Serving God’s people reaps many joys, but it’s also a highly stressful vocation. And for too many ministers that stress results in extra weight, according to a United Methodist Study. It showed that clergy suffer from obesity, high cholesterol, borderline hypertension, borderline diabetes, asthma and depression at significantly higher rates than do other demographically comparable […]
Clergy are often relied upon to guide others through difficult times, but a new study has found that the very nature of their work could put them at greater risk of developing depression and anxiety themselves. From the Huffington Post. (Photo by Bottled Void, used by Creative Commons License)
We need healthy pastors to have a healthy church, but statistics show that clergy need help in this area. Designed for use by pastors and lay leadership, this three-part series seeks to illustrate some of the unique issues clergy face in maintaining and improving their physical, emotional, social, financial, and spiritual wellbeing. Through video and discussion guides, it encourages congregations and pastors to share a ministry of health that benefits everyone. (Photo by Dr. Abdulla Nasar, used by Creative Commons license)
If you lead and serve in a congregational setting, be sure to read this article about the importance of self-care from Faith & Leadership at Duke Divinity School. (Photo: Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho)
Alarmed with reports that its pastors were significantly less healthy than other professionals, the United Methodist Church commissioned a task force to investigate and suggest solutions. After three years of work, they came back with a report that details important steps. Click above to get to the news article; click here to go to the […]
Clergy’s practice of putting others first can be detrimental to their own health, say researchers at Duke University. Pastors have been found to have higher-than-average rates of chronic disease and depression. But it may be difficult to get pastors to seek care because they typically default to caring for others first. (Photo by Doug McCaughan, used […]
