The Diffusion of Ecclesiastical Authority: Sociological Dimensions of Leadership in the Book of Acts

By Darin H Land

The Diffusion of Ecclesiastical Authority explores the leadership of the church in Acts from a sociological perspective. Two primary models emerge from a sociologically informed investigation of first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish religious leadership: "manager-leader" and "innovator-leader." An examination of seven passages in Acts reveals that the leaders of the early church, although initially conforming to cultural expectations, are best described as innovator-leaders whose counter-cultural actions resulted in the empowerment of new leaders and the advancement of the gospel. Through the use of fictive kinship language, the voluntary sharing of authority, the fostering of a sense of mutual dependence on God as the common patron, and the redefinition of what is honorable, the leaders in Acts consistently enabled others to share authority in the church.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1498250637
• ISBN13: 9781498250634
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"