Program

Doctor of Ministry

Year Approved

2022

First Advisor

Bryan, John

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine an effective, culturally informed model for intergenerational leadership transfer within the Alliance Church of Merced (ACOM) in Merced, California. The project consisted of a qualitative case study of the three generations of church members in the Alliance Church of Merced to identify an effective, culturally informed model for leadership transfer within the church. The three generations were comprised of the first generation (1.0)—members who were born in Laos and came to the United States when they were teenagers; the 1.5 generation—members who were born in Laos and came to the United States at a younger age; and the second generation (2.0)—members who were born in the United States. The researcher surveyed ten individuals from each generation and interviewed three individuals. Furthermore, the researcher interviewed Dr. Timothy Vang, a respected pastor and an expert on Hmong culture. The researcher examined the leadership transfer of Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:9-14 to capture the working relationship between Elijah and Elisha in relationship to mentoring. The researcher studied the generational challenges of other ethnic churches in the United States, particularly the Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. These ethnic groups shared a similar culture to the Hmong and were early immigrants to the United States. The Hmong could learn from their struggles. The researcher also studied leadership succession and mentoring from other Protestant churches in the United States to understand how to train leaders in the church. Finally, these findings were used to recommend an effective, culturally informed model for intergenerational leadership transfer within the Alliance Church of Merced.

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

Document Type

Doctoral thesis

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