SOURCE:

Faculty: Arts
Department: Religion And Human Relations

CONTRIBUTORS:

Ndubuwa O. Nnaemeka
Chiegboka A. B. C.

ABSTRACT:

This research work deals with Stress Management in the leadership of Methodist Church Nigeria with perspectives from the book of Exodus 18: 13-27. The scope of this work is limited to Methodist Clergy in Archdiocese of Umuahia to ensure a comprehensive research. The thrust of this research hinges on the symptoms and effects of stress on leaders of Methodist Church in the recent times as observed by the researcher and also contained in the minutes of the 45th/10th Biennial Conference of Methodist Church Nigeria which consist of displeasing reports about ill-health, weakness, inefficiency, fatigue, exhaustion, disillusionment and untimely death of some leaders which could be regarded as stress-induced. This menace is undoubtedly prevalent in both ecclesiastical and secular leadership due to inappropriate delegation. The study employed a hermeneutical method to interpret Exodus 18: 13-27 and applied same to the Leadership context of Methodist Church Nigeria in order to suggest ways of managing stress in leadership. The exegetical analysis of the text reveals the original meaning from the Hebrew root used within the pericope to aid the comprehension of the text. Oral interview was employed to source information on the causes and effects of stress among Methodist leaders. The literature review comprising the conceptual framework, theoretical framework, empirical studies and summary was also used while Herzberg’s theory of motivation was adopted for a better explanation. The findings revealed that leaders undergo stress in spite of the good leadership structure of Methodist Church Nigeria, which could be alluded to overwhelming responsibility, inadequate delegation skill, delay of workers’ stipends, inadequate resources, poor planning, abuse of annual leave, poor implementation of the welfare policy and socio-economic challenges in Nigeria. The major contribution of this research to knowledge was to educate leaders on the need and ways to manage stress through teamwork and proper delegation skill as modeled by Moses in Exodus 18:13-27 in order to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and durable success for sustainable development. The work recommended that leaders on their own should intensify effort in the judicious observance of their annual leave, time management, proper planning and eschew the pursuit of unrealistic goals. Nevertheless, balanced diet, exercise, hobbies, music therapy, sufficient rest or relaxation and regular medical check-up would help leaders in both religious and secular spheres to handle stress.