The Impact of COVID-19 on Religious Leaders and Communities: Challenges, Sources of Resilience & Unmet Needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented challenges on religious communities around the world and many have turned to their religious leaders (RLs) for guidance but this places RLs at a greater risk for stress and challenges. The research demonstrates that RLs are facing universal challenges, such as amending traditions to adhere to COVID policy and regulations, and specific challenges that derive from their religious denomination and the cultural circumstance of where they live.

Our data collection comes from a series of interviews with religious leaders from around the world with various religious backgrounds. In order to qualify, they need to have some responsibility for a congregation or community during the height of the pandemic (March 2020 – December 2021). During the interview process, we ask questions about their challenges, their families and loved ones, and their communities. Next, we ask about their sources of strength and coping mechanisms. Finally, we are left with unmet needs and ask how they could have been better supported.

From the data analysis, we found that participants frequently mentioned financial hardships, feelings of loneliness, and increased demands from congregants. As sources of resilience, they often mentioned deeper religiosity, and the pandemic often allowed them an opportunity to grow and serve as well as spending time on meaningful projects. Finally, religious leaders mentioned the need to adapt to online spaces and their communities were at greater risk needing more financial assistance and additional support.

SLIDE 1
Good day. My name is Greta and my URSP Summer 2022 project is understanding the impact of COVID-19 on an international sample of religious leaders: specifically their challenges, sources or resilience, and unmet needs. I started this project with the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation since they were originally commissioned to perform this research but after receiving the URSP award, I was able to come along and finish wrapping up this project.

SLIDE 2
A little bit about the project: it was drafted and initially funded by the Al Amana Centre, an interfaith organization based in Muscat, Oman. They saw the need to understand what the experiences of religious leaders during the pandemic are. After the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation picked up the project, we began reaching out and interviewing religious leaders around the globe. The only requirements were that they must be above the age of 18, speak English, assumed a level of responsibility for a minimum of one congregant and served during the height of the pandemic from March 2020 to December 2021. The project is currently in its final steps and within the next weeks we will deliver our report to the Al Amana Centre and I have constructed a policy brief to send to the United States Institute of Peace. There will be more on that later.

SLIDE 3
During the interviews we asked a series of questions divided into four sections. First, basic demographic questions to understand the background of our pool of participants. These questions included asking about where they are from and where they served during the pandemic, their religious denomination, gender, age, and what they do to serve their community. We identified religious leaders as not only priests, rabbis, imams, but also youth pasters or working an administrative role in in their organization.
Then we asked about the challenges they experienced, sources of resilience or strength they used to overcome these challenges, and what type of support would have been helpful. Through each section we asked about their personal experience, their families and loved ones, then their congregation or larger community. Then, since some interviews were conducted recently, we could ask how things have improved, worsened, or remained the same over time.

SLIDE 4
After interviewing 11 participants, here is what we found among their challenges: First and foremost was financial hardship. Sometimes they and their loved one were affected but more often. Their center of worship and congregations faced financial difficulties from a loss of income. Since many individuals were no longer attending in-person service, donations tended to drop. Next, religious leaders faced increased demands. Moving online meant that they could be contacted more frequently, and individuals could stay longer for prayer, advice, or council. Next, we found that leaders felt they had to keep reassuring their community to take the pandemic seriously or to relieve congregants of unnecessary fears. And finally, several leaders mentioned a feeling of loneliness from being away from friends, families, loved ones, and even away from their congregation.

SLIDE 5
In terms of sources of resilience, we found that nearly all participants mentioned they fell deeper into scripture, prayer, religious thought, reflections, and practice. They also mentioned that the support from and between the congregation members lifted their spirit. Some mentioned how they never felt so close to members of the community and never or rarely seen such support from one another before. Additionally, with lockdown and social distancing measures, many decided to spend time doing meaningful activities such as reading, walking in nature, or picking up old projects. Lastly, we had many responses about how they took the opportunity to grow and serve others.

SLIDE 6
After a quick data analysis, we discovered how there were many unmet needs and missing pillars of support. First, there were many costs that worship centers were recovering from. With the loss of in-person attendance and refusal to take loans, combined with the increased costs and attention to programs, buying masks, sanitizer, gloves and other equipment, they are still in a state of financial recovery. Few leaders mentioned that they felt a “double loss” from losing a loved one or congregation member, then because of safety measures, were not able to hold a proper burial to pass from this life to the next. Third, several mentioned how members of the congregation lost their jobs, homes, took loans to cover costs or needed help from the community to purchase groceries because they were quarantining or did not want to risk infection. Lastly, participants mentioned that there needs to be a better way of switching to online formats to adapt to the demands of current events and the needs of the congregation.

SLIDE 7
Finally, we come to future recommendations. The pandemic is still not over and many are recovering while others still face challenges. The recommendations are also useful to consider for the future when communities face hardship from similar circumstances. First, involve more culturally and religiously sensitive mandating that safely restricts individuals and families and lessen risks and hardships. Second, from the literature review and participants’ responses, there was considerable collaboration between groups and organizations so there could be incentive programs to gather together as a larger community and help another. Third, provide subsidize resources and materials so they do not become an obstacle. Fourth, institutions should propose grants or specialized loans for religious centers. Such as, one participant mentioned how their center would have taken financial assistance but it against their belief to take loans that have interest rates.