Reports & Briefs

This report highlights top-level physical, mental, and spiritual health findings from the 2025 Statewide Clergy Health Survey. In a historic first for this survey, all three components of burnout decreased simultaneously.

Amid clergy burnout and civil unrest, a group of seventeen Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) clergy were asked questions regarding their call stories, ordination experiences, and careers in the North Carolina United Methodist Church.

This report highlights top-level findings from the 2023 Statewide Clergy Health Survey. While many health measures remained stable, two key areas were identified for improvement: sleep and vigorous exercise.

This report uses the Clergy Health Initiative's data on North Carolina United Methodist Church clergy from 2008 to 2023 to probe changes in physical health over time, including rates of chronic disease and obesity prevalence.

This report uses the Clergy Health Initiative's data on North Carolina United Methodist clergy from 2008 to 2023 to probe changes in mental health over time, including depressive, anxiety, and burnout symptoms.

In this report, readers will find trends on three dimensions of spiritual wellbeing for United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy in North Carolina: spiritual wellbeing in daily life, spiritual wellbeing in ministry, and satisfaction with one’s ministry.

The relationship between support ties among clergy and their well-being is more complex than it appears. This report highlights key findings on social support ties and outlines future research questions.

As a tangible thank you to our research participants, we created an impact report that details how we’ve been translating our research into resources that can serve clergy and seminarians.

With partisan conflict at an all-time high, this report suggests a timely opportunity for the denomination to embrace its “Big Tent” roots and seed communities where plurality without division can thrive.

A decade-long research journey uncovers racial disparities in salaries and working environments among Carolina UMC clergy. Inequalities are unintentionally perpetuated by denomination policies and appointment processes, sparking critical conversations.

Using data from the Statewide Clergy Health Survey, this report explores systematic salary differences between men and women elders in the North Carolina and Western North Carolina Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church.

This report, based on 2020 and 2021 survey/interview data from 186 students in field education, uncovers the vital role of field education in discerning students' calling and the impact of relationships and direct ministry on shaping these experiences.

This study identified three stress reduction practices that allow pastors to fully live into the work that God is calling them to do with creativity, insight, and energy – even during the most stressful times. Download the report to learn more.

We conducted a survey of seminary alumni who graduated between 2012 and 2017 and asked them a broad range of questions about demographics, career path after seminary, approach to finances, and experiences with student debt.

We took a closer look at how things are going for clergy who have been serving for decades, those who are 55 and older, and those who have retired. And guess what? The life indicators look good in each case!