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May '25 Newsletter: Four Mental Health Profiles Help Clergy Assess Their Own Flourishing
Hello!
Welcome to the Serve Well newsletter, a collaborative resource from the Duke Clergy Health Initiative and Duke Religion and Social Change Lab. Every month, we'll be sharing trends in ministry formation and flourishing so that however you serve—seminarian, clergy, researcher, educator, or administrator—you can serve well.
You know your mental health matters. But it can be hard to know where to start in defining, assessing, and practicing something that feels like an invisible tangle of habits. So, this month we're sharing evidence-based resources designed to break down some basics of mental well-being into specific suggestions for ministry. Let's untangle together.
Trends in Ministry Formation
More than 7 in 10 students enter divinity school with at least one Adverse Childhood Experience
In a study of more than 500 seminarians, the Duke Religion and Social Change Lab found that more than 7 in 10 seminarians reported at least one Adverse Childhood Experience, compared to 6 in 10 among a sample of demographically similar Americans. However, seminarians were significantly more likely to have experienced emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and living with someone with mental illness during childhood. These three experiences are especially important predictors of poor mental health later in life, highlighting the need for more "upstream” supports in seminary and early ministry.
Trends in Ministry Flourishing
Four mental health profiles help clergy assess their own flourishing and protect against future harm
Drawing on survey data from over 1,200 North Carolina United Methodist clergy, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative identified four profiles of positive and negative mental health symptoms and determined how those profiles changed during a period of extraordinary stress (COVID 19, from 2019-2021) in clergy life. Resourcing clergy who are “Burdened but Fulfilled” and “Languishing” before they become “Distressed” could be an important and attainable goal for those who care about clergy well-being, as it might help them move into the protective “Flourishing” group before the next catastrophe.
Your Serve Well Resource
Fully Alive: A Resource to Guide Clergy Towards Four Behaviors of Flourishing
Fully Alive takes what we know from years of research with flourishing clergy and translates it into actionable steps that anyone can take to nurture their mental health. This comprehensive guide includes research that speaks to your lived experiences, tools for assessing which mental health profile best reflects your reality, thoughtful questions to help you gain clarity and courage, and real-life testimonies from flourishing clergy about what works for them. Whether you go through the guide individually or in small groups of fellow ministry leaders, we hope it will cut through the overwhelm and simplify the steps you can take to serve well.
About Us
The Duke Clergy & Religion Research Collaborative (CRRC) is a partnership between the Duke Clergy Health Initiative (CHI) and Duke Religion and Social Change Lab (RaSCL). CHI focuses on providing pastors with tools to improve their physical, emotional, and spiritual health, while RaSCL focuses on helping current and future faith leaders adapt to evolving times. Together, we serve those who want to serve well. Our work is made possible thanks to the generous time of our clergy and seminarian research partners and generous funding from The Duke Endowment. To stay informed of our latest research in ministry formation and flourishing, sign up to get our monthly Serve Well newsletter directly in your inbox.