A study of the difference in ministry satisfaction between selected ministers possessing a leisure disposition and those possessing a work disposition serving in educational ministries in Southern Baptist churches in Texas.

摘要

Problem. The problem of this study was to investigate the difference in ministry satisfaction between selected ministers possessing a leisure disposition, and those possessing a work disposition, who are serving in educational ministries in Southern Baptist churches in Texas.; Procedures. An initial electronic document, consisting of a letter of introduction and study explanation, the Leisure and Work Dispositions in Ministry Scale (LWDMS), the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale (SIMS), and thank-you remarks were formulated on the Remark Web Survey software system and sent to two hundred systematically selected ministers, who were serving in educational ministries in Texas, on April 25, 2007. Respondents could make their selections to the attached instruments, and then submit their results electronically. The writer sent a follow-up e-mail to those ministers who had not responded two weeks later on May 9, 2007. Of the two hundred e-mails to the selected ministers, forty-six e-mails were returned undeliverable for various reasons. A total of eighty-one ministers responded, resulting in a return rate of 52.6 percent (81/154). SPSS version 15.0 was used to conduct a t-Test for Independent Samples, to test the differences between mean SIMS scores between groups.; Findings and conclusion. A significant difference existed in mean scores on the SIMS between ministers with leisure dispositions (n = 46, M = 46.82, SD = 4.687), and ministers with work dispositions (n = 35, M = 44.03, SD = 6.125; t [79] = 2.326, p = .05, Sig. [2-tailed] = .023). The magnitude of the differences between means was considered moderate (eta squared = .064); that is, 6.4 percent of the variance in ministry satisfaction can be explained by leisure and work dispositions. In conclusion, according to SIMS scores, ministers who possess a leisure disposition are more satisfied in ministry than those ministers who possess a work disposition.