Involved,Loyal, Alienated,and Detached. The Commitment of Pastors

This article deals with the commitment of pastors to their profession. An empirical inquiry among Roman Catholic and Protestant pastors reveals that two types of commitment play an important role in the pastoral profession: affective commitment and cost commitment. Affective commitment concerns positive emotional ties with the pastoral profession. Cost commitment refers to the problems that pastors expect to encounter were they to quit their profession. Both forms of commitment are connected to the pastors' religious orientation and their job satisfaction. The conclusion discusses the influence of commitment to the pastoral profession on staying on as pastor. It also reviews the effects of commitment on the pastors' dedication to their jobs and their general well-being.