Building Resilience in Ministry with Effective Supports Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study of Long-Tenured Pastors in the Southeastern United States

This phenomenological study, which involved long-tenured pastors in a southeastern state in the United States, explored how these pastors framed resiliency in ministry during COVID-19 and what tools or practices helped them to be resilient. The study also explored the effects of social distancing on the demands of ministry, on pastors, and their congregations, and if earlier resiliency practices continued to suffice. Pastors were often the first professionals people went to when guidance was needed in every aspect of life. Pastors aided with not only spiritual guidance, but also, they were sought after for guidance in mental health and emotional issues. Pastors were often the first ones people went to when family issues, traumatic events, and death arose. Pastors had to balance the demands of ministry, guidance for the community at large, as well as their personal lives involving family and, sometimes, other vocations. This was exemplified during the COVID-19 pandemic spanning from February 2020 to the present. Pastors had to find strategies to cope with all the demands and, in doing so, built resilience to start again the next day. This qualitative approach explored supports that helped pastors build resilience to carry on during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. The anticipated findings of this study were intended to help construct a pathway for younger pastors entering the ministry, as well as equip other long-tenured pastors with effective strategies of coping and resilience...