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New State of Clergy Well-Being report reveals historic first for pastors’ burnout
Whether clergy experienced the worst of Hurricane Helene or served a church still reeling from the effects of disaffiliation, our new State of Clergy Well-Being report shows some positive trends in pastors’ health in North Carolina, including historic improvements in workplace burnout.
Trends in Ministry Flourishing
New State of Clergy Well-Being report reveals historic first for pastors’ burnout
In the fall of 2025, almost 72% of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina responded to our 9th Statewide Clergy Health Survey, the longest running study of clergy well-being in the world. Now, high-level results are available in our new report, The State of Clergy Well-Being in 2025.
So, what's noteworthy?
New findings on time clergy spend sitting, along with their sleep difficulties, add to our understanding of physical health risks they can do something about.
Spiritual well-being in ministry has significantly improved, suggesting that even amidst the chaos of the world pastors are still getting glimpses of the holy in their work.
And, in an astonishing first since our survey began in 2008, all three components of clergy burnout improved.
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READ: The State of Clergy Well-Being in 2025
The findings are significant.
High emotional exhaustion dropped from 24.2% of clergy in 2023 to 20.7% in 2025. High depersonalization fell from 13.3% to 9.5%. And low personal accomplishment—the hardest of the three components of burnout to shift—declined from 32.1% to 26.2%. Unlike emotional exhaustion and depersonalization which can shift with reduced workload or reconnecting with your purpose, personal accomplishment is rooted in your deeper sense of self-worth and the organizational system—the mycorrhizal network, you might say—to which you're connected. Even well-designed burnout programs often fail to move this entrenched component.
So, why are all three improving, and why now?
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Burnout research suggests that simultaneous improvement across all three dimensions is unusual; it tends to require not just a reduction in acute stressors, but also a genuine restoration of resources, relationships, and sense of purpose. Our hypothesis is that some of the pressures of the United Methodist disaffiliation period are beginning to ease and that clergy who have remained with the denomination are finding renewed clarity about their calling.
We also know that humans are wholly embodied creatures, and improvements in other areas of well-being may also be contributing to positive movement on this measure. One example: individual clergy showed a significant drop in obesity in our research. Among the 610 clergy surveyed in both 2023 and 2025, 170 (28%) lost at least 3% of their body weight and 125 (20%) lost at least 5% over the course of two years—putting them on track to meaningfully improve other measures like blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. These changes can result in improved mood and energy and potentially counteract some symptoms of burnout.
There are many avenues to flourishing—and if you find yourself among those who are still experiencing elements of burnout, please consider reaching out to someone, such as a therapist or coach, who can help you take steps to addressing it. We also recommend four behaviors, or practices, in our Fully Alive resource that differentiate clergy who are not currently experiencing burnout from those who are.
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READ: Fully Alive: A Resource to Guide Clergy Towards Four Behaviors of Flourishing
The four behaviors of flourishing are:
- Maintain at least one physical, mental, or spiritual well-being practice.
- Preserve some personal time every day.
- Nourish mutual relationships.
- Carry a mindset that sees one’s work as in alignment with God, focusing more on the process than the outcome.
The outcomes of this year’s State of Clergy Well-Being in 2025 report are quite hopeful. We don’t take that hope for granted. With it, we recommit to using what clergy have shared with us to develop high-quality resources and trainings that support pastoral leaders in sustained well-being. We recommit to the work of engaging with bishops, district superintendents, and change-makers at the Annual Conference and denominational level who set policies and create programs that impact clergy’s ministry. (If you’re at one of the North Carolina Annual Conferences this week, stop by our table to grab a physical copy of the new report!)
And we recommit to the work of serving well, without sacrificing being well, alongside you
Your Serve Well Resource
Fully Alive: A Resource to Guide Clergy Toward Four Behaviors of Flourishing
Looking for a step-by-step guide to addressing clergy well-being?
Fully Alive is a comprehensive resource for clergy and faith leaders that defines Christian flourishing, guides clergy to assess their current well-being, distills four identified behaviors of flourishing into actionable steps, and creates room for reflection.
Flourishing is a way of life. And better understanding this way of life can help us spot it, cultivate it, and celebrate it – not only in our own lives but in the fully alive leaders we hope to form along the way.
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About Us
The Duke Clergy Health Collaborative (formerly the Clergy Health Initiative and the Religion and Social Change Lab) translates original research into shared resources that help United Methodist clergy in North Carolina—and beyond—serve well and be well at the same time.
Our work is made possible thanks to the generous time of our clergy and seminarian ministry partners and generous funding from The Duke Endowment. To stay informed of our latest research into ministry formation and flourishing, sign up to get our monthly Serve Well newsletter directly to your inbox.