Theme 1 - Clergy Dissatisfaction
Being a pastor is not an easy task. “According to the Schaeffer Institute, the ministry is perhaps the single most stressful and frustrating working profession, more than medical, legal, or political careers (Gauger, Christie, & Gauger,2013, page 2).” Gaunger et al.(2013) identify many of the stressors that clergy experience both internally and externally that can lead to depression. Gaunger et al. (2013) provide a general overview using various studies, some were dated. Gaunger et al. (2013) and Staley, McMinn, Gathercoal, and Free (2013) identify isolation as a struggle for clergy. Many of the reasons Staley et al. (2013) identify for clergy struggling with isolation were identified by Gaunger et al. (2013). …show more content…
How one handles this stress can lead to a positive or negative experience. Both Wells (2013) and Miles and Proeschold-Bell (2013) look to outside support to help pastor’s deals with the stresses of the ministry. Miles and Proeschold-Bell (2013) research the effectiveness of congregational and denominational support as it relates to pastor stress. Miles and Proeschold-Bell (2013) conducted a mix-method study that was not conclusive if peer support decreases stress. Wells (2013) concluded a definitive relationship between the amount of support from the congregation and denomination to the pastor’s boundary stress. Pastors who feel supported by the denomination proved to experienced less work related stress. Both of these studies focused on external support to hand stress. Wells (2013) being solely quantitative wielded definitive results. Wells (2013) also concluded that older clergy are better able to handle the stress of the ministry than their younger counterparts. Older clergy is defined by age and not time spent in ministry. Life experience equips the older clergy to be less prone to burnout. Faucett, Corwyn, and Poling (2013) highlighted the stress in the ambiguity of the pastoral role. This quantitative study, using role theory on conjunction with job satisfaction concluded that pastors lacking assurance had more stress and less job satisfaction. This research highlights an internal stressor that affects how stress is handled. As noted earlier, none of these studies narrow the focus to any particular pastor role and the external factors are limited to the congregational and denomination leadership. How do staff pastors handle the stress of the ministry in relationship to their
Being a pastor is not an easy task. “According to the Schaeffer Institute, the ministry is perhaps the single most stressful and frustrating working profession, more than medical, legal, or political careers (Gauger, Christie, & Gauger,2013, page 2).” Gaunger et al.(2013) identify many of the stressors that clergy experience both internally and externally that can lead to depression. Gaunger et al. (2013) provide a general overview using various studies, some were dated. Gaunger et al. (2013) and Staley, McMinn, Gathercoal, and Free (2013) identify isolation as a struggle for clergy. Many of the reasons Staley et al. (2013) identify for clergy struggling with isolation were identified by Gaunger et al. (2013). …show more content…
How one handles this stress can lead to a positive or negative experience. Both Wells (2013) and Miles and Proeschold-Bell (2013) look to outside support to help pastor’s deals with the stresses of the ministry. Miles and Proeschold-Bell (2013) research the effectiveness of congregational and denominational support as it relates to pastor stress. Miles and Proeschold-Bell (2013) conducted a mix-method study that was not conclusive if peer support decreases stress. Wells (2013) concluded a definitive relationship between the amount of support from the congregation and denomination to the pastor’s boundary stress. Pastors who feel supported by the denomination proved to experienced less work related stress. Both of these studies focused on external support to hand stress. Wells (2013) being solely quantitative wielded definitive results. Wells (2013) also concluded that older clergy are better able to handle the stress of the ministry than their younger counterparts. Older clergy is defined by age and not time spent in ministry. Life experience equips the older clergy to be less prone to burnout. Faucett, Corwyn, and Poling (2013) highlighted the stress in the ambiguity of the pastoral role. This quantitative study, using role theory on conjunction with job satisfaction concluded that pastors lacking assurance had more stress and less job satisfaction. This research highlights an internal stressor that affects how stress is handled. As noted earlier, none of these studies narrow the focus to any particular pastor role and the external factors are limited to the congregational and denomination leadership. How do staff pastors handle the stress of the ministry in relationship to their