Management of Occupational Stress among Pastors of Friends Church in Nairobi County, Kenya

The demands for increased effectiveness and efficiency within the Friends church puts a lot of pressure on few overburdened pastors, considering the fact that they act as vital links between the Christians, church and the government. The pastors become overstretched and end up being stressed while serving the church. The purpose of this study therefore was to find out ways occupational stress among the pastors can be managed while seeking to improve their overall work performance. The study used a descriptive survey design and simple random sampling method. Questionnaires, interview guides and observation check-lists were employed as research instruments to collect data. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study was based on Welford Performance and demand theory which stipulates that whenever there is a departure from optimum demand which an individual is not able to cope with, stress emerged. An individual's performance is, therefore, less than maximum efficiency when the individual experiences either too high or too low levels of demand. Results of the study showed that when occupational stress is well managed, the church can achieve increased work performance. The results further indicated that pastors work load had a bearing on service delivery. Study findings revealed that there was lack of community support, church wellness programs and individualized approach that would lead to increased work performance with good management. The study recommendations were that there is need for the church to deal adequately with challenges faced by pastors in order to avoid occupational stress.