Calling and Authentic Followership

December 3, 2025

Calling and Authentic Followership

Stephanie Sheehan | 2018

Abstract

This research was conducted in response to calls for future research in the areas of spiritual calling and followership. Though research in the area of calling has become more prevalent, it has not distinctly focused on spiritual calling as identified through a biblical worldview. Recent endeavors in this area have yielded development and substantiation of a spiritual calling scale, opening wider the doors of research opportunity. Followership research has been gaining momentum in recent decades; however, authentic followership remains a nascent area, only recently gaining attention, construct development, and tools for measurement. To more fully explore each of these domains and potential interactions, this quantitative study was conducted using survey methodology utilizing the newly developed scales in each of these areas. Data evaluation was conducted through multiple regression analysis and revealed positive relationships between spiritual calling and each dimension of authentic followership, and spiritual calling was indicated as an antecedent of authentic followership. The research and findings contribute empirically to the body of knowledge in these newly emerging areas and provide further validation of measurement tools for use in future research. The research findings also establish a connection between individual spirituality and embodiment of followership. Implications of this connection are discussed and areas of future research considered.

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