Abstract

This dissertation examines the perception of ministry quality in the local church as measured by William Edwards Deming's fourteen assessment points for quality improvement as described in his work Out of the Crisis. This analysis includes the measurement of perceived quality by pastors and support staff of the smallest and largest Southern Baptist membership churches across the three regions in the state of Tennessee. Data was gathered through a survey instrument developed by the writer and field tested by business people, church workers, faculty and students of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary who were familiar with Deming's work. ;Chapter 1 defines the research problem, gives reason for the development of the research questions, and gives information related to the current trends concerning quality perception in the local church. ;Chapter 2 provides an extensive survey of the available literature. This chapter describes William Edwards Deming's contributions to product quality, how his system has proven usefully in other institutions and the need for a system of measuring quality in the local church. This chapter ends with a description of each of Deming's fourteen points as they might appear in the local church and how the precedent literature relates to each. ;Chapter 3 presents the methodology in which the analysis of perceived quality and use of Deming's methods were measured. This methodology included the development of a survey instrument, the field test of the instrument and selection of the thirty churches in Tennessee. The survey consists of 42 questions and one write-in page. ;Chapter 4 examines respondent results to the survey. The six research questions that have guided this study are examined in detail with the presentation of data tabulation through the utilization of tables, statistics and descriptive writing relating to the research presented. The findings of Deming's 14 assessment points are discussed in detail. ;Chapter 5 provides a summation of the research as well as suggestions for future research. The implications and applications of this research are presented related to the utilization of Deming's fourteen assessment points for quality improvement