A Study on an Effect of Ethical Leadership of Pastor over Altruistic Behavior of Disciples - Focused on Demographic Analysis -

Abstract

Significance of this study is that a clue to an ethical problem of the church being represented in the contemporary society is intended to be inferred in a perspective of social learning theory based on teachings of Jesus Christ that 'pastor should becomes a model of disciples (followers)' (1 Peter 5:3). In a viewpoint of social learning theory, it is explained that 'as a leader is regarded as an attractive and reliable model showing normatively proper behavior, disciples are imitating such leader's behavior'. In other words, life of a leader means a model itself (role model as a conduct model). Therefore, this study intends to empirically explore as to what kind of effect of demonstration of pastor's ethical leadership is exerted over altruistic behavior of church members in their practice of love, an inherent value of Christianity. There are 2 kinds of theoretical hypotheses in this study. ‘Hypothesis 1: Ethical leadership of pastor and altruistic behavior of disciples may represent difference depending on demographic factors’. ‘Hypothesis 2: Ethical leadership of pastor may exert a positive(+) influence over altruistic behavior of disciples’. Each of these hypotheses was verified. As a result, It was revealed that the more age was old (the middle-aged over 50 years old), the more period of religious life was long, the more did such factors exert an influence over ethical leadership of pastor and altruistic behavior of disciples. In addition, in case of persons having high education level over graduate school and persons having important position in church, they were represented to exert more influence over altruistic behavior of disciples. Therefore, <Hypothesis 1> established by this study was endorsed. Next, as a result of analysis based on <Hypothesis 2>, relation between ethical leadership of pastor and altruistic behavior of disciples was observed. As a result of this study, it was revealed that ethical leadership of pastor exerted a positive(+) influence on altruistic behavior of disciples. In other words, it was revealed that the more ethical leadership of pastor was high, the more was altruistic behavior of disciple high. By his result, <Hypothesis 2> was endorsed. While a lot of pastors of modern times fiercely but vaguely criticize church problems of today as saying that churches used to lean on materialism (mammonism), compromise with secularism or take a thorough selfish attitude while ignoring the pain of neighbors, they were observed to stay away from such problems as if they have fulfilled their own obligation. But actually, problem of church is the problem of their own and they have to understand that such problem is directly originated from lack of moral recognition of the pastors. Disciples wish to watch that religious belief declared by pastors would be embodied through pastors themselves. By clarifying that Paul himself is "a person of emulating the Jesus", Paul repeatedly requests in every corner of his letter "to become a person emulating himself"(1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1, Philippians 3:17). In other words, this confession of Paul means that he could exist as his present self as a result of following the footstep of Jesus Christ who became a role model of Paul himself as a conduct model. Like this, pastor as a leader of church has an authority of being able to exert an important effect on conduct norm of church. And such pastor becomes a role model of organizational members, that is disciples, as a conduct model. Therefore, in order to create a foundation upon which disciples could behave ethically, pastors are required to support and encourage ethical behavior of those disciples by practicing these principles in a forefront of disciples. By doing so, disciples may construct a community practicing altruistic life based on teachings of Jesus Christ.