The Link Between Implicit Theology and Organizational Climate in Churches: A Quantitative Study.

详细信息   

• 作者：Mahan ; Michael L.
• 学历：Doctor
• 年：2014
• 毕业院校：Regent University
• ISBN：9781321169614
• CBH：3583461
• Country：USA
• 语种：English
• FileSize：5238858
• Pages：231

文摘

This study drew on Percy's (2010) theorization of implicit theology,more specifically defined as "generic,usually unspoken ideas about the theological realm that have a measurable effect on individual and congregational behavior" (Mahan,2012,p. 15). Implicit theology represents Schein's (1999) deepest level of organizational culture,specifically within the context of ecclesial organizations. Given the strong link between organizational culture and organizational climate,this study addressed the research question: How strongly do implicit theologies affect the human relations aspects of organizational climate of Christian churches? Following DeVellis' (2012) guidelines,seven scales were developed to measure the implicit theologies of the role of God,the distance of God,the means of salvation,the time of salvation,the morality of man,the constitution of man,and the nature of the church gathering. In instrument administration to three denominationally and geographically diverse congregations (N ＝ 273),these scales demonstrated high reliability (alpha ＝ .71 to .89) and rWGp values ranging from .41 to .89,indicating moderate to strong agreement. These findings lend empirical support to the definition of implicit theology. Church organizational climate was measured with a series of instruments,including Cheek and Buss's (1981) friendliness scale； Pargament,Silverman,Johnson,Echemendia,and Snyder's (1983) sense of community and church activity scales； and an edification scale developed herein (alpha ＝ .89). Implicit theologies impacted all dimensions of organizational climate； the highest correlation value was r ＝ .352. These values indicate a strong influence of implicit theologies on organizational climate in churches. These findings have strong implications for the church health field,suggesting that superficial indicators of church health are driven by the theologies held by congregants. This study addressed a gap in the church health field that oft has been criticized for the lack of theological consideration. Many directions for future research exist: (a) the effect of culture on implicit theology,(b) the effect of implicit theologies on church health indicators,(c) the effect of implicit theologies on other dimensions of organizational behavior,(d) exploration of other implicit theologies,and (e) the correspondence of leader theology and implicit theology.