Clergy emotional intelligence : defining the construct in relation to role and context

Parish ministry is increasingly complex and more demanding of its ministers than ever before. The ordained minister often feels caught between institutional requirements and pastoral needs. They rely on ancient and modern resources to equip them in the work, vibrant relationships to keep them buoyant, and inner powers to fuel their spirituality, imagination, psychological and emotional faculties. The notion of emotional intelligence is barely three decades old and has been an attractive field of exploration for researchers and practitioners in care and human-facing professions, promising an understanding of inner processes and dispositions that may facilitate the development of relationships in all walks of life, personal health benefits, and work productivity. However, scientific studies and research on conceptualisation have lagged behind commercialisation. The promise of productivity improvement in the office, Board Room and factory floor has led to a plethora of measures to test individual emotional intelligence and programmes to improve it. Initial empirical studies on the emotional intelligence of clergy and Christian leaders in the UK and Ireland indicated low scores compared to other professions and populations. These surprising results raised concerns over selection procedures, the type of people attracted to the role, and the possibly corrosive nature of the work. This is the first rigorous investigation of UK clergy emotional intelligence utilising qualitative data and suggests a new conceptualisation of emotional intelligence relevant to the clergy role and ministry context