Abstract
![CDATA[Christian ministers face many challenges in their lives and work. They are called to personal holiness (Whetham & Whetham, 2000), the provision of leadership to a group of people having diverse psycho-spiritual needs, and to live in communities where pluralism of beliefs, behaviours and values is the norm. Each of these challenges present a possible cause of stress and each potentially lead to breakdowns in a minister’s ability to cope with the demands of ministry on both a personal and a professional level. According to the stress-coping theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), the balance of personal and environmental protective factors over risk factors determines whether a person maintains equilibrium and enhances functionality or experiences physical or psychological decline in the face of potentially stressful challenges. In the case of ministry however, it is unlikely that any single set of protective factors will provide the specific positive coping strategies necessary for maintaining equilibrium and enhancing functioning in ministry contexts. Accordingly, this paper describes the validation of a multidimensional scale implicating multiple coping strategies in the context of ministry.]]
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Papers presented at the UWS Psychology and Spirituality Society Annual Conference : Spirituality in Australia, Psychological, Social and Religious Perspectives, University of Western Sydney, Bankstown Campus, 20 July 2007 |
| Publisher | Centre for Human Interaction, Learning and Development |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1740580095 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
| Event | University of Western Sydney. Psychology and Spirituality Society. Conference - Duration: 1 Jan 2007 → … |
Conference
| Conference | University of Western Sydney. Psychology and Spirituality Society. Conference |
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| Period | 1/01/07 → … |
Keywords
- clergy
- psychology
- stress (psychology)