Analysis of the Effect of Leadership Styles in Evangelical Churches on Church Growth in Kogi State

This investigative inquiry in church leadership and administration falls within the broader Business area of management and leadership. The purpose of this study is to investigate quantitatively the effect of leadership styles in Evangelical churches on church growth in Kogi State. The research focuses only on the effect of leadership styles on the growth and expansion of the Evangelical churches in Kogi State. Even though some research studies have been carried out on leadership styles in the churches, they appear not to be adequate. The inadequate nature of investigative results in this field indicates the necessity of investigating further in this area. The research question attempted to find out the effects of leadership styles on church growth. The Quantifiable Investigative Method is selected in this research on the basis of positivist philosophy and the philosophy is anchored on entities that can be observed socially. The quantitative approach is considered appropriate for use in proffering solutions to the investigative queries and for testing hypotheses. The Correlational design is considered appropriate for the study since it is capable of providing empirical evidence to suggest whether or not a relationship exists among two or more variables. Sample selection was done through the adoption of simple random, purposive proportional sampling techniques. Data is collected through a self-structured questionnaire. The study utilizes 349 participants made up of leaders and members of five Evangelical Churches.
Data is analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Pearson’s correlations. Findings reveal that autocratic, democratic, transformational, and servant leadership styles are the styles adopted by church leadsmen and; there is a correlation between leadership style and church growth. The study’s original contribution are the two models (CIDD and CLC) designed and developed for building church congregants to a level that they can become loyal to the church thereby making the church to grow higher. The study implies that no one leadership style might be appropriate in all situations. Church Leadsmen should be trained in order to be able to identify and adopt growth promoting manners. Future investigation should measure the quality of correlation amidst leadsmen and congregants utilizing the Leadership Membership Exchange (LMX) Theory.