Taking Care of Yourself

Across denominations, clergy health and wellness has become a major concern over the past 15 years. Many pastors and priests struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Some take medication for depression and anxiety. Recently ordained clergy often wrestle with the debt they accrued during the course of their seminary education, and most struggle with financial stability in churches or organizations that themselves struggle to give their clergy the compensation packages expected by their denominations.

We asked the pastors and priests in our study a variety of questions about their health and wellness. We asked them how well they are able to manage a healthy work-life balance. And we asked about their own sense of spiritual health, vitality, and practices of discipleship. This section highlights some of the patterns we found among newer clergy today.