A Systematic Comphrehension Of Leadership Development In A Postmodern Cultural Context For The Local Church In Order To Penetrate The Emerging Culture In American Society

'Our society is in the throes of a cultural shift of immense proportions. As modernity dies around us, we appear to be entering a new epoch- postmodernity.' American culture is changing and this shift in culture has become a great challenge for the church. Stanley Grenz continues, 'The transition from the modern era to the postmodern era poses a grave challenge to the church in its mission to its own next generation.' This dissertation will focus on seven questions: What exactly is the challenge for the evangelical church in America as society shifts towards postmodernism? Will the church see this emerging culture as a mission field, or a cultural wave to be opposed? If the church sees this emerging culture as a mission field, how will it penetrate this new mission field? Will the next generation be lost to this new culture? Is it possible for the church to enter into this new culture and reach the next generation? In order for the church to penetrate this new culture as a mission field, it must develop a new leadership. What skills will the new leadership employ in order to enter into the culture with the transformational power of Jesus Christ?

The challenge is greater than it seems. New leaders will be required to lead the church in its penetration of the postmodern culture. This dissertation will provide new strategies for developing leaders for this postmodern culture. The current strategies for developing leaders have been very effective in a culture reflecting the ethos of modernity. Will these strategies be effective for a culture which reflects the ethos of postmodernity?

The objective of this dissertation is not to challenge the church to update its tactics and training methods. The emerging culture is speaking a new language, it has new symbols and signs and the concept of truth is considered to be experienced on a level other than pure intellectualism. The objective is to evaluate the extent to which the culture has become postmodern. Secondly, the objective is to evaluate the structures which are employed by the church in developing leaders and determine the effectiveness of these underlying structures in their ability to develop leaders with the propensity to penetrate the postmodern culture.

Due to the fact that post-modernism was developed as a rejection of modernism, leaders developed under a modernistic philosophy have a tendency to view the new culture as a threat. The hope of this dissertation is to add an deeper understanding of the connection between the method employed to develop leaders and the effectiveness of their ability to penetrate the emerging postmodern culture.