Many ministries within and outside the church fall under the heading of Christian Education. Little research has been conducted to measure the degree of satisfaction derived from Christian ministry. Three major groups of professionals in Christian Education–-a parachurch youth organization, church youth directors, and Directors of Christian Education–-were examined to determine the extent of their ministry satisfaction based on the traditional satisfaction-dissatisfaction continuum and Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene content, dual continuum theory. It was theorized and partially supported that each of these ministries is uniquely influenced by a distinct combination of job satisfier, dissatisfier, and demographic factors.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsJ.S. (1963). Toward an understanding of inequity. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 67, 422–436.
2.
AdamsJ.S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In BerkowitzL. (Ed.) Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 2) (pp. 267–299). New York: Academic Press.
3.
AshbrookJ.B. (1967). Ministerial leadership in church organization. Ministry Studies, 1, 5–32.
4.
AtkinsonH.T. (1985). An investigaton into job satisfaction of youth ministers in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Unpublished master's thesis, Biola University, La Mirada, CA.
5.
BassettP.A. (1982). An analysis of leader perceived role design as it relates to role satisfaction in voluntary organizations. Dissertation Abstracts International, 43, 04A.
6.
BixhyH.L. (1972). A study of job satisfies and job dissatisfiers of ministers of education. Dissertation Abstracts International33, 1211A.
7.
BlanchardD.A. (1972). Some social and orientative correlates of career change and continuity as revealed among United Methodist pastors of the Alabama-West Florida conference, 1960–1970. Dissertation Abstracts International, 33, 7010A.
8.
BlizzardS.W. (1958). The protestant parish minister's integrating roles. Religious Education, 53, 374–380.
9.
BockmanV.M. (1971). The Herzberg controversy. Personnel Psychology, 24, 155–189.
10.
BratcherE.B. (1984). The walk on water syndrome.Waco, TX: Word.
11.
BrayfieldA.H., & RotheH.F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, 307–311.
12.
BrownH.M. (1976). An investigation of selected factors in church personnel administration that affect job satisfaction of ministers of education and ministers of music. Dissertation Abstracts International, 37, 2967A.
13.
CampbellE.Q., & PettigrewT.F. (1959). Christians in racial crisis.Washington, DC: Public Affairs.
CarrollJ.W. (1970). Seminaries and seminarians: A study of the professional socialization of protestant clergyman. Dissertation Abstracts International, 31, 4280A
16.
DittesJ.E. (1971). Psychological characteristics of religious professionals. In StrommenM. (Ed.) Research in religious development (pp. 422–460). New York: Hawthorn Books.
17.
GlassJ.C. (1976). Ministerial job satisfaction scale. Review of Religious Research, 17, 153–157.
18.
GreeleyA.M. (1972). Priests in the United States.New York: Doubleday.
19.
GrigaliunasB., & WienerY. (1976). Has the research challenge to motivation-hygiene theory been conclusive? An analysis of critical studies. In HerzbergF.. The managerial choice—to be efficient and to be human. (pp. 73–81). Homewood, IL: Dow Jones-Irwin.
HackmanR.C. (1969). The motivated working adult.New York: American Management Association, Inc.
22.
HallD.T., & SchneiderB. (1973). Organizational climates and careers: The work lives of priests.New York: Seminar Press.
23.
HamnerW.C., & SchmidtF.L. (Ed.). (1977). Contemporary problems in personnel: Readings for the seventies.Chicago: St. Clair Press.
24.
HerzbergF., MausnerB., PetersonR., and CapwellD.F. (1957). Job attitudes: Review of research and opinion.Pittsburgh: Psychological Services of Pittsburgh
25.
HerzbergF., MausnerB., & SnydermanB. (1959). The motivation to work.New York: Wiley.
26.
HogeD.R., DybleJ.E., & PolkD.T. (1981). Organizational and situational influence on vocational commitment of protestant ministers. Review of Religious Research, 23, 131–152.
27.
JohnsonM., LohnH., WagnerJ., & BargeW. (1975). The relationship between pastor's effectiveness and satisfaction and other psychological and sociological variables: Multilith Report.Philadelphia: Lutheran Church in America.
KatzD., & KahnR.L. (1966). The social psychology of organizations.New York: Wiley.
30.
KefferW.M. (1976). Job satisfaction of field staff of the Virginia Poly-technic Institute and state university extension division. Dissertation Abstracts International, 33, 601A.
31.
LawlerE.E. (1973). Motivation in work organizations.Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
32.
MartinsonO.B., & WilkeningE.A. (1983). Religion, work specialization, and job satisfaction: Interactive effects. Review of Religious Research, 24, 347–356.
33.
MaslowA.H. (1970). Motivation and personality (2nd ed). New York: Harper and Row.
34.
MengesR.J., & DittesJ.E. (1965). Psychological studies of clergymen: Abstracts of research.New York: Thomas Nelson.
35.
MillsE. W., & KovalJ.P. (1971). Stress in the ministry.Washington, DC: Ministry Studies Board.
36.
NelsonH.M., & EverettR.F. (1976). Impact of church size on clergy role and career. Review of Religious Research, 18, 62–73.
37.
NelsonH.M., YokleyR.L., & MardonT.W. (1973). Ministerial roles and social actionist stance: Protestant clergy and protest in the sixties. American Sociological Review, 8, 375–386.
38.
ReillyM.C. (1975). Perceptions of the priest role. Sociological Analysis, 36, 347–357.
39.
SchafferR.H. (1953). Job satisfaction as related to need satisfaction in work. Psychological Monographs67, (14, Whole No. 364).
40.
SchoenherrR.A., & GreeleyA.M. (1974). Role commitment process and the American Catholic priesthood. American Sociological Review, 39, 409–426.
41.
TaylorT. W. (1984). The relationship among achievement motivation, marital satisfaction, job satisfaction and other selected variables among Southern Baptist pastors. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45, 2675b.
42.
ThweattJ. (1980). A comparative study of the job satisfaction of ministers of education at Southern Baptist churches and the secular community utilizing selected work variables. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
43.
VroomV. H. (1964). Work and motivation.New York: John Wiley.
44.
WhitsettD.A., & WinslowE.K. (1967). An analysis of studies critical of the motivator-hygiene theory. Personnel Psychology.20, 391–415.
45.
WilsonF.R. (1983) The relationship of job satisfaction, demographic variables and motives for ministry of youth workers in a para-church organization. Dissertation Abstracts International, 44, 2106A.
46.
WilsonF.R. (1984). Adult job satisfaction and motives for professional parachurch work. Perspectives in Adult Learning and Development.6(4), 11–18.
47.
WinterJ.A. (1970). The attitudes of societally-oriented and parish-oriented clergy: An empirical comparison. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 9, 58–66.
48.
WoodO.R. (1973). An analysis of faculty motivation to work in the North Carolina community college system. Dissertation Abstracts International, 35, 901A.
