1. 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.
Clergy will be invited to lend their voices to this unique resource again in 2025.
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.