Table 2.
Sample Characteristics of Clergy Participating in Qualitative Interviews
| Clergy characteristics | N = 35 | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male gender | 32 | 91.4 |
| Average years serving as clergy (N = 32)c | 20 years | |
| Geographical location | ||
| Northeast | 11 | 31.4 |
| Southwest | 11 | 31.4 |
| Midwest | 10 | 28.6 |
| West | 3 | 8.6 |
| Race (N = 32) | ||
| White | 16 | 50.0 |
| Black | 14 | 43.7 |
| Asian | 2 | 6.3 |
| Ethnicity (N = 30) | ||
| Latino/Hispanic | 2 | 6.7 |
| Religious tradition | ||
| Protestanta | 27 | 77.1 |
| Roman Catholic | 4 | 11.4 |
| Eastern Orthodox | 1 | 2.9 |
| Jewish | 2 | 5.7 |
| Other (Center for Spiritual Living) | 1 | 2.9 |
| Educational level (N = 34) | ||
| Below master's degree | 6 | 17.7 |
| Master's degree (e.g., M.Div.) | 15 | 44.1 |
| Doctoral degree | 13 | 38.2 |
| Theological orientation (N = 32) | ||
| Theologically “conservative”b | 21 | 65.6 |
| Theologically “liberal” | 11 | 34.4 |
| Received prior training in end-of-life care (N = 31) | 23 | 74.1 |
a
Protestant clergy identified with the following Protestant denominations: Assemblies of God (2), Baptist (5), Congregational (4), Episcopalian (1), Methodist (3), Nondenominational (6), Presbyterian (1), and Seventh-Day Adventist (1). Four Protestant clergy did not disclose specific denominational information.
b
Clergy were categorized as theologically conservative if they agreed with the following statement: “My religious tradition's Holy Book is perfect because it is the Word of God.”
c
Not all participants responded to every question.