The Baptist church is one of the largest religious denominations in the United Kingdom and part of the wider global Baptist congregation. This study offers an initial exploration of whether contemporary concepts of leadership are relevant in the role of ministers in the Baptist Church in the UK. A qualitative review of literature examines both contemporary and biblical sources of lea dership knowledge, to identify potentially relevant concepts of leadership which are then examined initially through the lens of inappropriate approaches (which ministers should avoid), followed by contrasting helpful ideas which can be aligned with principles of Christian faith. Final analysis asserts the relevance of both perspectives (negative elements to actively un-learn on one hand, and helpful areas to learn on the other) to enable the best development of ministers, by summarizing a set of ten aspects of leadership which are suggested as suitable approaches in Baptist ministry.
Adair, J. (1989). Great Leaders. Talbot Adair Press.
Adiprasetya, J. (2018). Pastor as Friend: Reinterpreting Christian Leadership. Dialog, 57, 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12377
Aguayo, R. (1991). Dr Deming: The Man Who Taught the Japanese about Quality. Mercury.
Baptists Together (2020). Marks of Ministry. Ed. by Ministries Team, Baptist Union. https://www.baptist.org.uk/Publisher/File.aspx?ID=244139&view=browser
Baptists Together (2023). Other Baptist Groups, Baptist World Alliance. Baptist Union. https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/220599/Baptist_World_Alliance.aspx
Baptists World Alliance (2023). Members: Baptist Union of Great Britain. https://baptistworld.org/member/baptist-union-of-great-britain/
Bebbington, D. W. (2010). Baptists through the Centuries: A History of a Global People. Baylor University Press.
Bennis, W. (1994). On Becoming a Leader. Addison-Wesley.
Churchman, C. W. (1968). The Systems Approach. Dell Publishing.
Clarke, A. (2015). How Did We End Up Here? Theological Education as Ministerial Formation in the British Baptist Colleges. Baptist Quarterly, 46, 69-97. https://doi.org/10.1179/0005576X15Z.0000000009
Clayton, M. (2012). Brilliant Project Leader. Pearson Education.
Coleman, K. (2010). 7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership. Next Leadership.
Coppin, A., & Barratt, J. (2002). Timeless Management. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403907158
Davids, P. H. (2017). The Christo-Centric Ideal. In B. Forrest, & C. Roden (Eds.), Biblical Leadership (pp. 456-466). Kregel.
Davies, M., & Dodds, G. (2011). Leadership in the Church for a People of Hope. T&T Clark.
de Vries, M. F. R. K. (2001). The Leadership Mystique: A User’s Manual for the Human Enterprise. Prentice Hall.
Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the Crisis. MIT Press.
Deming, W. E. (1994). The New Economics: For Industry, Government, Education (7th ed.). MIT Press.
Dotlich, D. L., Cairo, P. C., & Rhinesmith, S. H. (2006). Head, Heart & Guts. Wiley.
Early, J. (2009). The Life and Writings of Thomas Helwys. Mercer University Press.
Greasley, S. (2009). Early Baptists: John Smyth, Thomas Helwys and the Quest for Religious Liberty. Moorleys Publishing.
Greenleaf, R. K. (1998). The Power of Servant Leadership: Essays by Robert K. Greenleaf. Ed. by Larry C. Spears, Berrett-Koehler.
Grint, K. (2010). Leadership: A Very Short Introduction. OUP. https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199569915.001.0001
Hellerman, J. H. (2017). Community and Relationships. In B. Forrest, & C. Roden (Eds.), Biblical Leadership (pp. 429-437). Kregel.
Hersey, P., & Blanchard K. H. (1969). Life Cycle Theory of Leadership. Training Development, 23, 26-34.
Jacobs, C. S. (2009). Management Rewired. Portfolio.
Jones, J. M. (2021). U.S. Church Membership Falls below Majority for First Time. Gallup News. https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx
Kennedy, C. (1994). Managing with the Gurus. Century Random House.
Kessler, V., & Kretzschmar, L. (2015). Christian Leadership as A Trans-Disciplinary Field of Study. Verbum et Ecclesia, 36, a1334. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v36i1.1334
Kilian, C. S. (1992). The World of W. Edwards Deming. SPC Press.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (1993). Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It. Jossey-Bass.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Kouzes, J. M., Posner, B. Z., Maxwell, J. C., McAllister-Wilson, D., Lencioni, P., Ortberg, N., & Blanchard, K. (2006). Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge. Jossey-Bass.
Lewis, R. D. (2006). When Cultures Collide. Nicholas Brealey.
Lindsay, B. (2019). We Need to Talk about Race: Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches. SPCK.
Løvaas, B. J., Jungert, T., Van den Broeck, A., & Haug, H. (2020). Does Managers’ Motivation Matter? Exploring the Associations between Motivation, Transformational Leadership, and Innovation in a Religious Organization. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 30, 569-589. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21405
Marshall, T. (1991). Understanding Leadership. Sovereign World.
McIntosh, G. L., & Rima, S. D. Sr. (1997). Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership. Baker Books.
McKnight, S. (2018). The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (2nd ed.). Zondervan.
Meadows, D. H. (2009). Thinking in Systems. Earthscan.
Merkle, B. (2017). Offices, Titles, and Roles: Leadership in Early Church Polity. In B. K. Forrest, & C. Roden (Eds.), Biblical Leadership: Theology for the Everyday Leader (pp. 381-394). Kregel Academic.
Molteni, F., & van Tubergen, F. (2022). Immigrant Generation and Religiosity: A Study of Christian Immigrant Groups in 33 European Countries. European Societies, 24, 605-627. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2022.2044067
Neave, H. R. (1990). The Deming Dimension. SPC Press.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Sage.
Pattison, E. M. (1977). Pastor and Parish: A Systems Approach. Fortress Press.
Payne, E. A. (1982). The Baptist Union: A Short History. The Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland.
Peters, S. (2011). The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme for Confidence, Success and Happiness. Vermillion.
Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup. Portfolio Penguin.
Rowdon, H. (2002). Church Leaders Handbook. Paternoster Publishing.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54-67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass
Seddon, J. (2003). Freedom from Command and Control. Vanguard.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday.
Setran, D. (2016). “Conquering the ‘Tyrranical Commander’:” Richard Baxter on the Perils of Pride in Christian Ministry. Christian Education Journal, 13, 59-80. https://doi.org/10.1177/073989131601300105
Smith, M. J. (1975). When I Say No I Feel Guilty. The Dial Press.
Stevens, R. P., & Collins, P. (1993). The Equipping Pastor: A Systems Approach to Congregational Leadership. Alban Institute.
Tidball, D. J. (1999). Builders & Fools: Leadership the Bible Way. Inter-Varsity Press.
Tromp, P., Pless, A., & Houtman, D. (2020). ‘Believing Without Belonging’ in Twenty European Countries (1981-2008). De-Institutionalization of Christianity or Spiritualization of Religion? Review of Religious Research, 62, 509-531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-020-00432-z
Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0022100
Viola, F. (2008). Reimagining Church. David Cook.
Warren, R. (2005). The Healthy Churches’ Handbook. Church House Publishing.
Watt, W. M. (2014). Relational Principles for Effective Church Leadership. Journal of Leadership Education, 13, 125-139. https://doi.org/10.12806/V13/I2/T1
Wright, W. C. (2003). Relational Leadership: A Biblical Model for Leadership Service. Paternoster Press.