BURNOUT IN CHRISTIAN MINISTRY AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN WORKING IN RURAL AREAS: A CASE OF LODWAR DIOCESE IN TURKANA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Ministry burnout is a global issue of concern among the Church ministers across the world. Studies have shown that majority of Church ministers leave ministry prematurely due to burnout which in turn affects their commitment to the Church. Based on the global concern of burnout in ministry among Church ministers, the study was guided by the following objectives: To examine prevalence of burnout in Christian ministry, relationship between spirituality and work engagement on organizational commitment, and coping strategies to prevent burnout in Christian ministry. The study was grounded on two theories: Maslach Burnout Model by Maslach and Jackson and Job Demands-Resources Model by Bakker and his colleagues. The study adopted an embedded mixed method research design specifically correlational design and phenomenological design. Using census and convenience sampling, a sample size of 131 Catholic religious men and women were included in the study. Quantitative data was collected using standardized questionnaires and qualitative data was collected using Focus Group Discussion Guide. Pretesting of standardized instruments was carried out before the actual data collection to ensure its reliability and validity. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, independent sample t-test and One Way ANOVA using SPSS Version 32 while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that respondents had a moderate level of emotional exhaustion (mean=19.82, SD=4.14) and depersonalization (mean=9.05, SD=2.78). However, the respondents, had experienced high levels of personal accomplishment (mean=30.61, SD=4.02). The findings revealed that there was no significant correlation of spirituality and work engagement on burnout in ministry and organizational commitment. Some of the findings on coping strategies to burnout in Christian ministry among Catholic religious’ men and women were: Role modelling through culture of reading, taking a break from ministryamong others. The study concluded that there was a moderate burnout in Christian ministry among the Catholic religious’ men and women working in Lodwar Diocese and Bishops and congregation Superiors can employ the strategies identified to help their members to deal with burnout in Christian ministry. The study recommends the future studies to consider using intervention approach and especially spiritual interventions which has been found to be significant in preventing burnout in Christian ministry.