Assessing the Source of Stress Levels and Burnout Among Pastors at Global Evangelical Church Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Pastoral work is professionalized in most developed countries. In sub-Saharan Africa however it remains largely vocational, often informal and ill-defined in terms of scope and working hours. While this approach appeals to African congregations, it could become a source of stress and burn-out for pastors who literally have to be available to congregants 24 hours in the day. This study sought to describe the experience of pastor in this regards and how it affects work satisfaction. Methods: Using a self-administered questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among pastors of the Global Evangelical Church attending the Pastor's annual conference in Ho from 4-8th January 2017. Data was obtained on socio-demographic background, work activities and work schedule. Pastors also completed the Burnout and Stress Assessment tests. Results: One hundred and fifty out of the 265 Pastors completed the questionnaire. They were made up of 123(82%) males and 27(18%) females. The mean age was 46.90 years (standard deviation of 7.57years). All were married. Majority 147(98%) of the pastors had congregations of up to five hundred members. Three (2%) however had congregations of more than five hundred. The majority (83%) were district pastors; 25(17%) of them were parish pastors and one (1) respondent was a regional administrator. About 46.7% of pastors had high stress levels (about 21.3%) and 10.7% had symptoms suggestive of burnout. The main sources of stress mentioned were care for neglected children, family pressure, organization of crusades and all-night prayer sessions, anxieties about transfers and pressure on personal finances due to societal demands. Despite an enumeration of these sources of stress, all pastors indicated they derived satisfaction from the work they did. Conclusions: The ill-defined nature of the work of the pastor needs to be re-assessed and congregants educated to be accommodating of the need for pastors to have rest and recuperation periods. Churches should consider mandatory rest periods for pastors. Pastors' declaration of work satisfaction contrast sharply with their enumeration of several sources of stress.