Date
3-10-2026
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Leadership (PhD)
Chair
Baylor Whitney
Keywords
Burnout, Emotional Intelligence (EI), leadership, pastoral leadership, stress, start-up church
Disciplines
Leadership Studies | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Steidel-Santiago, Jacquelyn, "Examining the Relationship Between Burnout and Emotional Intelligence in Ministry Leaders of Start-Up Churches" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7973.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7973
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to utilize Emotional Intelligence (EI) and burnout models to examine the relationship between perceived EI and firsthand experiences of burnout in ministry leaders of start-up churches to establish a unique connection and offer valuable insights for participants and other ministry leaders facing similar circumstances. Personal characteristics were divided into demographic information about the participants (i.e., age, race, years in ministry, congregation size, etc.) and information about the participants’ experience with specific features of burnout. The demographic information was used to identify possible factors related to various levels of EI, with the expectation that specific demographics could identify early indicators contributing to burnout. The study asked participants to identify their EI level based on Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso's (1997) EI Ability Model and elements that perceive understanding, manage emotions, facilitate thinking, and guide decisions (Faltas, 2017). Second, participants identified burnout factors from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) by Maslach and Jackson's (1981) that they experienced. These burnout experiences relate to emotional exhaustion, mental distancing, cynicism, depersonalization, and occupational inefficacy. Third, participants indicated if these factors led to negative behavior toward ministry work, co-laborers, and congregants (Edú-Valsania et al., 2022) and their perceived EI during those experiences. Exploring the relationship between participants' perceived EI and burnout experiences in ministry leadership of a start-up church should offer insights for ministry leaders in similar circumstances who can benefit from these experiences.
