Document Type

Applied Research

Publication Date

5-2022

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: This study sought to enhance the awareness and knowledge of pastors and congregational leaders concerning moral injury in military veterans within their congregations. Ideally, this would reduce the leaders’ anxiety and would promote a stronger willingness to be involved in offering support to military veterans in their congregations. This project focused on enhancing the knowledge of pastors. The project tested the understanding of pastors of a local denomination, offered education to enhance their awareness of veterans’ issues (specifically moral injuries), provided insight into Scriptures that offered examples of moral injury, and recommended what could be done to help these veterans. The research method was Quasi-Experimental. The research study group was non-randomly selected participants, and sought to maintain research sample control. The group design was One-Group Pretest/Posttest. The project consisted of a pretest, treatment, posttest, and analyzed results.

Findings and Conclusions: The findings showed that the seminar added educational value to all participants. The pretest and posttest results showed greater understanding by the participants overall, as well as greater understanding in each of the six individual lecture topics. All six lectures’ topics showed at least 20% increase in posttest results from the pretest scores. In general, this seemed to support the desired outcome of providing education to the participants. The program evaluations also indicated that the participants found the seminar presentations to be valuable for use in future ministry to veterans in their congregations.

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