The Perceptions and Lived Experiences of African-American Pastors at the Onslaught of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mississippi

Authors

Tanya Funchess, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Traci Hayes, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Samaria Lowe, University of Southern Mississippi
Susan Mayfield-Johnson, University of Southern MississippiFollow
LaWanda Baskin, University of Southern MississippiFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2022

School

Health Professions

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore perceptions and lived experiences of African-American pastors addressing the onslaught of COVID-19 with their congregation. Thirty-seven pastors representing various denominations from across Mississippi participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. From the data, five themes emerged including (1) Pastors’ relentlessness, (2) Pastors’ adoption of new technology, (3) Maximized social capital, (4) Unintended consequences resulting from COVID-19, and (5) Unintended benefits resulting from COVID-19.

Publication Title

Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling

Volume

76

Issue

2

First Page

89

Last Page

96

Recommended Citation

Funchess, T., Hayes, T., Lowe, S., Mayfield-Johnson, S., Baskin, L. (2022). The Perceptions and Lived Experiences of African-American Pastors at the Onslaught of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mississippi. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 76(2), 89-96.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/19852