Abstract:
Every preacher has a distinct personality type that determines the preparation, construction and presentation of a public worship. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® [MBTI®] proofs to be a most efficient instrument of personality traits. This dissertation express a qualitative and quantitative investigation of the distinct influence of the preacher’s MBTI® type on the liturgical preparation, construction and presentation of a public worship. In a literature study the history and core of the subjacent theory of the MBTI® is investigated and explained. Carl G. Jung, the father of analytical psychology distinguished two opposite orientations to the world, extraversion and introversion. Jung also described four mental processes, the two opposite ways of taking in information [sensing and intuition] and the two opposite ways of organizing that information [thinking and feeling]. In addition to this distinctions, Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs [a mother and daughter] added two preferred opposite lifestyles, a planned definite lifestyle [judging] and a spontaneous flexible lifestyle [perceiving]. Out of these distinctions and combinations thereof the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® was born. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® consists out of sixteen unique and different personality types that are described in a four letter combination. This combination describes your preferred orientation to the world [extroversion or introversion], your preferred way of gathering information [sensing or intuition], your preferred way of decision making [thinking or feeling] and the preferred lifestyle you adopts [judging or perceiving]. This sixteen personality types and it’s combinations and dynamics are described in this dissertation. Thereafter each MBTI® personality type’s expected liturgical preparation, construction and presentation of a public worship were plotted and empirically tested. A random test, consisting out of one third of the population [the preachers of the Dutch Reformed Classis of Wonderboom] was used for the empirical study. A self report questionnaire was designed for this purpose. The results of this empirical investigation was connected with the outcome of the literature study and the expected responses verified. Out of this theoretical and empirical study, the hypothesis that the MBTI® type of the preacher’s has a significant influence on the liturgical preparation, construction and presentation of a public worship, was verified. It would benefit every preacher and congregation to use this superb psychometric instrument the MBTI® proved to be! It will certainly enhance the liturgical quality of preaching and preparation, and thus the whole ministry!
