Article Details
Vol. 6 No. 4 (2026): Juni
Transformational Leadership Training for Church Leaders in A Community Engagement Context
Purpose: This community engagement program aimed to strengthen the leadership capacity of church leaders through transformational leadership training within a local association of church leaders in South Tangerang, Indonesia.
Research Methodology: The program was conducted on February 19, 2026, using a hybrid format combining offline and online participation. More than 50 church leaders, including pastors, ministry coordinators and theology students, participated in the study. Training was conducted using a participatory educational approach through lectures, theological reflection, interactive discussions, and case-based dialogue. The materials focused on four dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration.
Results: The training improved participants’ understanding of transformational leadership, shifting their perspective from administrative responsibilities to vision-driven, relational, and empowering leadership, while also strengthening collaboration among churches and encouraging shared ministry initiatives.
Conclusions: Transformational leadership training can serve as an effective community engagement strategy to enhance leadership capacity in faith-based organizations. Integrating leadership theory with biblical perspectives provides practical guidance for church leaders to manage ministry, foster collaboration, and promote sustainable organizational development.
Limitations: The activity involved participants from a limited regional network and relied primarily on qualitative feedback rather than on long-term evaluation.
Contributions: This study contributes to community development practices in religious organizations and highlights the importance of leadership education in strengthening faith-based institutions.
- Aboramadan, M., Hamid, Z., Kundi, Y. M., & El Hamalawi, E. (2022). The effect of servant leadership on employees' extra?role behaviors in NPOs: The role of work engagement. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 33(1), 109-129. doi:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21505
- Afolabi, G. O., & Afolabi, O. O. (2024). Transformational Leadership Approach and its Impact on Church Growth in Local Baptist Churches in Oyo and its Environs. Lead City Journal of Religions and Intercultural Communication, 2(2), 128-143. doi:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14250827
- Al-Husseini, S., El Beltagi, I., & Moizer, J. (2021). Transformational leadership and innovation: the mediating role of knowledge sharing amongst higher education faculty. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 24(5), 670-693. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2019.1588381
- Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The leadership quarterly, 27(4), 634-652. doi:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006
- Bannor, F. O. (2024). Exploring the Role of Transformational Leadership on Church Leaders’ Success in South West Liberia Region: An appreciative Inquiry. ISSRA Journal of Education, Linguistics and Literature, 4(6), 1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1068076543
- Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership: Sage Publications, Inc.
- Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership: Psychology Press.
- Brown, M. E., Vogel, R. M., & Akben, M. (2022). Ethical conflict: Conceptualization, measurement, and an examination of consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(7), 1130. doi:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000854
- Budiati, A., Indah, D., & Jahidi, I. (2016). Transformational Leadership in Nonprofit Organization. Paper presented at the International Conference on Ethics in Governance (ICONEG 2016).
- Burns, J. (1978). Leadership (Vol. 18). New York: Harper & Row.https://doi.org/10.2991/iconeg-16.2017.58
- Campbell, H. A. (2017). Surveying theoretical approaches within digital religion studies. New media & society, 19(1), 15-24. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816649912
- Demircioglu, M. A., & Chowdhury, F. (2021). Entrepreneurship in public organizations: the role of leadership behavior. Small business economics, 57(3), 1107-1123. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00328-w
- Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., Van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The leadership quarterly, 30(1), 111-132. doi:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.07.004
- Gaybullaev, O., & Strode, J. P. (2026). Transformational leadership and organizational sustainability performance: A systematic literature review of global evidence. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1-49. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-026-07319-z
- Hardana, A. (2024). Pondok Pesantren's Transformational Leadership Analysis of the Financial Reporting Company's Accountability. Studi Akuntansi, Keuangan, dan Manajemen, 4(1), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/sakman.v4i1.2778
- Heist, D., & Cnaan, R. A. (2016). Faith-based international development work: A review. Religions, 7(3), 19. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7030019
- Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of management, 44(2), 501-529. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316665461
- Jahani, R., & Parayandeh, M. Y. (2024). The role of faith-based organizations in social service provision. Interdisciplinary Studies in Society, Law, and Politics, 3(3), 12-19. doi:https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.isslp.3.3.3
- Killins, R. N., Johnk, D. W., & Egly, P. V. (2020). The impact of financial regulation policy uncertainty on bank profits and risk. Studies in Economics and Finance, 37(4), 725-752. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/SEF-05-2019-0169
- Msebi, M. (2022). An analysis of the role of the missional church in community development. E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 8(8), 229-240. doi:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2022883
- Nurtini, H., & Sutisna, D. Peran Kepemimpinan Transformasional dan Motivasi pada Kinerja yang Dipengaruhi Kesiapan Berubah. Studi Ilmu Manajemen dan Organisasi, 6(3), 803-815. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/simo.v6i3.4070
- Nurtini, H., & Sutisna, D. (2025). Peran Kepemimpinan Transformasional dan Motivasi pada Kinerja yang Dipengaruhi Kesiapan Berubah. Studi Ilmu Manajemen dan Organisasi, 6(3), 803-815. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/simo.v6i3.4070
- Putri, W., & Abriand, A. (2024). The Effect of The Implementation of Digitalization and Personal Technical Skills on Employee Work Effectiveness With the Perceiver Ease of Use System As a Moderation. Jurnal Akuntansi, Keuangan, dan Manajemen, 5(4), 565-574. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jakman.v5i4.3386
- Rakotoarison, Z. R., Dietrich, S., & Hiilamo, H. (2021). Faith as An Asset in a Community Development Project: The Case of Madagascar. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 77(4), 6470. doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i4.6470
- Rozi, A. F., Riza, C. S., Azizah, N., Sundari, A., & Nasikhin, M. N. A. K. (2025). Mewujudkan Kesejahteraan Sosial Melalui Diseminasi Hasil Pengabdian di Desa Dlanggu, Lamongan. Jurnal Pemberdayaan Umat, 4(1), 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jpu.v4i1.4390
- Sendjaya, S., Eva, N., Butar Butar, I., Robin, M., & Castles, S. (2019). SLBS-6: Validation of A Short Form of The Servant Leadership Behavior Scale. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), 941-956. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3594-3
- Stolz, J. (2020). Secularization Theories in The Twenty-First Century: Ideas, Evidence, and Problems. Presidential Address. Social Compass, 67(2), 282-308. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768620917320
- Tarpeh, S., & Hustedde, R. (2021). How Faith-Based Organizations Perceive Their Role n Community Development: An Exploratory Study. Community Development, 52(1), 61-76. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2020.1831565
- Tomalin, E. (2021). Religions and Development: A Paradigm Shift or Business as Usual? Religion, 51(1), 105-124. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2020.1792055
- Urfa, N., & Tarigan, H. (2026). The Effect of Organizational Culture and Work Environment on Organizational Commitment through Job Satisfaction. Studi Ilmu Manajemen dan Organisasi, 6(4), 35–48. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/simo.v6i4.4835
- Voas, D., & Chaves, M. (2016). Is The United States A Counterexample to The Secularization Thesis? American Journal of sociology, 121(5), 1517-1556. doi:https://doi.org/10.1086/684202

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.