Nurturing and mythus bearing in clergy work motivation.

The nature of Protestant clergy work motivation has been unclear. Attempts at clarification by clinical, sociological, and theological investigators have not been generally accepted. This study hypothesized that positive clergy motivation is based upon a preference for anurturing orientation to life and upon satisfaction achieved inmythus-bearing work tasks. One hundred and five parish ministers of a United Church of Christ Conference in the Middle Atlantic states were given the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Work Task Rating Sheet. Responses were evaluated according to preferences for feeling and thinking orientations and according to satisfaction levels in the performance of work tasks. Although three of four specific hypotheses were not supported by statistically significant results, enough support was found fornurturing preference and satisfaction inmythus bearing to warrant further study of these concepts.