The Lived Experiences of Black Pastors and Their Self-Care
Black pastors tend to carry the burden of the Black community, church, congregants, family, and their own personal struggles. How these individuals handle their experiences, stress, and self-care can assist them in creating a healthy life and work balance. There is limited literature on Black male pastors and their lived experiences and self-care practices. This study explored the lived experiences of Black male pastors and how it affects their self-care practices. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative research design. This qualitative approach allows for the Black male pastor’s voice to be heard and documented. The findings of this study show that there are several demands of ministry work that are required of the pastor through the eyes of the pastor himself, congregation, and community. They also show that the pastor’s support system included the pastor’s wife and other pastors. And lastly, they show that pastors feel self-care practices are important and they encourage their congregation to take care of themselves. The pastors, however, reported that they sometimes fall short in taking care of themselves. Black pastors feel they have to be “intentional” when seeking self-care practices. While Black pastors have a huge obligation to the congregation and the community they serve, it is important for them to take care of their self-identity (man, husband, father, etc.) to be effective to their congregation. This study brings additional awareness to the mental health profession to take a closer look at this population and develop appropriate treatment plans that will build trust and confidence and reduce the barriers of seeking mental health treatment.
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