Statewide Clergy Health Survey

Timeline

2008 - Ongoing

Status: In Progress

Survey Waves: 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025

Description

In an effort to better understand the well-being of pastors and improve their vitality in ministry, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative has conducted a longitudinal survey of North Carolina’s United Methodist Church (NC-UMC) clergy every two years since 2008.

The Clergy Health Initiative Longitudinal Survey, also called the Statewide Clergy Health Survey, is one of the most extensive surveys of clergy health ever conducted. Thanks to the tremendous response of NC-UMC clergy, this survey is recognized as a definitive source of information on clergy health, including physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

The data helps us understand how certain ministry conditions affect holistic health over time. Because we invite the same clergy to take the survey across multiple waves, we are able to see patterns for individuals in a way other clergy data sources do not offer. As a result, our findings can speak to changes in ministry – and society’s influences.

Team

Members

Jane Bo-Hyeong Lee, Ph.D., Senior Research Analyst

Jia Yao, M.A., Research Manager

Glaucia Salgado, MSc. & M.A., Research Analyst

Laura Hamrick, M.Div., Clergy Engagement Specialist

Jessie Larkins, M.Div., Communications Strategist

Leaders

Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Logan Tice, M.A., Research Manager

David Eagle, Ph.D.

Contact