Managerial Stress among Religious Workers: Case Study of the Seventh-day Adventist Christian Pastors in Singapore
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Abstract
Introduction: While studies on occupational health risk among different professions is considerably extensive, such research for religious workers tends to be overlooked. This research is aimed to investigate work-related stress among Christian ministers in Singapore. The focus of the study is to investigate how church management work leads pastors to increased stress.
Methods: Due to the limited number of participants countrywide, a qualitative approach was chosen to investigate. Five selected Seventh-day Adventist pastors in Singapore were selected for the study. Each was interviewed separately, and their response was analyzed.
Result: The multidimensional nature of church management, conflict, inevitable responsibility, priority differences, and personalization have been shown to increase the stress level among all pastors.
Conclusion: Church management work leads to increased stress among pastors due to the nature of the work which is multidimensional, conflict-prone, and inevitable. All the pastors also see that the managerial task is not their main job yet it affects them in a personal way. Furthermore, the sociocultural aspect of Singapore which emphasizes professionalism and hard work, tends to push these pastors to an increased level of stress.
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