My dissertation examines how Protestant congregations evaluate pastoral candidates’ personal narratives of transformation during the church leadership hiring process. Through an innovative field experiment involving 1,656 churches across 48 Protestant denominations, this study reveals a striking pattern: churches are more likely to pursue candidates who disclose histories of sexual misconduct than those who do not. Pastoral applicants who revealed past sexual misconduct were significantly more likely (24.4%) to receive callbacks compared to applicants from the two control groups (18.4% and 18.1%).

Drawing on organizational sociology and behavioral science, this study enriches our understanding of how faith communities navigate the intersection of theological values and institutional practices. For behavioral scientists and organizational sociologists, it illuminates how institutions evaluate risk and process moral information through cultural frameworks. For churches and religious leaders, it provides vital insights for aligning hiring practices with institutional values while maintaining robust safeguarding protocols, particularly within congregational polity systems that prize autonomous congregational decision-making.

The global scope of clergy sexual misconduct underscores the importance of church hiring decisions that require balancing the theological frameworks of grace, redemption, and transformation with organizational risk management. Through my partnerships with faith-based organizations, I will translate my dissertation’s empirical insights into practical wisdom for strengthening pastoral selection processes. By applying rigorous social science methods to matters of deep ecclesiastical significance, the project generates actionable knowledge for fostering healthy, discerning, and vibrant church communities in contemporary North American religious life.