The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Domeniek Harris

for the degree of Doctor of Education

October 9, 2017 at 10:00 am in 123 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Reginald Green, EdD

Servant Leadership Among Senior Pastor’s Wives, Minister’s Wives and Women in Ministry

ABSTRACT: This study consisted of 180 participants comprised of senior pastor’s wives, minister’s wives and women in ministry. The Servant Leadership Questionnaire developed by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006) was used to determine to what extent the survey population exhibited the five factors of servant leadership: altruistic calling, organizational stewardship, emotional healing and persuasive mapping. This research utilized a quantitative methodological approach and convenience sampling to answer five research questions. The following tests were employed to gather the data: The R-ANOVA, MANCOVA, and correlation. This study answers the problem of the void in the literature regarding the extent to which pastor’s wives, minister’s wives and women in ministry function as servant leaders. This research design was used to determine a significant relationship between specific role, educational attainment, tenure in ministry, and race. Servant Leadership is the theoretical philosophy that servant leaders should ascribe to. Servant Leadership proposes that leaders must be a servant before ascribing to leadership. This theoretical approach to leadership is not a new leadership philosophy. Servant Leadership (SL) can be traced back to Biblical times. Robert Greenleaf coined the term servant leadership in 1970. Servant leadership is the essential leadership philosophy that spiritual and religious leaders should ascribe to. Servant leadership places direct intentional on the well-being of the follower’s over the needs of the leaders. The data revealed that the survey participants exhibited three of five servant leadership factors. Statistical significance was found relative to organizational stewardship, persuasive mapping, and altruistic calling. The participants reported that there were six major characteristics that all leaders must possess: integrity, servanthood, vision, compassion and humility. Participants reported that to be more effective servant leaders that needs the following supports: mentorship, training, community of clergy wives and women in ministry, human and financial support, resources such as books, classes and materials, and rest. For the most part senior pastor’s wives, minister’s wives, and women in ministry are servant leaders, they exhibit three of the five servant leadership factors, however coaching, training, and mentorship is needed for them to acquire the other two factors of servant leadership.