THE EFFECT OF PSYCHOSOCIAL RESOURCES IN MITIGATING CLERGY BURNOUT AT CHRIST IS THE ANSWER MINISTRIES IN KENYA

Abstract

Burnout is a universal issue increasingly being experienced by members of the clergy. While literature linking burnout with mental health of clergy is well developed, psychosocial resources and interventions that can be used to mitigate burnout among the clergy in Kenya is under-researched. The present study sought to empirically delineate those set of psychosocial resources that together can constitute members of the clergy’s ‘toolkit’ for mitigating clergy burnout using insights from Christ Is The Answer Ministries (CITAM). The research was a mixed methods study that entailed the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data types. The focus of this study was 86 clergy members of CITAM based in Kenya who constituted the accessible population. Questionnaires were administered to all clergy members while in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 senior clergy members based at the church’s headquarters. A census study was conducted. Descriptive statistical techniques as well as inferential analysis were used to analyse quantitative data while qualitative findings were subjected to thematic analysis. Members of CITAM clergy had access to a variety of psychosocial resources. It also showed that the significance of the effect of burnout on clergy mental health was eliminated by the psychosocial resources, implying that psychosocial resources reduced the negative influence of burnout on mental health from significance to a level of insignificance. There were organisational factors that served to protect clergy members from burnout. These can be classified into factors that relate to good human resource management practices (meetings, retreats, recreational facilities and days off) and those that provide the psychosocial support structures and systems within the church community (counselling, fellowships, and care groups).