The role of the leader: an examination of the influence of ministerial leadership on the growth of six Australian churches from 1978 to 1989

This thesis is an excursion into social history. Its concern is to discover the contribution of clerical leadership to the growth of six churches in the general region of the Illawarra in the years between 1978 and 1989. The Introduction proposes a justification for this study, and states the hypothesis in its fullest form. In essence, the hypothesis is that leadership performance is the most significant factor influencing the growth of a local church.