The multiple roles religious leaders must hold create a complex working environment at the individual (e.g., role ambiguity), relational (e.g., dispersed collegial networks), and institutional (e.g., limited resources) levels (Galek et al., 2011). When combined with the United States’ sociopolitical climate of the past year, a clergyperson’s sense of agency—sense of being able to freely, safely, and confidently lead a community—has likely shifted, becoming more flexible in some areas and becoming more constrained in others. From access to reproductive healthcare to border immigration policies to environmental policies to opinions on the US involvement in international conflicts, US citizens and residents hold divergent positions that are often theologically influenced. When these faith-based beliefs differ between clergy and congregant, or clergy and denominational body, the clergyperson may begin to feel less free to lead or less respected as a leader in their congregation (Johnson et al., 2023). A recent literature review (Author, 2024) confirmed that religious leaders are often burnt out and struggling, as individual, relational, and organizational factors compound upon each other, potentially jeopardizing their capacity to healthily and reliably execute their duties. With media articles and empirical studies suggesting many religious leaders have strongly considered leaving or left their jobs, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic (Hartford Institute for Religious Research, 2021; Rohane, 2022), any additional sense of decreased agency can have deleterious effects on not just the well-being of the religious leader but on the broader congregation and even local community.
Drawn from the qualitative transcripts of group meetings with clergy from across the United States, two case studies will be presented elucidating some of the ways congregational clergy have felt shifts in their sense of agency to freely perform their role since the presidential election in November 2024. The data is part of a larger intervention study to examine the effectiveness of two different versions of a free online eight-week personal and professional development program for religious leaders and mental health providers. This presentation will focus on composite case studies of congregational clergy who discussed how their community’s sociopolitical climate since the 2024 presidential election influenced their felt-sense of freedom to lead their respective congregations. Attention will also be given to the potential systemic ripples possible from changes in religious leadership and religious community involvement.
REFERENCES
Author. 2024. “Burnout, Trauma Impacts, and Well-Being among Clergy and Chaplains: A Systematic Review and Recommendations to Guide Best Practice. Pastoral Psychology.
Galek, Kathleen, Kevin J. Flannelly, Paul B. Greene, and Taryn Kudler. 2011. “Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Social Support.” Pastoral Psychology 60(5): 633–49.
Hartford Institute for Religion Research. November 2021. Navigating the Pandemic: A First Look at Congregational Responses. https://www.covidreligionresearch.org/research/national-survey-research…
Johnston, E. F., Headley, J., & Eagle, D. E. 2023. Pastoring in a Pandemic: Sources and Types of Social Support Used by United Methodist Clergy in the Early Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 51(4), 459–476. https://doi.org/10.1177/00916471231182737
Rohane, Kyle. 2022. “Emptied Out: Tens of Thousands of Pastors Want to Quit but Haven’t. What has That Done to Them?” Christianity Today 66(4): 42-53.
The United States’ sociopolitical climate of the past year has likely shifted a clergyperson’s sense of professional agency—sense of being able to freely, safely, and confidently lead a community. A 2024 literature review confirmed that religious leaders are often burnt out and struggling, as individual, relational, and organizational factors compound upon each other, potentially jeopardizing their capacity to healthily and reliably execute their duties. Thus, any additional sense of decreased agency can have deleterious effects on not just the well-being of the religious leader but on the broader congregation and even local community. Drawn from the qualitative transcripts of group meetings with clergy from across the United States, two case studies will elucidate some of the ways congregational clergy have felt shifts in their sense of agency to freely perform their role since the presidential election in November 2024.