The Duke Clergy Health Initiative is a $12 million, seven-year program intended to improve the health and well-being of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina.

The Clergy Health Initiative's research is the first to examine how to tailor health interventions to clergy. We now know that programs to improve clergy health will succeed only if they address the multiple conditions that contribute to health, especially conditions created by congregations and denominational polities.

This information formed the basis for our pilot program, and for Spirited Life, the Clergy Health Initiative’s wellness program and behavioral health study.

Noteworthy

  •  Pastors Learn to Heal Themselves

    Facing evidence of significant rates of ill health among clergy, some churches are taking steps to encourage pastors to care for themselves.

  •  Video: Impact of Spirited Life

    Pastors Eldrick Davis, Alexis Coleman, and Bob Kretzu discuss the positive effects Spirited Life has had on their spiritual, mental, and physical health.

  •  Fit for Ministry

    The Christian Century discusses why being a pastor can be bad for your health, and looks at the Clergy Health Initiative's efforts to address the issue.

  •  Self-Care Is Not Selfish

    In North Carolina, UMC clergy are learning that, while challenging, it’s more than OK to care for themselves.

  •  Clergy Depression: Carrying It All, Burying It All

    In a post on the Clergy Health Initiative's blog, The Connection, Spirited Life wellness advocate Angela M. MacDonald shares resources to help clergy identify and seek help for depression.

  •  Quiz: Food, Health and Faith

    Worshippers may love their doughnuts on Sunday mornings and meat loaf and mashed potatoes at church suppers. But does church life encourage obesity, or help combat it? Take a quiz to find out.

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