“It’s Not About Me”

Abstract

Twelve Episcopal priests address questions of role function and meaning through semi-structured interview. Participants are rectors, associate rectors, and priests-in-charge at various church communities in Chicago’s western and southern suburbs. Priests acknowledge the presence of conflicting tasks and expectations within the role, yet do not accord these a central shaping influence. Instead, five key attributes of effective, optimal role performance are identified through the interviews: listening, praying, laughing, teaching, delegating. Each attribute is examined in terms of its contribution to the day-to-day functions and overall meaning of priests’ work. A central, integrating theme (“It’s Not About Me”) emerges from the data on role attributes, and implications for continued research on questions of occupational meaning for a wider, more diverse sample of clergy are discussed.