The Duke Clergy Health Initiative is an $18 million, ten-year program intended to improve the health and well-being of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. Through a multi-year wellness intervention and behavioral health study—Spirited Life—and other programs and resources, the Clergy Health Initiative underscores the theological reasons for caring for oneself and offers strategies to help pastors develop holistic health practices.

Pastors work within a complex web of relationships, and the challenges of navigating conflicting demands from peers, family, congregations, and the denomination can impact their health. Compared to other North Carolinians, United Methodist clergy have higher rates of obesity (41 percent versus 29 percent), diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and depression. The initiative is currently researching the practices of pastors whose mental and physical health is flourishing to identify strategies that can be applied by other clergy.

More information is available at https://divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/clergy-health-initiative

Citation Guidelines

Preferred citation for the digital version:

[Identification of item], Duke Divinity School Clergy Health Initiative Archives, Digital Version. Hosted by Duke Divinity School Library, Duke University. [Item URL].