A coaching model to care for the well-being of pastors : a multidisciplinary perspective

Abstract

In a complex world, change is inevitable and wellness in the workplace remains a popular research phenomenon in facilitating employee and organisational productivity. Churches as organisations are not exempt from change dynamics in the world of work. Employees of the church, namely pastors and their well-being are similarly imperative, as they are also responsible for facilitating the well-being of others. Coaching has emerged as a valuable and useful psychological helping process aimed at enhancing employees’ well- being and facilitating their engagement, commitment and productive work behaviour. Mentoring and training are predominant interventions aimed at addressing aspects potentially relevant to pastor well-being in both the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) and the United Reformed Church of South Africa (URCSA), albeit each with very distinct objectives in terms of calling, and professional and skills development. In light of the current underutilised mentoring programme of the DRC and the sole emphasis on skills training in the URCSA, this study emerged from the need to understand how an in-depth understanding of pastors’ experiences of well-being can contribute to construct a coaching model for professional pastoral caregivers. In order to develop a coaching model to care for and optimise the well-being of the pastors, my multidisciplinary background (stemming from Industrial and Organisational Psychology [IOP], Human Resource Management [HRM] and Theology) increased my curiosity about pastors’ experiences of well-being in a Christian faith-based South African church context. In qualitative research inquiries, investigators creatively use multiple qualitative methods from a pragmatic stance. Hence, in this thesis I used at first two qualitative research methods, namely interactive qualitative analysis (IQA) and narrative synthesis that contributed to a transparent and systematic way to collect analyse, and document the research report. As a third qualitative research method, I used an auto ethnographic reflection writing style to make trustworthy inferences about the research findings and to think about the implications thereof on the rest of the research community. A coaching model was constructed and is proposed as a possible model to care for and optimise the well-being of the pastor (individual employee) and by implication also of a church (non-profit Christian faith-based organisation). This thesis also contributes methodologically to emerging IQA research in a South African work context. Lastly, the thesis contributes to multidisciplinary studies as it integrated theoretical and empirical perspectives from three disciplines, namely IOP, HRM and Theology.

In 'n ingewikkelde wêreld is verandering onvermydelik en welstand in die werksplek bly 'n gewilde navorsingsverskynsel om werknemer- en organisatoriese produktiwiteit te fasiliteer. Kerke as organisasies is nie vrygestel van veranderingsdinamika in die wêreld van werk nie. Kerke se werknemers, naamlik pastore en hul welstand is op soortgelyke wyse noodsaaklik omdat hulle verantwoordelik is om ander se welstand te fasiliteer. Afrigting het as 'n waardevolle en nuttige psigologiese hulpproses ontluik wat daarop gemik is om werknemers se welstand te bevorder en om hul betrokkenheid, toewyding en produktiewe werksgedrag te fasiliteer. Mentorskap en afrigting is oorwegende intervensies wat daarop gemik is om aspekte aan te spreek wat moontlik relevant kan wees tot pastore se welstand in beide die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK) en die Verenigde Gereformeerde Kerk van Suid-Afrika (VGKSA), alhoewel elkeen baie duidelik onderskeibare doelstellings met betrekking tot roeping, en professionele en vaardigheidsontwikkeling het. In die lig van huidige onderbenutting van mentorskapprogramme van die NGK en die uitsluitlike klem op vaardigheidsopleiding in die VGKSA, het hierdie studie ontstaan uit die behoefte om te verstaan hoe 'n diepgaande begrip van pastore se ervaring van welstand tot 'n konstruktiewe afrigtingsmodel vir professionele pastorale versorgers kan bydra. Om 'n afrigtingsmodel te ontwikkel om pastore te versorg en hul welstand te optimeer, het my multidissiplinêre agtergrond (industriële en organisatoriese sielkunde, menslikehulpbronbestuur en teologie) my nuuskierigheid oor pastore se welstand in 'n Christelik-gebaseerde Suid-Afrikaanse kerkkonteks geprikkel. In kwalitatiewe navorsingsvrae, gebruik navorsers meervoudige kwalitatiewe metodes uit 'n pragmatiese standpunt kreatief. In hierdie tesis het ek dus aanvanklik twee kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gebruik, naamlik interaktiewe kwalitatiewe ontleding (IKO) en narratiewe sintese wat bydra om data deursigtig en sistematies te versamel, te ontleed en die navorsingsverslag te dokumenteer. As 'n derde kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetode het ek 'n reflektiewe outo-etnografiese skryfstyl gebruik om betroubare afleidings oor die navorsingsbevindings te maak en om oor die implikasies daarvan op die navorsingsgemeenskap te dink. 'n Afrigtingsmodel is saamgestel en is voorgestel as 'n moontlike model om na pastore (individuele werknemers) om te sien en hul welstand te optimeer en dus ook die van 'n kerk (niewinsgewende organisasie wat op die Christelike geloof gebaseer is). Hierdie tesis dra ook metodologies tot ontluikende IKO-navorsing in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse werkskonteks by. Die tesis dra laastens tot multidissiplinêre studies by omdat dit teoretiese en empiriese perspektiewe van die drie vakgebiede, naamlik industriële en organisatoriese sielkunde, menslikehulpbronbestuur en teologie, integreer.

Mo lefatsheng le le marara, diphetogo di nna di le gona mme itekanelo ya mo tirong e sala go nna ntlha e e tlwaelegileng ya dipatlisiso go gokaganya tlhagiso ya badiri le ya setheo. Dikereke jaaka ditheo ga di a gololesega mo dintlheng tsa diphetogo mo tirong. Badiri ba kereke, e leng baruti, le itekanelo ya bona, ba botlhokwa fela jalo ka ntlha ya fa le bona ba rwele maikarabelo a go ela tlhoko itekanelo ya ba bangwe. Katiso e tlhageletse jaaka tsamaiso ya thuso e e boleng le e e mosola ya saekholoji e maikaelelo a yona e leng go tokafatsa itekanelo ya badiri le go gokaganya seabe sa bona, maitlamo le maitsholo a a mosola mo tirong. Tataiso le katiso ke ditsibogo tse di dirisiwang gantsi tse maikaelelo a tsona e leng go samagana le dintlha tse di maleba mo itekanelong ya baruti mo Kerekeng ya Dutch Reformed (DRC) le ya United Reformed Church of South Africa (URCSA), le fa tsotlhe di na le maitlhomo a a farologaneng go ya ka pitso, tlhabololo ya boporofešenale le bokgoni. Ka ntlha ya lenaneo le ga jaana le sa dirisiweng mo go lekaneng la tataiso la DRC le kgatelelo ya katiso ya bokgoni fela kwa URCSA, thutopatlisiso eno e bakilwe ke tlhokego ya go tlhaloganya ka moo go tlhaloganya go ya kwa botennye ga maitemogelo a baruti a itekanelo go ka tshwaelang ka gona go aga sekao sa katiso sa baruti ba batlhokomedi ba porofešenale. Go aga sekao sa katiso sa go tlhokomela le go oketsa itekanelo ya baruti, lemorago la me la maphatamantsi (go tswa mo Saekholojing ya Madirelo le Ditheo [IOP], Botsamaisi jwa Badiri [HRM] le Thuto ya Bodumedi (Thioloji)) le okeditse phisegelo ya me ya go itse ka maitemogelo a baruti a itekanelo go ya ka bokao jwa kereke ya Aforikaborwa e e theilweng mo tumelong ya Sekeresete. Mo dipotsisong tsa dipatlisiso tse di lebelelang mabaka, babatlisisi ba dirisa mekgwa e mentsi ya patlisiso e e lebelelang mabaka go tswa mo kemong ya dintlha. Ka jalo mo thesising eno ke dirisitse mekgwa ya ntlha e mebedi ya dipatlisiso tse di lebelelang mabaka, e leng tshekatsheko e e lebelelang mabaka ka tshusumetso (IQA) le motswako wa kanelo o o tshwaetseng mo tseleng e e seng bofitlha le e e rulaganeng go kokoanya, sekaseka le go kwala pegelo ya patlisiso. Jaaka mofuta wa boraro wa dipatlisiso tse di lebelelang mabaka, ke dirisitse setaele sa go kwala sa itshekatsheko ya othoetenokerafi go fitlhelela ditshwetso tse di ikanyegang ka ga diphitlhelelo tsa dipatlisiso le go akanya ka bokao jwa tsona mo setšhabeng sotlhe sa dipatlisiso. Go agilwe sekao sa katiso mme se tshitshinngwa jaaka sekao se se ka dirisiwang go tlhokomela le go tokafatsa itekanelo ya moruti (modiri a le mongwe) mme ka go rialo gape le ya kereke (setheo se se sa direng letseno se e theilweng mo tumelong ya Sekeresete). Thesisi eno gape e tshwaela mo ntlheng ya mekgwa mo dipatlisisong tse di tlhagelelang tsa IQA go lebeletswe Aforikaborwa. Kwa bokhutlong, thesisi eno e tshwaela mo dithutopatlisisong tsa maphatamantsi ka ntlha ya fa e kopantse megopolo ya tiori le ya maitemogelo go tswa mo maphateng a le mararo e leng, IOP, HRM le Thioloji.

Eka misava ya nsohensohe, ku cinca i nchumu lowu nga sivelekekiku na swona ku hlayiseka entirhweni swa ha ri nchumu lowu nga duma swinene eka ku endliwa ka rhiseche eka ku pfuneta mutirhi na nhlangano leswo swi tirha hi xiyenge xa vuyelo bya le henhla. Tikereke tani hi minhlangano a yi le handle eka timhaka ta ku cinca emintirhweni. Vatirhi va kereke, ku nga vafundzhisi na vuhlayiseki bya vona na swona i swa nkoka tani hi leswi va nga na vutihlamuleri eka ku tiyisa leswo van'wana va hlayisekile no va na rihanyu lerinene. Ku dzabela swi vonaka tani hi nchumu wa nkoka no pfuneta eka ku pfuneta hi swa ngqondo leswi swi nga na xikongomelo xa ku yisa emahlweni vuhlayiseki bya vatirhi no endla leswo va va eka xiyimo xa ku tirhisana, ku tiyimisela no va na mahanyelo ya ku gingirika emintirhweni na ku tirha hi vuyelo. Ku mentharixa na vuleteri i minchumu leyi endliwaka hi xikongomelo xa ku langutana na rihanyu lerinene ra vafundzhisi va tikereke ta Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) na United Reformed Church of South Africa (URCSA), hambi leswi yin'wana ya tona yi nga na swikongomelo swo hambana hi ku landza xivito, na ku hluvukisiwa ka vuprofexinali na vuswikoti. Hi ku vona leswo nongonoko wa ku mentharixa a wu tirhisiwi swinene eka DRC kasi eka va URCSA ku tshikileriwa ngopfu vuleteri bya vuswikoti, dyondzo leyi yi sukela eka xilaveko xa ku twisisa swinene hi vuenti swipiriyoni swa vafundzhisi swa vuhlayiseki bya vona ku pfuneta ku endla modlele wa vudzaberi eka vahlayisi va vafundzhisi hi swa vuprofexinali. Leswo ku endliwa modlele wa vudzaberi bya ku hlayisa no yisa ehenhla xiyimo lexinene xa vafundzhisi, tidyondzo ta mina (leti sukelaka eka Industrial Organisational Psychology (IOP), Human Resource Management [HRM] na tidyondzo ta ntivo-vukwembu ku nga Theology) swi yise ehenhla ku navela ku tiva ka mina hi swipiriyoni swa vafundzhisi hi vuhlayiseki bya vona eka vugandzeri bya vona lebyi byi nga le ka Vukresre eka tikereke ta vona eAfrika Dzonga. Eka swivutiso swa qualitative research na ntirhiso wa ndzavisiso hi vuswikoti leswi swi tirhisiwaka ku endla qualitative methods eka xiyimo lexi khomekaka. Hikokwalaha eka thesis leyi ndzi tirhise eka mafambiselo mambirhi ya qualitative research methods, ku nga interactive qualitative analysis (IQA) na narrative synthesis leyi yi nga pfuneta ku kuma maendlelo lama ya nga rivaleni ku hlengeleta nxopanxopo na ku endla dokumente ya xiviko xa rhiseche. Maendlelo ya vunharhu ya qualitative research method, lama ndzi nga ma tirhisa i ya authethnographic reflection writing style ku endla tiinferense ta ku tshembeka hi vuyelo bya rhiseche na ku ehleketa hi ti-implications ta swona eka hinkwavo lava va endlaka rhiseche. Modlele wa vudzaberi wu endliwile na swona hi wona lowu wu gangisiwaka tani hi modlele lowu kotekaku wa vuhlayisi na ku yisa ehenhla nhlayiseko wa mufundzhisi (ku nga mutirhi wun'we) kasi hi vuyelo na swona eka kereke (ku nga nhlangano wa vupfumeri bya Vukreste lowu nga tirheleku vuyelo bya mali). Thesis leyi yi tlhela yi pfuneta hi metodoloji ku humesa IQA research eka xiyimo xa Afrika Dzonga. Xo hetelela, thesis leyi yi tlhela yi pfuneta tidyondzo ta multidisciplinary tani hi laha ti nga hlanganisiwa eka thiyori na le ka empirical perspectives ku suka eka tidisiplini tinharhu leti ku nga, IOP, HRM na Theology.