| Challenges with ways to remain relevant in the midst of multimedia ministries, economic recession, disjointed communities, and varying family norms are among the elements of the changing landscape of the traditional church. Their combined effect is one of disengagement in the congregation. In this context and by contrast, engagement refers to the involvement of people, both members and visitors, in the organized life of the church. The markers of disengagement include reduced attendance and membership, lower contributions, and a general decrease in support for ministry. This project proposes the grounding of certain strategic management practices and organization development technologies with the thematic use of biblical Scripture in order to address the problem of engagement in churches. The research tested the effectiveness of three specifically developed interventions to increase engagement in three particular congregational ministries (i.e., organizational units) within a single congregation. A mixed-methods design comprising a pretest-posttest, flanking each intervention, followed by a focus group was used. The study was motivated by experience with change management in churches and a budding theory regarding organizational structuring of ministries within churches to enhance engagement. The review of literature supported the reasonableness of this research, which sought to answer the question: Can the interventions, derived from the grounding of certain strategic management practices and organization development with thematic use of biblical Scripture, increase engagement in the designated congregational ministries? Results of the study showed some statistically significant increases in engagement, and participant affirmation was strong. Additional study could focus on stability of participant practices and process behavior over time.;Keywords: engagement, congregations, integrated methodology. |
