Duke Divinity initiative targets clergy health
Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., has launched a
seven-year, $12 million initiative aimed at improving the health of
1,600 United Methodist clergy in North Carolina.
A UMNS photo courtesy of Duke Divinity School. |
By Linda Green*
A UMNS Report
Oct. 15, 2008
Pastors preach service and ministry to others. They are models for a
caring and nurturing spirit for parishioners in need. They view
sacrifice as just part of the job.
Robin Swift
|
Unfortunately, that selfless outlook can come at a price—and all too often the price is personal health and fitness.
Insurance data and recent studies indicate that clergy are increasingly
struggling with health issues including obesity, diabetes, heart
disease, gastrointestinal illness and depression. In addition, with
rising health care costs and increasing demands on their time, many
ministers forgo annual physicals and other services and activities that
could improve their health.
It's a disturbing diagnosis that caught the attention of Duke Divinity
School in Durham, N.C. Last year, the United Methodist-related school
launched a seven-year, $12 million Clergy Health Initiative, aimed at
assessing, tracking and improving the health of nearly every United
Methodist pastor in North Carolina.
"Many of these health problems might be preventable if pastors had the
time and resources to focus on improving their health, and their
congregations supported their efforts to do so," said Robin Swift,
project director.
Clergy have gone from being one of the healthiest groups of
professionals to the least healthy, prompting the Duke Endowment to set
aside money for the initiative. "A core value of the profession is
taking care of others, and we’re now learning that it has been at the
expense of their own health," said Joe Mann, director of rural church
issues for the endowment.
Small churches are among those feeling the impact of poor clergy health.
As clergy health decreases, insurance premiums increase—the costs of
which are passed directly to churches funding benefits packages.
"Rapidly escalating costs have made the employment of elders impossible
to afford for a growing number of rural churches," Swift said.
Troubling trends
The United Methodist Church is not alone in the problem. Studies by
several other Protestant denominations show clergy struggling with
health issues, particularly those associated with an aging population in
ministry.
“Our vision is to develop a resilient,
well-informed cadre of United Methodist pastors as skilled in the care
of themselves and their families as they are in the care of their
congregations.”
–Robin Swift In response to United
Methodist studies, the 2008 General Conference approved legislation
focusing on denominational health. And the church's Board of Pension and
Health Benefits recently opened a Center for Health to address
troubling trends among the church's clergy and lay employees.
Attacking the problem on multiple fronts is the best prescription for
The United Methodist Church, according to Barbara Boigegrain, top
executive of Board of Pension and Health Benefits.
Boigegrain applauds the Duke initiative and hopes the clergy health work
of seminaries and annual (regional) conferences builds awareness and
fosters the sharing of best practices.
Barbara Boigegrain
|
"Studies like these are important to understanding the underlying issues
of clergy health," she said. "These seminary and conference resources
together create a critical mass that may bring just what is needed to
identify and address the challenges clergy face in maintaining their
health while focusing on ministry."
The Duke initiative is an outgrowth of other health and ministry work
through the Duke Endowment’s Rural Church and Health Care Divisions. The
endowment has cared for the health and well-being of North Carolina's
United Methodist clergy for the past 80 years.
Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead expects outcomes from the
initiative to influence how churches around the United States care for
their leaders. "Through this effort, we are addressing both the health
of ministers, as well as their congregations and communities, by sharing
strategies for maintaining a healthy, balanced life," he said as the
initiative launched.
Holistic health
Specifically, the initiative is working with the church's North Carolina
and Western North Carolina Annual (regional) Conferences and their
1,600 full-time elders or local pastors.
The project is based on a sound theory of adult behavioral change and
Wesleyan theology and is designed to be responsive to the stated needs
and wishes of participants.
The initiative spent much of its first year getting a snapshot of the
physical, mental, spiritual and vocational health of clergy. The
research shows high stress levels among pastors because of the demands
of their jobs and the 24/7 nature of their work. "There is little
permission to take time away from work for self-care and family time,"
said Swift, a health educator and specialist in behavioral health
issues.
The Rev. L. Gregory Jones
|
Other facets of the initiative include continuing education events and
health consultations with clergy to develop personal programs in which
they would want to participate. Pilot test programs and services are on
the horizon.
"Our vision is to develop a resilient, well-informed cadre of United
Methodist pastors as skilled in the care of themselves and their
families as they are in the care of their congregations," Swift said.
It's appropriate for a divinity school to be concerned about the health
of the clergy that it is preparing for ministry, according to Swift.
There is, after all, a link between theology and health.
"John Wesley articulated a clear theology of health and wholeness, and
we can remind pastors of that tradition and articulate its implications
for life in the 21st century," she said.
Seminary officials hope Duke's project will become a model for similar initiatives across the United States.
"Our hope is that by learning more about the clergy who serve in these
churches and in helping them be healthier, we will cultivate more
effective leaders for the church and for the communities in North
Carolina that these churches serve," said the Rev. L. Gregory Jones,
dean of the divinity school.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or or newdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Clergy Health Initiative
Board of Pension and Health Benefits
Global Health
Health and Welfare Ministries |