Date

12-11-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Brian Pinzer

Keywords

Leadership, pastoral leadership, mental health, counselor, wellbeing, emotional intelligence, coping behaviors

Disciplines

Leadership Studies

Abstract

Pastoral leadership is a unique and peculiar leadership vocation. It is unique and peculiar in its expectation that those in the pastoral leadership vocation should operate in multiple roles. It is also particularly unique in its experience of occupational stressors. The pastoral vocation is considered by many to be the single most stressful occupation in the United States and perhaps around the world (Thordarson, 2022). Although pastoral leaders are experiencing mental and emotional stress and distress at high rates, they are not seeking help at the same rate. Research indicates that pastoral leaders are reluctant and slow in pursuing care for their mental and emotional distress (Biru et al., 2022). Strategies are necessary to prevent and help mitigate the mental and emotional stress common to the pastoral vocation. As a strategy to prevent and mitigate the emotional and mental stress of pastoral leaders, the B3 program was developed. The B3 program is a triad approach that consisted of intentional collaboration between pastoral leaders and Christian mental health professionals, employing emotional intelligence theory to develop self-awareness and self-management, and increasing the utilization of coping strategies. The research findings suggested that the literature is precise in outlining the need for pastoral leaders to mitigate the stress and distress of the pastoral vocation. According to research assessment findings, pastoral leaders increased their awareness of emotional intelligence components, learned new ways of utilizing coping skills, and greatly benefited from intentional collaboration with mental health professionals. The research has significant implications for the future as other solutions are developed to help prevent and mitigate the problem in praxis. Keywords: leadership, pastoral leadership, mental health, counselor, well-being, emotional intelligence, coping behaviors

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