Male Clergy Research Articles

Personality and Preference for Rural Ministry Among Male Anglican Clergy

The short-form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 81 male Anglican clergy in charge of rural benefices and by 72 in charge of urban benefices. The rural clergy recorded higher scores on the extraversion and lie scales. These findings are discussed in light of the changing nature of rural ministry.

Demographic Data on Extra-Marital Sexual Behavior in the Ministry

The purpose of this article is to acquaint the reader with the latest demographic information regarding the extra-marital sexual behavior of male Protestant clergy. The article recounts the results of research with male Protestant ministers in the areas of intimate sexual contact and sexual intercourse outside of marriage, as well as consumption of pornography and duration of affairs. Information is also presented regarding the kind of liasons ministers are likely to have i. e. church members, church staff, counselees, friends, prostitutes, or strangers.

Clergy Feminization: Controlled Labor or Transformative Change?

Studies of secular occupations have suggested that sharp influxes of women, producing a demographic feminization, result in negative occupational effects that serve to reduce rather than enhance women's opportunities and attainment. Occupational feminization of the clergy has become a likely prospect in many denominations, as increasing concentrations of ordained women interact with ongoing retirements that are mostly male. In this study, the career trajectories of 1,373 Episcopal and 196 Unitarian Universalist female and male clergy ordained between 1920 and 1990 were compared using quantitative techniques. Clergy feminization trends tended to concur with those found in secular occupations. The results point to a persistent gender gap in attainment for Episcopal priests, and to a direct relationship between the increase in woman ordained annually and the emergence of occupational effects that serve to suppress or segregate women's labor into lower-level attainment patterns in both denominations.

Are Charismatic Ministers Less Stable? A Study among Male Anglican Clergy

A sample of 222 male clergy within the Church in Wales completed the short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, together with an index of charismatic experience. Contrary to theoretical expectations, charismatic experience was correlated negatively with neuroticism and positively with extraversion, but was unrelated to either psychoticism or lie scale scores. The charismatic experience is associated with stable extra version.

The personality characteristics of Anglican stipendiary parochial clergy: Gender differences revisited

The short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 373 male and 560 female Anglican stipendiary parochial clergy. Contrary to the usual sex differences in the personality profiles of men and women found in general population samples, the female clergy were not significantly different from the male clergy in terms of their scores recorded on the extraversion scale, the neuroticism scale, the psychoticism scale, or the lie scale. The implications of these findings are discussed for the development of the ministry of men and women in the church.

Mystical orientation and personality among anglican clergy

A sample of 222 male clergy completed the short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, together with an index of mystical orientation. The data demonstrate a positive correlation between mystical orientation and extroversion, but no relationship between mystical orientation and either neuroticism or psychoticism.

Four-month test-retest reliability of the MMPI-2 with normal male clergy.

This investigation examined the test-retest coefficients and absolute score changes with the Basic, Supplementary, and Content scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Participants were 111 active male clergy who were not receiving mental health services at the time of their participation and who completed the MMPI-2 on two occasions separated by 4 months. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance for the three groups of scales revealed nonsignificant changes in mean T scores. In general, the test-retest coefficients obtained were similar to those reported in the MMPI-2 manual by Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, and Kaemmer (1989) and by Spiro, Butcher, Levenson, Aldwin, and Bosse (1993). Increases or decreases of 3 to 6 T-score points were observed for the majority of the scales, and instances in which T-score changes exceeded 10 points were observed on every scale. In sum, the test-retest reliability of the majority of MMPI-2 scales, as represented in this nonclinical sample, appears acceptable and compares favorably with the original MMPI.

The influence of gender and gender-pairings on clergy's identification of sexually ambiguous behavior as sexual harassment

A sample of 371 United Methodist clergy indicated how strongly they believed a sexually ambiguous scenario between a senior pastor and associate pastor constituted sexual harassment when senior/associate pastor genders were varied. Participants also completed the Tolerance of Sexual Harassment Inventory (TSHI). Male clergy were less likely than females to perceive the interaction between a senior pastor and associate (in any of four gender-pairings) as sexual harassment. There were no significant differences in perception of sexual harassment based on senior/associate pastor gender pairings. Males and those 46 and older were significantly more tolerant of sexual harassment than females and those 45 and under.

Feminism, Social Policy, and Long-Acting Contraception

The authors apply a feminist approach to two social debates over the use of Norplant. A woman convicted of child abuse was offered the use of Norplant as a condition of parole. She would have had to remain in jail had she opted to not accept the method. While such an offer may be justified the authors find it to be harmful and disrespectful to women. In order to justify offering long-term contraception as a condition of probation it would have to be clear that the future benefits were quite significant and unlikely to be obtained through other less harmful or disrespectful methods. The second debate involves CURE a clergy group in East Baltimore which has raised concerns about the use of Norplant among teenagers. The group argues that Black society sees the birth of a baby as a joyous occasion and that the majority White culture in the US may not understand Black culture. As such the majority culture should stay out of the procreational decision making and activities of the minority community. The feminist view of the authors however is that although many Black girls choose to have babies their mothers and grandmothers are saddled with much of the burden of rearing them. This male clergy which has spoken for the African American community actually may not understand what women want. Although the clergy which comprises CURE may be interpreting many of the communitys values correctly Black women may have other interests which are being poorly served by their interpretation.

Sexual behavior by male clergy with adult female counselees: Systemic and situational themes

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify, through qualitative research methodology, systemic and situational themes that emerge in the stories of male clergy who engaged in sexual misconduct with adult female counselees. Nine male clergy, five ordained in mainline Protestant denominations and four ordained in the Roman Catholic Church, completed a semistructured clinical interview and the Personal Experiences Questionnaire. Transcriptions of audiotaped interviews were analyzed using clinical assessment and narrative analysis procedures. Eight subjects participated in writing thematic summaries of their interviews. Three systemic themes and three situational themes were identified. Results indicate that this research procedure is effective in obtaining, under adverse conditions from a guarded population, data that extend current empirical knowledge.

The abduction of fidelity: Sexual exploitation by clergy- experience with inpatient assessment

Abstract The results of an inpatient five-day multidisciplinary professional assessment of 25 male clergy are presented. These clergy were referred for reasons of sexual misconduct, primarily sexual exploitation of vulnerable adults. All participants were evaluated according to DSM-IH-R diagnostic criteria and for sexual and other addictions. Assessment was made of their current level of impairment, need for short- and long-term treatment, and potential for return to practice. Conclusions are drawn that the study population was diverse and that no simple classification or treatment modality can be used to address clergy sexual misconduct. The authors also argue that while rehabilitation and restoration are possible, in most cases considerable effort, a 2-3-year process, and contractual provisions for ongoing monitoring will be required. A career change or transition may also be necessary. Recovered and rehabilitated clergy can, however, symbolize hope, healing, and forgiveness for the church.

An evaluation of infidelity among male protestant clergy

There is an increasing awareness, in the Church, of the impact of a pastor's sex life on his ministry. The purpose of this article is to examine risk factors that may presage infidelity for pastors. Three factors are examined in detail: 1) personal adjustment factors, including feelings of mistrust for others, feelings of rejection, feelings of shame, consumption of pomography, and family of origin issues; 2) marital adjustment, including level of spousal intimacy, and satisfaction with marital sex; and 3) factors embedded in the ministerial role, including attraction and arousal with regard to church members, church staff, and counselees.

A prevention approach to infidelity among male protestant clergy

Empirical research by Blackmon (1984), Steinke (1989), Muck (1988), and Thoburn (1991), has established the fact that clergy sexual temptation should be an area of concern for the Church. The following article will venture beyond the empirical findings and construct a theoretical model by which we can better understand and prevent sexual temptation. While this model makes use of the data generated by Blackmon, Muck, Somers, Steinke, and Thoburn, it should be understood that the model makes logical inferences from the data which are not necessarily supported by the data. There will be a need to test the model through more sophisticated statistical analysis in the future.

Dual Ordination Tracks: Differential Benefits and Costs for Men and Women Clergy

Although some religious organizations have had a sequential, two-ordination process for clergy, the implementation of two or more discrete ordination tracks is a recent development. In research on careers of 1,158 male and female clergy in two denominations that have instituted discrete ordination tracks - the Episcopal Church and the Unitarian Universalist Association - a similar relationship appeared between these newer ordination tracks and growing pressure toward clergy occupational feminization. The more recent tracks were sex-segregated, and there was evidence of occupational conflation between female clergy in both tracks that did not occur with the male clergy. The evidence suggests that dual ordination tracks may serve a dual utility, not only as an occupatioal response to socioeconomic changes within religious organizations but also to occupational feminization, in a manner that disproportionately concentrates male clergy in high-level positions. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination based on sex has been critical to helping women gain legitimate opportunities in male-dominant occupations, but the First Amendment-based separation of church and state exempts one profession that women have sought to enter in substantially increased numbers since the 1960s: the ordained ministry. Several religious organizations have instituted affirmative action policies for minority and women clergy, but their efficacy has been problematic due to their voluntary nature, their tendency to focus on entry rather than upper-level placements, and the development of other occupational processes that can inadvertently undermine good intentions. One such occupational process, which is the subject of this research, involves segregation in clergy jobs and duties through the development of discrete ordination tracks. Although this process occurs only in some mainline religious organizations, others have been giving it serious consideration. With job segregation normally being the primary means of achieving occupational discrimination (Treiman and Hartmann, 1981), this study will suggest that the expansion of ordination tracking has substantial gender-related effects, with potentially discriminatory outcomes for careers of women clergy.

Personality profile of conference-going clergy in England.

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 40 male clergy attending a residential conference in England. The data suggest that conference-going clergy are more extraverted than clergy in general.

Personality Profile of Methodist Ministers in England

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 39 male Methodist ministers. Analysis of data confirms that male clergy in England tend to be more introverted than men in general.

Discourse on Women in the Clerical Profession: The Diaconate and Language-Games in the Church of England

In 1986, the Church of England permitted women to enter the lowest rank of the clerical profession, the diaconate, while reserving to men the offices of priest and bishop. For male clergy, the period served as a deacon is normally a one-year probation before ordination to the priesthood, whereas for women it is a terminus. This limited incorporation of women into the clerical profession has been accompanied by a prolific discourse on the need for an enriched diaconate. Although the focus of debate is ostensibly the diaconate, the discourse is a power struggle over the ordination of women to the priesthood. For those who oppose women's entry into the priesthood, the discourse of enriched distinctive diaconate legitimizes women's subordinate and marginal position in the clerical profession. For women deacons, on the other hand, in so far as the metaphor of diakonia has salience it is typically mobilized in a critique of authoritarianism amongst the male clergy. Evidence gathered from women serving as deacons shows that the great majority find the diaconate frustrating, support the ordination of women priests and have themselves felt a calling to priesthood. Drawing on Wittgenstein's concept of language-games embedded in forms of life, an analysis is presented of the grounding of this gendered discourse in the occupational culture of the clerical profession.

Male and Female Clergy in England

AbstractThe short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 112 clergy attending two residential clergy schools. Contrary to the usual sex differences in personality profile found in general population samples, the female clergy recorded higher extra version and higher psychoticism scores than the male clergy, but did not record higher neuroticism scores than the male clergy. The practical implications of these reversals in the expected sex differences in personality profiles are discussed in relationship to the assessment of the performance of the current generation of female clergy, to the tensions which may exist in the present working relationships between male and female clergy, and to the changes which may occur as women become more accepted and established in the clerical profession.

PERSONALITY PROFILE OF CONFERENCE-GOING CLERGY IN ENGLAND

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 40 male clergy attending a residential conference in England. The data suggest that conference-going clergy are more extraverted than clergy in general.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF MIDCAREER MALE ANGLICAN CLERGY

Forty male Anglican clergy completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire during mid-career development consultations. The findings that the clergy display elevated neuroticism scores and psychoticism scores no lower than men in general contradict predictions emerging from recent studies concerned with the relationship between personality and religion and suggest the need for further research.