The Effect of Servant and Transformational Leadership on Pastor Performance through Organizational Commitment

Authors

  • Nelson Kapitarau Doctoral Program in Management Science, Faculty of Economics and Business, Cenderawasih University, Jayapura
  • Yohanis Rante Doctoral Program in Management Science, Faculty of Economics and Business, Cenderawasih University, Jayapura
  • Ruben Tuhumena Doctoral Program in Management Science, Faculty of Economics and Business, Cenderawasih University, Jayapura
  • Westim Ratang Doctoral Program in Management Science, Faculty of Economics and Business, Cenderawasih University, Jayapura

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58812/wsjee.v4i03.3036

Keywords:

Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Organizational Commitment, Pastor Performance, GKI Papua

Abstract

This study analyzes the effect of servant leadership and transformational leadership on pastor performance, with organizational commitment as an intervening variable, in the Classis of GKI Port Numbai-Jayapura. The study employs a mixed-methods approach with a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to 257 elders and deacons from 19 sampled churches (out of 51 churches) and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS version 4. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 10 pastors and analyzed using grounded theory. The results show that servant leadership has no significant effect on organizational commitment (β = 0.046; p = 0.409) or on pastor performance directly (β = 0.074; p = 0.347). By contrast, transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on organizational commitment (β = 0.814; p = 0.001) and pastor performance (β = 0.322; p = 0.003). Organizational commitment has a significant effect on pastor performance (β = 0.560; p = 0.000) and functions as a mediator. Mediation tests indicate that commitment fully mediates the servant leadership path (β = 0.237; p = 0.000) and partially mediates the transformational leadership path (β = 0.148; p = 0.002). The qualitative findings reinforce that effective church leadership integrates a serving disposition with transformational vision, yielding a conceptual model of Servant-Transformational Leadership for GKI Papua.

References

[1] R. K. Greenleaf, “Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness,” New York Paul., 1977.

[2] L. C. Spears and F. Wagner-Marsh, “Insights on leadership: Service, stewardship, spirit, and servant-leadership,” 1998.

[3] E. M. Burns and W. D. Ward, “Categorical perception—phenomenon or epiphenomenon: Evidence from experiments in the perception of melodic musical intervals,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am., vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 456–468, 1978.

[4] B. M. Bass and M. Bass Bernard, “Leadership and performance beyond expectations,” 1985.

[5] J. L. Gibson, “A mile wide but an inch deep(?): The structure of democratic commitments in the former USSR,” Am. J. Pol. Sci., vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 396–420, 1996, doi: 10.2307/2111630.

[6] K. W. Westbrook and R. M. Peterson, “Servant leadership effects on salesperson self-efficacy, performance, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions,” J. Business-to-bus. Mark., vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 153–175, 2022.

[7] A. Raoush, “Relationship between adopting servant leadership style and employee commitment: Empirical evidence from Jordanian governmental hospitals,” Probl. Perspect. Manag., vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 299–309, 2022.

[8] A. A. Sihombing, E. Sari, H. Abbas, and M. Fatra, “Servant leadership’s impact on trust, commitment, and performance in higher education,” Int. J. Eval. Res. Educ, vol. 13, no. 1703, pp. 10–11591, 2024.

[9] A. Newman, C. Neesham, G. Manville, and H. H. M. Tse, “Examining the influence of servant and entrepreneurial leadership on the work outcomes of employees in social enterprises,” Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag., vol. 29, no. 20, pp. 2905–2926, 2018.

[10] R. N. Handayani, A. Indrayanto, A. Arif, and M. Suandika, “The benefit and impact of servant leadership on organizational culture, rewards, job satisfaction, and employee performance,” in BIO Web of Conferences, EDP Sciences, 2025, p. 1021.

[11] M. Shidqi and A. Sudiro, “Transformational leadership, organizational learning, and employee performance: the mediating role of affective commitment in Cement Company X, Rembang,” Int. J. Res. Bus. Soc. Sci., vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 151–159, 2025.

[12] G. E. Nurtjahjono, U. Nimran, M. Al Musadieq, and H. N. Utami, “The effect of job characteristic, person-job fit, organizational commitment on employee performance (study of East Java BPJS employees),” JPAS (Journal Public Adm. Stud., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 5–7, 2020.

[13] U. Udin, “A mediation-moderation model of transformational leadership and intrinsic work motivation for nurturing employee performance,” J. Soc. Econ. Res., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 22–33, 2023.

[14] J. B. Haruna, “An Analysis of Servant and Autocratic Leadership in Church Organizations in Nigeria and Their Impact on Employee Performance, Satisfaction, and Productivity: Unraveling the Connection Between These Paradigms and Employee Contentment, Motivation, and Growth,” Int. J. Res. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 304–311, 2024.

[15] D. C. Huynh, H. V Nguyen, and M. W. Dunnigan, “Detailed Non-Linear Constrained Multi-Objective Optimal Operation of Power Systems Including Renewable Energy Sources,” in Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, K. N. A.N., S. M.M., D. M.R., M. F. A.A., A. M.A., N. M.S., A. W. Y., O. N.A., A. G. N.M., I. A., K. S., and R. I. R.M.T., Eds., Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam: Springer, 2020, pp. 795–808. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-2317-5_66.

[16] J. F. Hair, W. C. Black, B. J. Babin, and R. E. Anderson, “Multivariate data analysis.” Cengage Learning EMEA, 2019.

[17] N. Dahal, “Qualitative data analysis: reflections, procedures, and some points for consideration,” Front. Res. Metrics Anal., vol. 10, p. 1669578, 2025.

[18] S.-A. Martinez and N. Leija, “Distinguishing servant leadership from transactional and transformational leadership,” Adv. Dev. Hum. Resour., vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 141–188, 2023.

[19] B. M. Bass and R. E. Riggio, Transformational leadership. Psychology press, 2006.

[20] J. F. Hair, J. J. Risher, M. Sarstedt, and C. M. Ringle, “When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM,” Eur. Bus. Rev., vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 2–24, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203.

[21] G. Shmueli et al., “Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: guidelines for using PLSpredict,” Eur. J. Mark., vol. 53, no. 11, pp. 2322–2347, 2019.

[22] S. O. Sihombing, “Transformasi Kepemimpinan Dosen: Menghadapi Tantangan dan Mengoptimalkan Peluang Teknologi dalam Pendidikan,” in Prosiding Seminar Nasional Darmajaya, 2023, pp. 11–23.

[23] L. Xie, “The impact of servant leadership and transformational leadership on learning organization: a comparative analysis,” Leadersh. Organ. Dev. J., vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 220–236, 2020.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-05

How to Cite

The Effect of Servant and Transformational Leadership on Pastor Performance through Organizational Commitment (N. Kapitarau, Y. Rante, R. Tuhumena, & W. Ratang, Trans.). (2026). West Science Journal Economic and Entrepreneurship, 4(03), 431-439. https://doi.org/10.58812/wsjee.v4i03.3036