Trust : a phenomenological study of leaders and volunteers in LDS seminaries and institutes

The researcher conducted a qualitative student to develop a deeper understanding of how volunteers and leaders in the Seminaries and Institute (S&I) program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perceived trust between one another. Participants were coordinators and volunteer seminary and institute instructors from the US Southern Plains area of S&I. Data were collected from participant interviews and survey responses. The researcher identified three overarching categories as relevant to volunteer perception of trust in coordinators: effective teaching, helpful and discouraging training, and genuine or self-serving administrating. Further the researcher identified three overarching categories as relevant in recognizing the way coordinators perceived they were trusted by volunteers: superior teaching, implementation of coordinator instruction, and maintaining relationships. The findings of this study have implications for coordinators and volunteers who labor within the S&I organization. One glaring finding of this study was that the antecedents of trust, namely ability, benevolence, and integrity, were more readily