Toxic Leadership: Power, Abuse, and Healing in Christian Organizations began development when Kelly Dehnert finished his Doctor of Ministry in 2017. His dissertation on toxic leadership in Christian organizations was the seed of his future research expanding the number of interviews from 10—for the dissertation—to nearly 100 by completion of the book in 2026.

There were few books written on abuse of leadership for the church in 2017, but this field of research has grown exponentially in the past 10 years. There are many excellent works available now both in secular business management and the church. Dehnert seeks to engage with these works to provide an expansive resource on the misuse of authority in the church and Christian organizations. It has already been chosen as a text for a seminary-level leadership course in 2027.

Dehnert’s experience in the past seven years has been especially formative beginning with his appointment of the Presbyterian Church in America Ad Interim Committee on Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault. The committee spent three years preparing a 200-page resource for the church as it seeks to respond well to abuse reports. Members of the committee including such notable experts as Rachael Denhollander, Diane Langberg, and Darby Strickland.

In addition, Dehnert was a contributing author for the Oxford Handbook on Bad Leadership, edited by Dr. Anders Örtenblad. This resource brought together scholars from around the world and was published by Oxford University Press.

Toxic Leadership will be released by Morgan James Publishing late 2026 or early 2027. It has been endorsed by a wide range of scholars and advocates including:

• Rachael Denhollander — Whistleblower in the conviction of Dr. Larry Nassar, US Gymnastics doctor.
• Darby Strickland — Author of Is it Abuse
• Dr. Mark Dalbey — President Emeritus of Covenant Theological Seminary
• Dr. Tasha Chapman — Co-Author of Resiliant Ministry
• Dr. Daryl Watkins — Co-Author of Toxic Leadership: Research and Cases and Professor of Organizational Leadership at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Cal Boroughs — Pastor and member of PCA DASA Committee
• Dr. Bob Burns — Pastor and Co-Author of Resiliant Ministry
• Dr. Jeff Dryden — Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Georgia
• Dr. Ann Maree Goudzwaard — Founder and Executive Director of Help[H]er Ministries
• Dr. Neil E. Grunberg — 2015 Presidential Leadership Scholar, working with cabinet members of President Johnson, Bush (41), Clinton, and Bush (43), Director of Leadership Research & Development at Uniformed Services University
• David R. Haburchak, MD — Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Medical College of Georgia and Author of Kingdom Work: Redeeming Childhood Sexual Abuse
• Aaron Hann — Counselor and Abuse Advocate
• Jeanine Jackson — Former United States Ambassador
• Rev. J. Nelson Jennings, PhD — President of Global Mission Leadership Forum and Editor of Global Missiology
• Stephen A. Linstead, DLitt, FAcSS — Emeritus Professor of Management Humanities, University of York
• Dr. Horia Moașa — Dean, Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brașov, Romania
• Dr. Anders Örtenblad — Professor of Working Life Sciences at University of Agder, Norway, Editor of Debating Bad Leadership: Reasons and Remedies and Oxford Handbook on Bad Leadership
• Lloyd Pierson — Senior Pastor of Faith Covenant Church, Kalispell, Montana and Board Member of Refuge Ministries of North America
• Lynna Sutherland— Founder of Advocacy from the Presbyterian Pew

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