Increasing
Self-Care among Clergy
While
Establishing and Strengthening Congregational Ministries of Health &
Wellbeing
According to the 2017 Clergy Well-being Survey produced by
the United Methodist Center for Health, “Forty-three percent (43%)[of clergy]
are currently obese[1]—much
higher than a demographically-matched sample of U.S. adults, and an additional
37% are currently overweight[2].”[3]
Many clergypersons struggle to maintain a wholistic[4]
lifestyle which incorporates all five dimensions of health--physical,
spiritual, emotional, social, and financial. Keeping all of these pieces in
balance is challenging, even more so in the itinerant system.
Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30, NRSV). As pastors who love God,
finding our own wholeness can be challenging when we are living wholly for God. Engaging our congregations in loving and
serving God when we are modeling unhealthy behaviors is difficult if not
hypocritical. Therefore, finding ways to engage clergy in maintaining and improving
their own health is important
This website is dedicated to providing resources as well as connections for clergy and lay persons who want to be intentional about living a wholistic lifestyle that honors God with all of who they are -- body, mind and spirit!
[1]Obese
is defined as a Body Mass Index of 30.0 or higher. “Overweight and Obesity,”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last updated June 16, 2016,
accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/defining.html
[2]
Overweight is defined as a Body Mass Index of 25.0 to 30.0. . “Overweight and
Obesity,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last updated June 16,
2016, accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/defining.html
[3] Clergy Well-Being Survey. Report 2017,
Chicago: Wespath, 2017, accessed 10/5/2017, https://www.wespath.org/assets/1/7/5058.pdf,
3
[4]
The word “wholistic” is intentionally used.
“In health ministry, the linguistic terms ‘wholistic’ and ‘holistic’ are
not interchangeable—they each have distinct meanings. When speaking of health
ministry and parish/faith community nursing, the ‘W’ should be used. The Rev.
Dr. Granger Westberg first advocated the use of the term ‘wholistic’ rather
than ‘holistic,’ to more closely relate the term to wholeness and to avoid confusion
with the term ‘holistic’ that connotes non-religious alternative health care
practices.” Health Ministry in The United
Methodist Church. UMC Health
Ministry Network. Center for Health, accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.wespath.org/assets/1/7/4382.pdf,
1 footnote.
