We found that pastors’ health was worse off across the board than the populations where they serve. Their rates of obesity were about 10 percent higher. We looked at other kinds of chronic diseases. High blood pressure rates were about four percent higher, asthma rates also about four percent higher. Their diabetes rates are about three percent higher than other North Carolinians.
That’s Robin Swift, the director of health programs for the Clergy Health Initiative at the Duke Divinity School. The Clergy Health Initiative is a $12 million, seven-year program intended to improve the health and well-being of the 1,600 United Methodist elders and local pastors serving churches in North Carolina. She and Paul Vitello, religion reporter of the New York Times, appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation to discuss clergy health and clergy burnout. Vitello is the author of a recent article on clergy burnout linked at The Lead earlier this week.
An email to the show from an Episcopal priest gave a nod to CREDO, the wellness program for Episcopal lay employees and clergy. From the transcript,
Yes, my profession is stressful, she writes. As a newly married, pregnant, Episcopal priest, I feel pulled in many directions. I have been ordained and serving St. John’s Episcopal Church – a progressive, growing, urban congregation – for six years in St. Louis.
I am the only full-time staff person. Like John [who phoned in to the show], I do all kinds of tasks every week. Our church pension fund offers an eight-day renewal retreat for clergy every three years or so, where we examine our vocational, spiritual, physical and financial health. I am really grateful for this incredible resource. It has helped me to reconnect to God and to my vocation.
My question, Robin: Are we seeing more and more of this, where ecumenical councils and the like are beginning to provide this kind of in-service support for people of the cloth?
Ms. SWIFT: Thankfully, yes. We looked, and there are about 53 programs dedicated to clergy health around the country. Very few have been as generously funded as ours. And we have a really strong evaluation base, so we can take a look at what has actually worked. But I think, as Paul pointed out earlier, the increase in health costs have driven a number of denominations to think about an organized response to improving the health of their pastors. And there are some terrific programs out there.
One final note, clergy have historically had greater longevity than the general population. Read more here:
“I usually get a chuckle when I explain to pastors why their mortality rates are lower — clergy have fewer accidents, fewer incidents of suicide and, well, they just aren’t prone to syphilis,” Proeschold-Bell said.
Questions to consider:
* How can we reach beyond solving these problems at the level of individuals’ behavior? Are there policy changes that might improve pastors’ health?
* Do you think that the way ministry is practiced in mainline denominations in the 21st century contributes to poor health? Why or why not?
* If you could propose ways to make clergy healthier, what would you suggest?
You can read the comments received so far here.