and Encourage. Biblical examples of leadership development include Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Paul and Timothy and Titus, with Jesus as the exemplar of a servant leader. Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges provide a fourfold approach focusing on the heart, the head, the hands of the leader, and the good habits of the servant leader. Larry Spears further develops the notion of a servant leader with ten principles: Listen, Heal, Persuade, Conceptualize, Develop, Dream, Trust & and Build, Communicate, Evolve, and Promote. Applying all of this to the ministry, three principles arise for pastors to (a) model servant hood for their staffs, (b) engage younger staff as people, and (c) serve in ways other than work. Younger staff can serve the senior pastor in many ways while being conscious that there is no idle time or useless task when serving their leader.

Leadership development is the process of becoming like those who have come before, carrying on th... more Leadership development is the process of becoming like those who have come before, carrying on the legacy of pastoral ministry. Jesus echoes this in Luke 6:40 “but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Mentoring, or in this study, discipling, provides an opportunity to bring the younger and older together in a relationship designed to produce a mature disciple who can then replicate the process and create a cycle of leadership development. Discipleship and leadership development are linked together for a deep work, creating a lasting legacy. Pastors are expected to carry many qualities, largely tied to their character. In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, there are some clear expectations for who pastors are to be, but less on what they are to do (apart from the command to “be able to teach). This is where discipling younger leaders is important - it provides a template for the development of particular skills to learn in order to be a more effective minister.

When considering the qualifications for being a pastor, the primary biblical texts of 1 Timothy 3... more When considering the qualifications for being a pastor, the primary biblical texts of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 demonstrate the base levels of character and competence. But beyond that, what are the most important skills and qualities for an effective pastor? Much of the work in pastoral skills focuses on the management aspects or was developed using a previous generation as the research base. This study examined twenty-one qualities and skills for their importance for effective pastoral ministry. The qualities and skills for this study came from the recent book "Dream Teams: Building and Leading Winning Ministry Teams," written by the study author. A total of 441 participants were surveyed, who are in these roles in local churches: 229 lead pastors, 63 staff members, and 149 laypersons. From their input, several observations were made based on the demographic variables. Also, participants were asked to add any skills or qualities they felt were important. From those responses, one additional skill and four qualities were considered for future addition to the list. A total of five conclusions and six application points are provided for local churches, pastors, and seminaries.

The purpose of this study was to examine the career trajectories of associate pastors in SBC chur... more The purpose of this study was to examine the career trajectories of associate pastors in SBC churches. Recent denominational surveys have shown a potential generational leadership gap. A total of 463 associate pastors were surveyed. While many had a desire to remain in those roles for the duration of their careers, some noteworthy trends (church size, associate pastor role, and if they feel called to their current position) were observed among those who sensed a call to be a lead pastor. Those aspiring to be a lead pastor were asked how their pastor is preparing them. Several points of application are introduced for churches and seminaries as well.

The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership development of Millennial associate pasto... more The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership development of Millennial associate pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention by exploring the discipling relationship the associate has with the lead pastor. A sequential, mixed-methods line of inquiry was used in this study. The quantitative part utilized an online survey for the lead pastor and associate pastor. The online survey contained demographic questions, a thirty-item questionnaire about the associate pastor's leadership development along the Five Exemplary Practices of Kouzes and Posner, and a fifty-item questionnaire on necessary pastoral competencies. Following the quantitative analysis, five interviews were conducted with churches that displayed a high level of perceived leadership development.

A significant sample size was not reached in this study, with n = 99 participating church ministry teams in the study. Despite this, several conclusions were reached. Most notably, Millennial associate pastors and Generation-X lead pastors had a significant relationship with regard to the associate pastor's perceived leadership development, but that Millennial associate pastors and Baby Boomer lead pastors shared more in common in terms of necessary pastoral competencies. The follow-up interviews explored four lines of inquiry: the competency development of the associate pastor, the dynamics of the discipling relationship, the balance between personal and professional aspects, and the generational differences on the church staff. One interview that was conducted was an anomaly, but the other four interviews shared many similar qualities. The lead pastor and associate pastors shared a strong friendship, they were committed to not only ministry success but also to the pursuit of Christlikeness, there was an intentionality on the part of the lead pastor to allow the associate opportunities to serve outside their specific ministry area, and the informality of the relationship did not diminish the intentionality the lead pastor had for the growth of his associate pastor.

A pastoral staff has a variety of ages, and as the Baby Boomer generation retires, thousands of M... more A pastoral staff has a variety of ages, and as the Baby Boomer generation retires, thousands of Millennials are waiting in the wings to take the leadership mantle. What are the Boomers doing to develop the Millennials as future leaders? Servant leadership, as first expounded by Robert Greenleaf, provides a foundation and frame- work for developing Millennials for effective and fruitful ministry leadership. Larry Thomas lays out four prin- ciples for doing this: Equip, Enable, Empower, and Encourage. Biblical examples of leadership development include Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Paul and Timothy and Titus, with Jesus as the exemplar of a servant leader. Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges provide a fourfold approach focusing on the heart, the head, the hands of the leader, and the good habits of the servant leader. Larry Spears further develops the notion of a servant leader with ten principles: Listen, Heal, Persuade, Conceptualize, Develop, Dream, Trust & and Build, Communicate, Evolve, and Promote. Applying all of this to the ministry, three principles arise for pastors to (a) model servant hood for their staffs, (b) engage younger staff as people, and (c) serve in ways other than work. Younger staff can serve the senior pastor in many ways while being conscious that there is no idle time or useless task when serving their leader.