Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Evangelical pastors regarding (a) Authentic Leadership components – self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective – and (b) experiences of burnout and self-perceived subclinical narcissistic tendencies.
Methodology. This study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological research design. The researcher used purposeful sampling methods to select successful Evangelical leaders in Madison County, AL. Data were collected through one-on-one, semi structured interviews with nine Evangelical pastors exploring their lived experiences with the phenomena of burnout, authenticity, and subclinical narcissistic tendencies in their roles.
Findings. Analysis of the data revealed seven themes regarding Evangelical leaders’ lived experiences with burnout and authenticity: (a) calling, (b) health, (c) humility, (d) intentionality, (e) plurality of leadership, (f) spiritual discipline, and (g) Venn Diagram of community. These themes reveal that the essential essence of the phenomenon was that participants’ experiences in pastoral ministry produced burnout conditions.
Conclusion. The results of the study found that, according to participant experiences, the high job demands and low job resources of pastoral ministry consistently produce burnout conditions. The seven themes reveal both the contributing factors of burnout and burnout mitigation techniques. The four authentic leadership theory components of self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective emerge as an ongoing necessity, not a solution to burnout.
Recommendations. Future research should expand beyond the limited sample of married Evangelical leaders in Madison County, AL by including diverse leadership roles, denominations, and geographic contexts. Comparative studies across church sizes may further clarify the relationships between burnout and subclinical narcissism. In addition to phenomenological approaches such as the present study, large-scale quantitative research is needed. Specifically, examining discrepancies between Evangelical leaders’ self-perceptions and their congregants’ views of their authenticity and leadership, potentially guided by the leader-member exchange theory, would provide valuable insight. Continued investigation into authentic leadership is also a continued necessity, especially in its potential mitigating effects on burnout.