Pastoral leadership: The practical implication of educational leadership

The first purpose of this study was to develop a clearer understanding of pastoral leadership. This study examined pastoral leadership in light of major studies in educational leadership (instructional method, the process of decision-making, communicative method, school culture, and school structure).;The second purpose of this study was to explore and understand Korean pastoral leadership. Korean Presbyterian pastors were chosen due to their significant influence in the growth of churches in South Korea. Currently, over 70 percent of churches in South Korea are Presbyterian churches, which represents that Korean Presbyterian pastors have been at the center of the growth of Korean churches. Analyzing Korean pastors' instructional methods, the process of decision-making, communicative methods, and preferences for church culture and church structure revealed the characteristics of pastoral leadership in South Korea.;The third purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of pastoral leadership according to church size, church location, years of ministry, and age. The characteristics of pastoral leadership can vary according to the selected church and pastor's characteristics. Therefore, the results of this study may provide pastors with useful information for administrating their churches.;In this study, the population was Korean senior pastors who worked in Korean churches. They worked in their churches as full-time pastors. A total sample of 1000 was selected using a convenience sampling of Korean Presbyterian pastors. The type of sampling frame available was the e-mail address information on Facebook club of Korean Presbyterian churches.;The researcher used an e-mail survey. The questionnaire was composed of two sections. The first section consisted of 29 pastoral leadership questions with a format of seven point Likert-type scale and one open-ended question. The second section consisted of 4 questions related to demographic information of pastors and institutional characteristics of their churches.;While previous pastoral leadership studies focused only on spiritual leadership, this study examined pastoral leadership by focusing on administrative aspects of leadership. Thus, this study will make theoretical contributions to pastoral leadership literature. Furthermore, the results of this study can provide pastors with practical implications for church administration.