Duke Clergy Health Collaborative

10/13/2026

In our Statewide Clergy Health Survey, we found a strong correlation between pastors who feel that the morale of their congregation is high and feel that their personal morale is high.

Which is why it’s important to do a congregational morale check during seasons of change or potential stress for clergy.

Explore the third conversation in our Keeping the Faith guide for check-in questions to help you reflect on your congregation’s culture. What impact is it having, for better or worse, on your pastor’s well-being?

Conversation #3 in our Keeping the Faith guide focuses on the tight link between a pastor’s workplace and their well-being.

10/12/2026

How do you pastor faithfully across deep political divides?

Join Clergy Health Collaborative Research Director, David Eagle, this upcoming Thursday, October 15 at 1:30 PM Eastern for a Common Table gathering on Pastoring Across Political Divides.

David will share how these political divides impact clergy well-being and explore what these dynamics mean for your ministry.

RSVP here: https://community.commontable.network/c/events/pastoring-across-political-divides

10/06/2026

No surprise here: Church-appointed pastors who feel loved and cared for have higher ministry satisfaction, higher quality of life, and higher feelings of personal accomplishment at work.

So, what can you do to keep a good thing going? Our Keeping the Faith conversation guide is designed to help congregational leaders and their pastors work together in the midst of today’s challenges so that both can feel loved and cared for.

The second conversation in the series shares research, resources, and reflection questions to help you talk about the importance of human connection for your pastor’s well-being. Keep reading for an excerpt.

Conversation #2 in our Keeping the Faith guide focuses on the importance of human connection for pastoral well-being

10/05/2026

Does navigating political differences in your congregation stress you out? Our research can help normalize this common--and yes, hard--experience. We can also point to evidence-based solutions that support your and your congregation's well-being.

If you're local, join us for a lunch conversation on October 7, 12:30pm-1:30pm in 0013 Westbrook with Duke Divinity Alumni Dr. David Eagle, Josh Gaghan, and Rev. Alex Parker exploring political polarization and its impact on religious communities.

RSVP: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efBo1fjpQZwJDeK

09/29/2026

Healthy conversations don’t just happen. Instead, they benefit from the “work before the work."

The first conversation in our Keeping the Faith guide for pastors and church leaders helps you facilitate the creation of a covenant that will guide you in discussing tough topics during tense times.

Please do not skip this step! And, please, stick around for next week’s conversation where we walk you through the importance of loving your pastor as a person and not a persona.

Conversation #1 in our Keeping the Faith guide walks you through the “work before the work.”

09/23/2026

In 2025, 68% of North Carolina United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy reported that they thought their political views were different from those held by the majority of their congregants.

That’s a lot of potential stress on these faith leaders, particularly in an era where the word “political” has come to mean “partisan,” and partisan identities are now stronger than religious ones.

Yet, our research also identified a secret sauce that may mitigate the strain sometimes caused by these political differences. Our six-part newsletter series can help you tap into it.

Our six-week conversation guide can help you develop the secret sauce.

08/19/2026

We've entered a new era! Our monthly Serve Well newsletter is now on Substack. Check out our latest post below.

Our monthly newsletter is designed to help you do both.

07/21/2026

Take an honest look at your workload—not just the hours, but the complexity. Which elements are most costly? Which burdens are you carrying alone that could be shared? What's one small change that would reduce complexity rather than just manage it?

Explore more on clergy workload, overextension, and burnout in the Weekly Well newsletter from the Flourishing in Ministry Project. Our research is behind some of the evidence-based insights and reflections.

Ministry workload isn't just about hours—it's about complexity. Here's why the burden feels heavier than ever and what can actually help.

06/17/2026

Our new State of Clergy Well-Being in 2025 report is out today and reveals a historic first for pastors' burnout.

Dive in to explore what we found and discover other headlines impacting clergy health in North Carolina:

https://clergyhealth.duke.edu/blog-post/new-state-clergy-well-being-report-reveals-historic-first-pastors-burnout/

05/20/2026

To care for clergy is to understand clergy—especially the stressors they face in their calling.

Read our recent newsletter to learn about these common sources of stress and how our new resource, Bear One Another's Burdens, helps congregational leaders identify easy ways to lighten the load.

To care for clergy is to understand clergy—especially the stressors they face in their calling. Our new resource helps congregational leaders identify easy ways to lighte