Research
Research
We support our members and partners to undertake cutting-edge inter-disciplinary research. We believe investing in research is key to expanding our knowledge base and stimulating our teaching and training.
We produce a regular newsletter to share our position on various topics, and we host an Integrative Symposium on the integration of theology and psychology.
We also offer supervision to postgraduate and post-doctoral research students/assistants.
To enquire about our research and supervision offers, please email ctp@mst.edu.au with the subject-line “research interest” or “supervision request”.
CURRENT Research Project:
Redesigning the Assessment Process for Mission/Ministry Staff
Staff burnout, fatigue and mental ill-health are all too common in ministry and mission. When people find themselves in situations beyond their scope and training, it can result in them leaving their vocation, broken and struggling.
To ameliorate the risks that ministry and mission can pose to people’s mental health and wellbeing, we’re designing a new screening tool and assessment process to be used when appointing staff.
We are developing a research-backed, two-way screening process which can help organisations match people to positions to provide an environment where staff can thrive.
A core part of the process will be the use of consistent, evidence-based psychological assessments to help bring awareness to candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. This will hopefully prevent long term harm, improve resource management and result in better staff retention.
Watch the video below for more information
Published outcomes from this research can be found at:
- Thompson, K, Kimber, T, Williams, D, Matthews, D, Grossmann, M, Brautigam, M. (2022). A scoping review of psychological assessment in mission and ministry candidates. Journal of Psychology and Theology, accepted 25 July 2022.
- Thompson, K, Matthews, D, Williams, D, Kimber, T, Grossman, M, Brautigam, M. (2022). The impact of the COVID19 pandemic on Australasian mission organisations. Australian Journal of Mission Studies, accepted 18 Oct, in press Dec 2022.
- Thompson, K, Williams, D, Kimber, T, Grossmann, M, Brautigam, M. (In Press). Psychological assessment of cross-cultural mission candidates in Australasia. Journal of Psychology and Theology, accepted 12 Nov 2022.
To enquire about our research and supervision offers, please email ctp@mst.edu.au with the subject-line “research interest” or “supervision request”.
