Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Toms, Forrest

Abstract

The current status of America in relationship to civic engagement is one of steady decline. The available research examines the decline from the viewpoint of the role religion plays in engagement, the role of volunteerism, and voting, social networking, and memberships. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between spiritual capital, civic participation, and civic engagement. An in depth analysis of relationship between spiritual capital and types and levels of civic engagement was investigated. The research sample included faith-based leaders from five churches in North Carolina and Virginia who were identified by the senior pastors as leaders in the ministries. The participants were administered the Leadership and Community Engagement Questionnaire, which measures engagement and the Spiritual Capital Index, which measures self-reported levels of spiritual capital. The findings suggest that there is no relationship between spiritual capital and specific types of engagement activities. However, there is a positive relationship between spiritual capital and civic engagement, a positive relationship between spiritual capital and faith-based leaders‘ participation, and a positive relationship between types and levels of engagement activities and faith-based leaders‘ participation.

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