Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

First Advisor

Robert G Franklin, Jr. PhD

Abstract

Catholic parish life in the United States has passed the point of decline where minor changes will enable it to grow again. Church leaders need a new missionary culture and outward-focused approaches to reach people today with the timeless truths of the faith. The old mindset of putting all the responsibility on the shoulders of the clergy to solve problems no longer works. Since heterogeneous groups make better decisions than homogeneous groups in complex, adaptive situations, this study explores the hypothesis that inclusive leadership by Catholic parish leaders leads to more innovation and better solutions to the challenges of church life today. An audiovisual analysis was conducted on the websites of 192 Catholic parishes in the United States and combined with 6 years of donations data to measure the effectiveness of the parish response to the adaptive challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indicators of inclusive leadership, including images of people interacting, information on small groups to join, and the percentage of women on staff predicted the outcome of an increase in donations for the parish compared to pre-pandemic levels. Additional quantitative and qualitative research will help to clarify the connection between inclusive leadership and parish vitality. This and future research should inform the leadership style and choices of pastoral leaders.

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