Date

7-31-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Richard McFarland

Keywords

Pastoral Couseling, Counseling, Pastor, Clergy, Liberia, Liberian Pastor, Burnout, Stress, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, Survey Research, Kakata, Soul care, Christian Ministry, Unity Light

Disciplines

Christianity | Religion

Abstract

Many Liberians turn to their pastors for help before considering going to a professional counselor. Pastoral counseling in Africa, especially in Liberia, is framed within African life and thought based on appropriate backgrounds that are evident in cultural assumptions and practices. Hence, pastoral counseling in Liberia assumes a cultural background central to the holistic Christian life that connects all dimensions of one’s social and spiritual life. Thus, the Liberian view of pastoral counseling is distinctly African, with a unique blend of noticeable Liberian values, traditions, and cultural practices based on a combination of its American and indigenous African heritage. The researcher used Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and an anonymous pastoral counseling survey to perform a research study of 12 pastors from Unity Light Ministry Network (UCC) in Kakata, Liberia. The study found that Liberian pastors, who counsel by default, at UCC, believe it takes too much time to do pastoral counseling in addition to other pastoral duties. This study concluded that Liberian pastors, who perform counseling by default are not educated in counseling, adequately trained, or equipped to conduct pastoral counseling and are more likely to experience burnout.

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