Role Conflict in the Ministry and the Role of the Seminary: A Pilot Study

This essay reports the findings of a comparative study of the role preferences and expectations of the first-year and graduating B.D. students at two Protestant seminaries, one university-related inter-denominational school and one independent Episcopal institution. Regardless of the school or year of study, the students participating in this study evidence the same role preferences as have been encountered in previous research with parish clergymen. Similarly, these seminarians' role expectations and preferences evidence a potential for the same role conflicts which have been reported in studies of the parish ministry. The absence of significant differences between the role definitions of first-year and graduating seminarians at the two schools suggests the need for modifying the widely held view that seminary experiences exert a profound influence upon the role perceptions of future clergymen. Students were asked to indicate the degree to which such contextual variables as seminary faculty, fellow students and seminary courses may have influenced their view of parish roles. An analysis of their responses provides some tentative clues about the ways in which seminaries reinforce inaccurate role definitions. Areas for future research are discussed.