NAD Ministerial Book Club Explores Mending Ministers

If there ever was a doubt that Christian denominations need to pay attention to the health and wellness of their pastors, the Duke Divinity Clergy Health Initiative launched in 2007 eliminated it. Their study focused on helping United Methodist clergy in North Carolina improve their health. Four years after its launch, more than 1,100 pastors enrolled in the diet and wellness component of the initiative called “Spirited Life.” Some of the findings were eye-opening; the results caught my attention and moved me to inquire more, especially regarding improving pastors’ health. Seventh-day Adventist pastors face challenges with health and wellness, even with a beautiful whole-life health message ingrained in our faith tradition. We also live with the challenges of resilience, depression, self-care, wholeness, mental health, imbalance, stress, burnout, and emotional intelligence. Awareness and understanding of these personal and interpersonal issues are critically related to ministry impact and missional outcomes. After this initial investigation, there was a felt need to build on this vision from a foundation of solid research.

First, existing studies were gathered, and important information was gleaned about what researchers have discovered concerning Adventist pastors’ health and wellness. These studies led to an investigation of emerging issues of longevity in ministry, personal and professional stress, and effective positive change strategies. The first study featured five focus groups of active Adventist pastors. The second study engaged individuals who have left Adventist ministerial employment, to discover motivations for leaving and possible remedies to better support current pastors. The insights gained from these studies called for action. We initiated a comprehensive plan to strengthen, encourage, and inspire ministers to a new level of health and wellness.