Correlates of Lay Perceptions of Clergy Ministry Style

Abstract

Analysis of survey data from national samples of clergy and their lay members (in the United States) revealed both convergence and divergence in comparisons of how clergy define their ministry style and how their members perceive that style. These patterns involved mostly ministry styles characterized by use of coercive power, rational decision making, ethical legalism, seeking to empower congregations, and involvement in social issues. Multivariate analysis indicated that the most consistent predictors of lay perceptions of clergy ministry style were race/ethnicity, clergy sex, and member sex. When clergy descriptions of ministry style were compared to the perceptions of members of their specific congregation, there was a positive correlation between clergy statements and member perceptions. However, lay members tended to see less interest in their pastor either wanting power over the congregation or seeking to empower the congregation than was claimed by the pastor him/herself. Conversely, lay members tended to see more tendency than their pastor claimed in using rational criteria for decision making or in being legalistic. Finally, especially among whites, lay members describing the pastor's ministry style in terms similar to the descriptions of the pastor him/herself occurred primarily if the pastor was a male. Clergy and lay descriptions tended to diverge more if the pastor was a woman. This paper reports the results of an exploratory study of differences in how clergy serving Protestant churches approach their ministry. The analysis focuses on an examination of how male and female pastors describe their ministry style in comparison to how their lay members perceive it. Do lay church members perceive the work of their pastor in the same way as the pastor describes him/herself? If descriptions of self and other diverge significantly, how can we account for those discrepancies?