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Survey reports state of clergy health

Posted on by Michigan

Glenview, IL—The Center for Health of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB) has released the 2015 Clergy Health Survey Report with results of its United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy questionnaire identifying clergy health trends.

For this third administration of the survey, the Center for Health reached out to 4,000 UMC clergy—1,501 clergy responded (38% return) to the 100-question online survey, representing a cross-section of active UMC clergy by jurisdiction, gender, race/ethnicity, age and clergy type. Multiple dimensions of health (physical, emotional, social and spiritual) and the vocational setting were explored. The survey questionnaire is based on—and continues to build on—clergy health research conducted for the 2009-2011 Church Systems Task Force (CSTF).

2015 Key Findings

  • 42% of respondents are currently obese—a much higher percentage than a demographically-matched sample of U.S. adults; an additional 37% are currently overweight
  • 49% have “ever had” high cholesterol at some point—also much higher than the comparable benchmark; 16% currently have high cholesterol
  • 35% have “ever had” high blood pressure at some point; 20% currently have high blood pressure
  • 7% suffer from depression as measured by frequency of depressive symptoms―more than twice that of the comparable benchmark
  • 11% are currently being treated for depression and are managing their symptoms
  • 26% of all clergy have at least some functional difficulty from depressive symptoms—higher than a demographically-matched sample of U.S. adults
  • 8% of UMC clergy continue to have higher rates of asthma, when compared to a matched sample of U.S. adults
  • 25% of clergy experienced stress as a result of dealing with ministry personnel who are critical of them
  • 46% of clergy experienced at least one intrusive ministry demand (e.g., not consulted about ministry decision; devotion to ministry questioned; doubts about pastor’s faith; etc.)

The complete 2015 Clergy Health Survey Report is available on the Center for Health website (www.gbophb.org/cfh). It contains all findings, including key vocational and demographic differences.

The website also contains previous clergy health survey reports and other clergy and congregational health resources. 

Last Updated on February 2, 2024

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The Michigan Conference