Abstract:
Literature generally acknowledges that ministers have a demanding job with unique requirements
and unclear boundaries between their personal and professional lives. Since 1980, studies have been
describing an alarming spread of burnout in the ministry, with three out of four ministers reporting
severe stress, causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear and alienation. South
African literature indicates ministry as a high-risk occupation with regard to burnout. As providers
of help, ministers are exposed to demanding work situations, with unique job and client-related
stressors that show high correlation with burnout.
Burnout, according to Levert (et al, 2000) is a syndrome consisting of three dimensions: these are
Exhaustion, Cynicism and lack of Professional Efficacy. Exhaustion refers to the depletion and
draining of emotional resources and feelings of being overextended. Cynicism reflects a negative,
cynical and callous attitude towards recipients of service, andlor extreme detached responses to
aspects pertaining to the job. A lack of professional efficacy refers to the tendency to evaluate
aspects negatively with regard to personal accomplishments and competence at work. Burnout in the
human service industry is a growing phenomenon.
The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the Maslach Burnout
Inventory (MBI) in the context of ministry, The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and the
Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced questionnaire (COPE), and to develop a measuring
instrument to describe occupational stress of Pentecostal pastors in the North West Region of South
Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Availability samples (n = 100) were taken of
qualified and ordained Pentecostal Pastors in the ministry. The Ministry Demands Survey was
developed as measuring instrument, indicating internal demands/emotional input and relationship
demands/demands with regard to calling, as reliable factors. Coping was described as being either
Problem or Emotion-focused.
Health of Pentecostal pastors was predicted by Internal Demands/Emotional Input, Exhaustion and
Problem and Emotion-focused Coping. Recommendations for future research were made.
