Date
12-4-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Scott D Edgar
Keywords
Bi-vocational clergy, burnout, vicarious trauma, role ambiguity, Spillover, Emotional fatigue, mental distancing, coaching, mentoring, mental health
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities
Recommended Citation
Hall, Kenneth E. Jr., "A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of the Effects of Having a Mentor on the Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Health of Bi-Vocational Clergy" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7670.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7670
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand the effect of a mentor/mentee relationship on the feelings of isolation and loneliness of bi-vocational clergy. The prevalence of bi-vocational clergy is on the rise across all denominations. Coupled with the number of clergy people leaving the ministry annually, bi-vocational clergy will become even more commonplace within the church structure. As the prevalence of bi-vocational clergy increases and the number of roles that they are expected to fill grows, safeguarding their mental, emotional, and spiritual health needs to be a priority. Bi-vocational clergy are at great risk for burnout and leaving the ministry. Many variables contribute to burnout such as vicarious trauma, role ambiguity, mental distancing, isolation, and loneliness. The design of this study is a qualitative study that consists of two primary sets of data, an initial interview, in depth interview comprised of twenty one As questions. This research will allow others who are bi-vocational clergy to employ the use of mentors both as a preventative measure and a recovery measure addressing burnout.
