The Influence of Secular and Theological Education on Pastors’ Depression Intervention Decisions

Abstract

Will a pastor refer to a mental health center? If they feel qualified to intervene themselves, they may not. Because pastors often provide grief counseling, it is important to understand the decisions they make when intervening with depressed individuals. A random sample of 204 Protestant pastors completed surveys about their treatment practices for depression. Fisher’s exact analyses revealed that more pastors with some secular education yet no degree felt that they were the best person to treat depression than pastors who had no secular education or pastors who had at least a secular bachelor’s degree. However, the level of theological education did not influence beliefs about the pastor being the best person to treat depression. In addition, neither secular nor theological education level influenced pastors’ views on referring people to mental health centers for depression treatment. Based on findings, this paper discusses implications for best practices in training pastors on depression and other mental health topics.

Sleep quality and depressive disorders among priests of the Archdiocese of Katowice

“…interwencja lekarska, od interpretacji tych zaburzeń jako problemów życiowych lub natury religijno-duchowej i pomocy opartej na wiedzy teologicznej [41]. Problem późnej rozpoznawalności depresji jest globalny.…”

“…Much research has focused on the competences of the clergy to undertake such interventions and their declared willingness to collaborate with qualified medical services [37,38,39,40]. The ability and willingness to differentiate the causes and symptoms in which medical intervention is necessary, from interpreting these disorders as life problems or religious and spiritual problems and help based on theological knowledge, are important in these issues [41].…”

Differences Between African Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites Utilization of Clergy for Counseling with Serious Personal Problems

“…Because clergy are not well-integrated into the mental health delivery system they are not able to provide referrals to specialty mental health providers. Further, when considering clergy who serve African American communities or poor rural communities, it is important to recognize that many do not have college degrees (Payne, 2014). …”

Predictors of E-Marketing Adoption by Zimbabwean Churches

“…It is further recommended that churches offer e-marketing training or short courses to clergy. As shown in the study, clergy have a minimum of secondary education, and the majority with further education focused on church dogma and theological education, which is not business-related (Payne 2014). Pastors with only theological education are ill equipped to effectively deal with marketing related challenges, let alone to implement new concepts such as e-marketing, which integrate marketing and technologies.…”