Artistic and sports ministry leadership as serious leisure in Brazilian evangelical churches

This qualitative research study investigated how artistic and sports ministry leaders in Brazilian evangelical churches perceived their leisure, spirituality and ministry experience, as well as the interrelationships between these phenomena. Interviews were held with 15 participants (average age 32.3 ± 9.2 years), and the data was analysed using content analysis. For participants, leisure was primarily associated with pleasure, fun and enjoyment; rest, relaxation and renewal; and being with others. Eight participants viewed ministry leadership as leisure, while five did not, and two had mixed views. Whether a participant viewed ministry as leisure depended on whether one’s experience of ministry reflected one’s understanding of leisure. Fourteen of 15 participants associated their ministry with spiritual development due to the Christian practices that were central to the ministry activities. Evidence could be found in the participant interviews to support all six distinctive qualities of serious leisure. This study extends the research on serious leisure into Christian faith-based ministry contexts, where it was distinguished by God’s call to ministry leadership, perseverance enabled by God’s strength, and spiritualty as both a preparation and an outcome.