Here are some statistics from Mad Church Disease.
This is from a formal survey conducted by Ellison Research.
71% of all ministers admitted to being overweight by an average of 32.1 lbs.
One-third of all ministers were overweight by at least 25 lbs, including 15% who were overweight by 50 lbs or more.
Two-thirds of all pastors skip a meal at least one day a week, and 39% skip meals three or more days a week.
83% eat food once a week that they know they shouldn?t because they?re unhealthy, including 41% who do this three or more days a week.
88% eat fast food at least one day a week, and 33% eat fast food three or more days a week.
50% get the recommended minimum amount of exercise (30 minutes/day, three times a week). 28% don?t exercise at all.
==
When I was first in ministry, I gained 40 lbs in two years. I don’t blame ministry for making decisions for me, but I know because I didn’t plan my time well, I would be caught grabbing snacks in the break room or eating out too often or eating too much fast food and not finding time to exercise. I lived off the caffeine and sugar highs and crashed in front of the TV at night on the lows.
Fortunately, I was able to get back into shape, drop the extra weight, and although not perfect, attempt to eat healthy and exercise regularly. I haven’t gone back to a huge weight gain even though I do fluctuate within a 10 pound variance throughout the year.
Can you relate?
==
Side note: According to the Center for Disease Control, the percentages for American adults over 20 years old (as compared to just pastors):
– 66.3% are overweight or obese with 32% being obese (30 pounds or more).? According to this particular survey, it would appear that a greater percentage of pastors may be overweight in relation to an average American. But these are just two statistics.
Comments
100 responses to “Pastor Stats: Overweight & Unhealthy”
What’s that compared to those not in ministry? Do we know? Are the averages better or worse?
As a whole I think the U.S. is in a major health crisis . I would like to see comparisons with other countries. It seems other countries are better at appreciating quality of life! We run ourselves into the ground!
Someone should research the same statistics for African pastors.
I bet the average African pastor that gives the Sunday sermon, handles marriage counseling, performs funerals, mediates conflict resolution, feeds the hungry, and tries to meet the needs of their own family doesn’t have an issue with being overweight.
Maybe most American pastors need to get out from behind their desks and engage themselves in the lives of the people they serve.
The country club atmosphere of many American churches is disturbing.
well, the stats fit me. IT’s not cause I am lazy though, it’s cause I am so busy and overwhelmed many times with ministry and family and a husband who is often gone. It’s hard to take care of yourself but I am learning. (and I have a trillion lunch meetings!)
Thanks for the reminder.
not surprising at all.
in my dad’s case, the stress made him want to eat alot and then at the same time it made him too tired to do any physical activity, whether it be playing basketball w/ me and my bro or otherwise, once he got home.
nope, not surprised…which is sad.
among other things, i suspect many unwittingly live as if the race is a sprint and not a marathon.
the pastors just want to fit in with their congregation/members, that’s all
and jan is correct again – if you aren’t a pastor/minister (not support staff) or are not married to one you have absolutely no clue what these folks do an a daily basis – and add nightly basis, too
they tend to eat when they can and it’s seldom at meal times, and like jan said lunch mtgs, lunch mtgs, lunch mtgs – and dinner mtgs, dinner mtgs, dinner mtgs because that’s when the 8-5 working folks and soccer moms can meet
otim – “Maybe most American pastors need to get out from behind their desks and engage themselves in the lives of the people they serve.”
yeah, right
not surprised — they’re human — nobody eats the perfect diet — well at least nobody who doesn’t have the $$$ to hire a personal chef
off to scarf down some pancakes ;)
I HIGHLY recommend the documentary “King Corn” and I haven’t even seen it yet. Just read up on all the particulars. http://www.kingcorn.net/
It’s SUGAR people! To be more specific Corn Syrup in all of it’s different forms. It, until recently has been exclusive to the United States. The stats do not lie, preservatives, processed foods and sugars are KILLING us and artificially perpetuating the Health Care crisis we are just now thinking about beginning to face. It’s crazy how our “way of life” has gotten to the point of dragging our economy or….um…. way of life into the gutter.
I wonder what these statistics look like compared to men in general in our country.
guilty. i suck.
big pastors, big givers – let’s go after big hearts next. surely they are a legitimate target, too
I edited the post to show a comparison of the average american, according to the center of disease control.
Tony, this isn’t an attack. They are simply facts and someone’s physical health, when they are intentionally and knowingly doing things that aren’t healthy, simply isn’t Biblical. I can be guilty of this as well, but I wish we would ALL strive to be healthy. We are setting horrible examples if we aren’t.
That may be a hard truth for some to swallow (slight pun intended, sorry)…but it’s necessary. Sorry if it offends anyone. This isn’t meant to be a bashing of overweight people. I think we all need grace to overcome our unhealthy habits.
I think I’ll have a salad today!
… and i’m sure you have the power to block me from posting
forgive me for being an overweight, unworthy, American pastor. I only spent 7 hours yesterday among our people, 2 more in the office behind my desk counseling and 2 more in study in the office behind (I am so ashamed of this) my desk. Despite the exercise I received from paying one family’s waterbill (not church money , my money), carrying food to two other families, my belly still overhangs my belt. I also hate generalizations like “most American pastors”.
Maybe famine, dictators, and centuries of imperialism led to African pastors being thinner. When I was in seminary, there were several African nationals who came to get training and “return to his people”–5 graduated with me–I saw every one of the 5 in this country over the next 11 years. Maybe, if given the chance, the African pastor might be just as like me.
Coming from a Pastor’s home and now being one, you’ve hit on a very important subject. I think the key is making “being healthy” a priority. It is tough with such demanding schedules, but in my mind it’s vitally important! I’ve recently lost 39 lbs and it took discipline in my eating but also in my exercise activity. I look forward to the release of your book.
I’ve got to say I struggle with this. Most of the time it’s directly related to an overbooked schedule. It’s awfully convenient to hit a drive through on the way back to the church from something out in the community. I couldn’t tell you when I last took a real lunch break.
I’d bet that our biggest health risk isn’t what we eat, it’s how much we work as pastors. I know that when I hold myself to a reduced schedule (and by reduced I mean 50ish hours/week) that my eating habits are better, I exercise much more often, and I’m generally less tense. All of these would dramatically contribute to my being healthier.
ha. awesome.
Anne…you nailed it here. I am overweight….it’s a heart issue. I’ve been reading “Louder than Words” by Andy Stanley and it has changed how I think about my weight. I started a challenge on my blog surrendering that daily to God. Yes, spiritual fitness is number ONE but, many of us can’t do all God has for us to do because of our weight. If we were fit and had a temple that was as God intended we’d have the energy, strength and ability to do more for God! I’m not some skinny mama coming in here judging other that are different from me. I’m there…I’m the one who is at the beginning of the journey to change so I can make more of a difference.
Thanks Anne!
hmmm…i wonder if you hit a nerve here ;)
Tony, I realize your concerns and let me assure you that MCD is NOT about all the bad things. There are hard truths that people keep quiet about because they are too stubborn to change their paths and be healthy in MANY ways.
MCD is about restoration, grace, and encourages a path of health. It also talks about the problems that the church does struggle with. We’ve kept quiet for too long and people are being destroyed. We are being deceived. And it’s time to stop it.
I also know pastors who eat healthy, exercise and still keep up the demands of ministry. It’s about choices we make, and accumulation of those choices overtime.
Please hear me…I was 40 pounds overweight after 2 years in ministry. After a year, I decided it was making my ministry less effective so over the next 8 months, I lost that weight. I don’t always eat perfectly now, but I will never, ever allow myself to fall into the pattern of thinking I’m too busy to take care of my body. It’s a command in the Bible that is easy to neglect.
Um…I don’t see the great importance of a pastor being overweight.
i certainly agree with you on the ‘things need to change’ philosophy. but not everything needs to change like giving, teaching, worshiping, serving, praying, sacrificing, ministering, caring, fellowshiping, etc.
maybe the (my) issue is this:
when i read your posts they say this is wrong, that is wrong – and then people line up to agree and bash the Church – that’s unhealthy (my opinion)
maybe a lead in like “the weight issue seems to impact pastors/staff more than the avg American, what do you think causes this – or how can that impact their minister due to health issues?” and even more than that – how can we help these folks and the Church as a whole conquer its faults, waht causes them to be overweight, is it stress is it gluttony?
you let me voice my opinion -thank you
Yes pastors are busy people and if pastors treated others the way they treat themselves, in some cases they would probably be fired. Though I think the tendency is more along the lines of what Otim has said…less desk time more face time.
From what I’ve read lately I think we need to define “pastor”
a) an evangelist.
b) the work horse of the church (the hired hand)
c) a gifted teacher
d) everybody’s friend
e) motivational speaker
f) the “ideal”
g) all of the above
I’m going with (c). What the “pastor” looks like more often is (g).
That is totally unrealistic.
It’s also what happens when we lose BALANCE as a Church Body. There was a time, long ago, and a place, far away. When the “pastor” was merely a function of the Body. Now the Pastor is the central Nervous system. Now he’s the “CEO”… and that…. is… completely … ridiculous.
The OBSESSION of our day is LEADERSHIP. Now, can I say, I AM SICK OF BEAURACRACY. Get out of the way and let the whole body work ! We don’t need Frank Welch, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Warren Buffets ideas.
We need the Holy Spirit!
My apologies for not posting the whole book. :)
Taking these clips out of context I can see what you are saying. My point was just to communicate interesting statistics and this is from the chapter that does that.
Speaking truth and bashing are two separate issues too. Just because something negative is true doesn’t mean it’s bashing. It can cause people to get defensive and then the fights begin.
Also, here is the link to the full study (which also defines some secondary problems to being overweight)
http://www.ellisonresearch.com/releases/20030801.htm
Not surprising as others have noted. I was eating out all the time with college students. So I just tried to balance what I ate…and I trained for a couple of marathons my last couple years in college ministry to make sure I was getting plenty of exercise.
I found that exercise was one of the few times during the week that I had “downtime” to really pray, think about my sermon, reflect, etc.
rhett
“Whenever God’s standards conflict with our personality, our lifestyle, or our circumstances, an interesting phenomenon takes place. Our first instinct is to tweak His standard; we adjust it just a little bit to fit our lifestyle…in fact, as Christians, we are masters at this game. We’ve had years of practice, hearing the truth and dodging bullets. We’ve perfected our moves. And so, subconsciously, we emphasize those parts of scripture that fit our personalities and standing in life. When confronted with truths that conflict with our personalized version of Christianity we downplay them….” Andy Stanley.
This is what I did….I’m just thinking maybe that is what others may be doing as well.
“When God exposes your darkness to the light of His truth, how do you resond?” A. Stanley
Love it all Anne!
I just want to tell you that the BBQ party at my church this Saturday coincidentally, had just been canceled.
Great.
subtle indeed – and i agree. when people disagree with the sheep, the sheep get defensive
yonas – did invite just fat pastors or ALL pastors?
Matthew 16:24 and 25
If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
The Bible also mentions the word “Body” over 150 times.
It says we should honor God with our bodies.
It doesn’t mean God is not going to use someone because they are overweight, but there is a clear command to honor him with our bodies, and to put our desires away. That can tie in by overeating or emotional eating which is in the essence, not denying our desires.
It is one symptom of a larger spiritual condition.
Proverbs 23:20-21
“Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.”
I loved your post Anne.
Gluttony and drunkenness are both sins. But as of late, we’ve forgotten that gluttony is in fact a SIN and a real problem in this country.
It kills me when people attack others (in social settings) about smoking or drinking too much when they themselves are overweight. For some reason, it’s acceptable to heckle a smoker in public, but it would be highly offensive to point out to someone else that they are eating too much.
agree
I did have a salad thank you very much….but was it wrong to add blue cheese dressing?
Prayerfully working on my figure!
Peace out!
I think that people in ministry are all stressed out and work all the time so thus we eat on the run and carb up to get the max out of whatever we stuff into our mouths…grrrr. The toll is definitely making us realize that we can’t live like this forever. The year we have been here has been eye opening.
I just agree with Tony.
I don’t think the overweight issue affects pastors any more than the general population.
Now, ChristianityToday.com has an article on church staff lacking health insurance. This IS major. Most of us have to buy health insurance as self-employed, which is out of our family’s price range. There’s a good chapter for your book. How did your parents handle your health care, Anne?
anne – please, please please, let your next post be about the pay of ministers. now that will generate some blog traffic! and i’m in no way bashing daveallen, he brought up a great topic, also that rolls into this one
maybe we can have some of those big givers chime in, too
or, we can just start it here! what say ye?
Ouch! This one is a bit sensitive for us. I think this goes along with the trouble we have with our priorities as ministry workers. Because it’s ministry or ‘God’s work’ it’s easy to prioritize work above everything else.
I believe our health is an important priority in our life, not above our personal relationship with God or our family, but closely thereafter. Eating right and exercising are not easy. It takes work and discipline, but it’s important. For me, it’s a stewardship thing. I believe God gave me this body to do his work, but I have to take good care of it for it to be effective.
Sorry, I get a bit passionate about the subject. :)
tony-
Invite was for all shapes and sizes :)
I’ll bite (pun intended)- Pastor’s pay…which denomination and what kind of church are we talking about? Mega vs small? Pastor’s with private jets vs pastors who barely have furnitures in his/her house? :)
let’s start w/ mid mega. say a church of 2,000 in attendance, pastor salary of $200k, budget/giving of $10mm per year, perks include free health ins., free car, 6 weeks vacation after 5 yrs service, wife travels free w/ pastor on commercial airlines
too much, or too little?
I don’t think the problem is just pastors… it’s our whole country. Of course, the Bible Belt, it seems, is about the fattest part of our country (the difference in the number of overweight people in Oklahoma versus, say, Washington, DC, is striking). So maybe pastors aren’t really fatter than everyone else, it’s just that pastors are congregated in the fattest part of the country…
Maybe our churches should stop offering 7200 different kinds of dessert at the church dinner every week… or stop having the church dinner altogether.
Coming from an ‘average’ joe…I’d say free health insurance, loaner car, six weeks vacation after five years service is perfectly acceptable. Wife (or husband) travels free on commercial airlines to conferences, also acceptable in my opinion.
I’ve been fortunate that i am not overweight, probably because of my metabolism, but i’ll confess, i don’t eat right most of the time. I think the spirit behind MCD is to bring to light a lot of the experiences pastors and church leaders go thru,(and their families), that is not healthy and how we can make some positive changes so we don’t keep repeating the same mistakes!
Thanks Phil. You hit the nail on the head.
I don’t know how my parents handled my health care, but I do know they lived off my dad’s retirement and got 50k into debt so we could live while we ate government provided food and foodstamps. I actually discuss one of my dad’s salaries as a pastor. The most he ever made was 2500/month and a housing allowance.
200k a year?
The Bible talks about church workers being compensated, not country clubbed.
which equates to about $40-45k per year taxable – did he get free health care?
if so that’s another 3-4k per year
so was that too much, or too little?
So maybe pastors aren’t really fatter than everyone else, it’s just that pastors are congregated in the fattest part of the country!
i’m rolling on the floor!!!!! that was great, and a great example of why statistics are many times simply number manipulation to prove a point
“Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.”
Robert F. Kennedy
“The only genuine elite is the elite of those men and women who gave their lives to justice and charity.”
Sargent Shriver
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
Church of 2,000? what about 200? A little more reality, many of us if we make $50k are thrilled. But again, out of that 50k is all your FICA and other taxes off the top, housing allowance comes out of the 50k. Now, the African pastor, well yes he’s getting 1/2k ($500/annual) if he’s blessed.
I’m really interested in MCD as I’m sure Anne’s stories are something–far more of us can relate to her dad than the $200K, car, etc. I still want to see a survival guide for p.k.’s .
AND I prayed over my lunch (Swanson’s turkey pot pie, 99 cents) and God said He wasn’t real worried about my weight as long as I keep my blood pressure down by not worrying.
otim – good quotes and substantially supported by most comments on here – that’s why i choose to be different
Tony, that 2500/month was pretax. The house we just lived in for free. That is the “housing allowance”
No, we had to pay for healthcare through my mom’s teaching job. Something around 800/month.
And please keep in mind, this was his peak. The other two churches were 200/week and 900/month. He currently makes 150/week full time (and therefore is bivocational), with my mom paying healthcare for her and my dad, my brother got dropped so he is uninsured.
If you were wondering.
In my opinion,
The salary should be enough to cover basic necessities (health care, housing, car, utilities, food, retirement). Of course pastors (more so than other ‘occupation’) are supposed to get the well-deserved six weeks paid vacation (I think avg corp America offer about 3-4 weeks of paid vacation time)…not to mention enough money for a bit of R&R for him/her and the family.
Again- this discussion has been done before (with a bit of friendly/unfriendly fire in between)…
At what amount?? So…regardless of the occupation, how much should a family of 4 should earn to cover their expenses? (couple and two kids), if they’re only a couple with no kids…how much is enough? I know there are (SINGLE)people who are making $70K/year and struggling financially due to eating out every weekend, buying branded stuff, living in luxurious apt…and I know a COUPLE who made $50K in California, who not only managed to cover their expenses, but able to also save a couple hundred bucks a month.
Tricky….but back to my first paragraph…at least the salary should be enough to pay for decent housing, transportation, food, utility, retirement, health insurance, and a bit of savings.
*hand over soapbox*
:)
I think the role of pastor is the most important job in the world (next to mom, I guess).
Maybe the people who do the most important job in the world should get compensated as such.
oh, and it’s not like pastoring is easy either. there are important jobs out there that any-old-body can do and do well. pastoring is not one of those jobs.
wow and wow – my opinion is that it is sinful to pay a servant of God the crumbs from under the table of the wealthy. maybe the bigger question is ‘where is/was the Church in all of this?”
and maybe pastors have big givers banquets to literally encourage those to keep giving – so they can simply eat – not a good position
I’ve wondered also about teachers and social workers….important jobs but low pay.
Although yes, I agree their job is not as important as the CEO of Philip Morris, providing healthy addiction for America;hence, the difference in pay :)
Yes, but Anne–are you writing the survival guide for preacher’s kids?
If a church in Honduras pays it’s pastor $6/week, I understand.
BUT….
It’s awful that a USA church would stand by and put the pastor on food stamps. This is why I want the p.k. book–how did you come out of that without bitterness towards “God’s people”?
I’m not sure – as a minister reading this – that the issue is that I am gluttunous, etc etc etc (note that one stat is that pastors skip meals). I think the issue Anne may be trying to address, which I desperately want to address in my own life is LIVING IN A HEALTHY, BALANCED MANNER. I was NOT offended by this post, because I don’t think it’s a criticism, it’s just an admission of a reality we need to work on. I admittedly am learning this after a couple of years where I almost burned out and ended up in the hospital. It’s not a blame thing. Perhaps it’s more of a consequence thing.
I think the issue is that pastor’s go all out all the time and as a result find it hard to care for themselves. We find it hard to eat on purpose (healthier), to exercise regularly (something comes up at all different times of days), and yes – I have three lunch meetings this week while on sabbatical.
For myself, I realized that I came last. I am struggling to change that. I need to take care of myself cause I only have one me to give. And only I can do it.
I would almost bet that many pastors are in bad shape because they simply don’t think about caring for themselves.
I am learning that eating right, exercising, etc helps me to worship God with my body more fully.
I am going on a retreat focusing on this at the end of the month. I would appreciate prayers as I figure out how to implement this.
Patrick,
Any part of the body of Christ is the most important job in the World.
Oh, and being a pastor isn’t easy? Probably not if you’ve made it more than what it’s supposed to be (see my post way up above in the thread). A whole lot of people who aren’t pastors don’t have easy jobs either.
Pastors get paid to exercise their giftedness. Bottom line.
DaveAllen – I am bitter, but I’m working on it. :)
Amen to Jan. My offense is to the insinuation that we sit on our tails all day. It’s not that, it is the lack of balance. The four years we lived in Honduras I got thin sort of (25lbs less than right now)–I could walk everywhere I really needed to go. And, Little Debbie wasn’t allowed to work her evil in that country.
as for the housing thing I have wondered many times how the guys on our staff make it with wives that are staying home with small children. My husband has a job with great healthcare benefits. We are not dependant on my income although I do pay for 3 kids in college. I am the seniormost staff member at our church and wonder how any of the younger staff make it on what I’m paid or less……..it does make me sad. But our church does love us and is trying to increase our salaries, but we’ve been through tough times and money is just not there. So it’s hard.
One of my values is that those in professional ministry should be paid well. I’d rather cut out a ministry program to pay my staff well. Not to mention, if you pay your staff better, you can create and attract better staff, and a better staff can do better ministry with fewer resources. So it’s a win-win. Take money out of programming, put it into staff, and wind up with better programming.
where in the Bible did they have a staff at church?
after sitting on finance committees, for more years than anyone should endure that punishment, there is a brutal fact. if the church has no money, it has no money to pay
our philosophy was that if the Body valued the staff, they would come up with the $ to pay them, or not
but, that’s so old school it’s sick. when our Body said we can no longer afford the staff we simply asked them to treat them as they would Christ if He was knocking on the door of their house. we literally left it at that – it was up to the Body, not the finance committee. Not really a groundbreaking concept is it? Their response was, among others, free child care, free loaner transportation, free food, free medical care, free yard work and handyman services, free piano lessons, free clothes, free……..shall I go on?
here’s what happened – when that pastor was requested by another church to come in ‘view of a call’ (don’t ask) and the salary was $75k per year w/ free health ins and a free car. He approached the Body in humility and told us that he had a potential offer, and that he felt that God wanted him to look at it. He did and it turn out that God DID want to show him something – he had the best frikken’ deal on earth where he was at – and that was the purpose of the whole ordeal.
Walking into Hillsong conference a few years ago I overheard an american commenting that everyone coming was so much thinner than back in the States, that at a leadership conference most people would be over weight there. I was amazed. I guess you can get so busy that you neglect to take care of your basic needs of good food, exercise, rest etc. all of which contribute to weight gain. Stress can cause your adrenal gland to not work and then you get fatter for example.
I think there needs to be more talk of finishing the race well, not collapsing half way through because we didn’t look after ourselves.
People! People! People!
How did everyone get off the main subject and chase the rabbit down the hole to wind up in a discussion of pastor compensation and salary. I thought the subject was about overweight and unhealthy pastors.
Dave Allen,
None of these comments are aimed at you personally. If the statements don’t apply to you then move on. If you have a passion for what you are doing and have the proper biblical motives then nobody is accusing you of being lazy or unfairly compensated.
Anne raises some serious issues within the universal church. Specifically the American church. She does not make any blanket condemnations or accusations. There are a multitude of good people that are participating in God’s work around the world.
Why do some of the responses seem so defensive and reek of insecurity? If ministry has left you exhaused and drained, maybe it is time for a change. Changing your role in God’s work is not an admission of failure. That’s the voice of Satan maintaining mediocre ministry within the church.
Otim, thank you. You explained my heart better than I could! :) And much more gently.
[BIG SMILE]
Just wanted to point out:
72 comments and counting, if we keep this discussion going, we have a chance of beating the ‘boobies’ thread :)
this is the hips thread (for me) :)
or the butt thread
i’m just sayin’
Ha. Looks like I am well on my way to becoming a pastor. :) Actually, I bet these stats pretty much line up to regular Americans. Though, I can’t back that up. Anyone care to do the research.
Someone on top of me mentioned that churches should stop offering the Donuts, pastries, etc at the welcome table or wherever…I AGREE.
I mentioned this to the pastor at my old church & his head almost exploded. I don’t even remember the option of fruit at the table – just junk.
I also remember the heart patients, fat people, fat kids sucking up everything at that table when the service started. We can fellowship over something besides Krispy Kream donuts.
We always compromise by saying “just a little bit won’t hurt”
Sometimes it IS about choices.
Why do we never talk about gluttony in church? It’s a sin too yet I’ve never heard it addressed by any pastor, and it’s obviously something a lot of us struggle with (whether we’re thin or overweight). As Anne has pointed out, the body is not ignored in scripture, therefore it shouldn’t be ignored by us.
I know I’m really late to this discussion. For the record…I had my yearly physical today and it’s all cool. I’m healthy!
I mostly wanted to be comment #80 but also that at 36 the pastor is by far the most in shape person at my church.
all you had to say is ‘stay on track’ – passive agressive is boring
otim – i believe you were the one that actually started the conversation about ‘country club’ churches, some of us were just picking up on that
wow, do the rules change as things get lively
Anne – what you are doing is tremendous. I can’t wait to read the book when it’s out. You are addressing, in book form, what needs to be addressed.
That being said, I believe the concepts in your book will need to be woven into the fabric of each minister’s calling. Just reading the book itself will only go so far. When all is said & done, it comes down to the walk. I am a life coach and this is what I do with people who have a conscientious missional heart. But I’m not the only coach out here, so I’m not at all pushing ME.
Be encouraged, Anne. The world needs BALANCED people used by God. Otherwise, we’ll all burnout – leaving us unable to do the work to which God calls us.
Thanks for your efforts.
man up otim
Great point Mr. Tony.
My intention for making the ‘country club’ reference was to point out the cliques that have developed in some churches. It seems that some pastors have created a protective barrier around them with all the staff that they employ.
I wanted to highlight that the unhealthy lifestyles and health issues of some pastors could be related to the cocooning isolation that they have brought onto themselves.
Unhealthy snacks. Skipping meals. Lack of physical activity. Stress. These all contribute to weight gain.
Maybe someone needs to write a biblically based book about time management, prioritization, and delegation for church leaders. If this book already exists then we seem to know a lot of pastors that should read it.
Jethro reprimanded Moses for taking on too much responsibility. Moses wanted to be “da Man” to the Israelites.
From Exodus 18 (NIV)
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.
…and i was trying to relate the fat to the rich (country club) concept – but i guess that was enough to be called out – don ‘t really see a difference except that there are followeres and there are leaders in schools of thought
(ever noticed the distinct clique among posters on here?)
Anne…my husband and I are in ministry…these stats speak to how busy our lives are and how easy it is for us to get so involved in others’ lives that we put aside our own needs…and then we have to live (or die) with the results. Thanks for shining a light on this.
It’s great to see a discussion continuing on this. I have been thinking about it more and I have to say that from first hand experience I know that it is so valuable to take care of your health. I let myself get completely wound down in a busy professional job and doing way too much in leadership at church while I had an underlying disease that effected my immune system.
For the last two years I have hardly been able to do anything leadership at church as a result (thought I’ve grown and learnt a lot). It’s just not worth it to over do things. I found the endless pot luck dinners (with pretty unhealthy food and not enough veges), not having a proper Sabbath as I was too busy serving at church, being exhausted on Mondays at work after Sunday church, expectations to be meeting people for lunch and lack of respect of my boundaries to be exhausting. And I’m still suffering in my health.
I think God spoke to me that if I didn’t have a platform of good health then everything else I tried to build into my life would come toppling over. For me that means not being out every night of the week after work, cooking at home from scratch pretty much all the time, exercising (or trying to) and resting. And not feeling guilty about resting. I know it must be hard in the States with the lack of holidays you get each year (I get 4 weeks and that doesn’t feel enough at times!) but I think it’s so important to find time to look after yourself (and set a good example to those below you).
http://randymorgan.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/in-defense-of-my-vice/
They should do a survey on Church Staff memebers as well. I have never struggled with my weight like have since I have been on Staff. Oh the “load” we must carry…
Our pastor pays for every staff member’s membership at the local YMCA. The requirement is that they must workout four times a week. He feels that it is important for every staff member to be in optimum health in order to serve our church and the community better.
Thanks for tweeting about this today. Interesting read. I’m in full-time ministry for the first time (It’s been about 6 months now.) I started overweight, but luckily thanks to a mile walk to and from our offices every day, I’ve been able to avoid adding extra weight. I’d venture to guess this stretches to all church staff. (Though the one I’m a part of is mostly in shape, minus me and maybe one or two others.)
I was thinking about my grandfather this morning, who died nearly a year ago of lung cancer. For about 30 seconds I started getting angry, thinking about how selfish smoking is. Then I stood up and glanced into the sliding mirror that covers my closet.
It’s a matter of will priority. If I truly believe the bible is the word of God, I need to comply with all of it, including the parts about honoring God with our bodies…temples of the Holy Spirit.
It’s time to get serious…time to pull that plank out of my own eye.
Thanks again for digging this up.
.-= Andy Pisciotti?s last blog ..Next Steps? =-.
So, what your saying is to be a pastor I have to gain weight, sweet! Does my effectiveness get determined on the scale or change in the people that I might shepherd? Maybe we should have stats around the number of obese pastors to conversions; now I am curious. I wonder if any of these stats can be directly related to stress of their positions or the pressure we place on them to perform to the standards we believe they are to obtain? Does the fact we are collecting such stats just go to show that we expect more from the humans that have this particular vocation over those in the “secular” world, since these stats are very similar to what I see every day on the train or in my place of business. So, I suppose this is a humanity problem and maybe very little to do with the vocation of being a pastor.
I agree that we should take better care of our health, but would say that the entire church body is guilty. I believe that we would all like our pastors to be closer to a magazine model status rather than the dancers from the Weird Al “Fat” video, but at what cost? I fear that a series of Pastoral Care Workout videos are on the way?.ughhh!
jonesy
Well…if you noticed the bottom stat about the general population, you’ll see that there is an issue with everyone. The research firm who did the study focuses on pastor health, and as we are all broken (I’ll be the first to admit), if a pastor is not taking care of himself physically, and knowingly doing it, I do think that is an issue that needs to be addressed.
We are commanded to take care of our bodies – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Neglecting an area on purpose and without a plan for change is irresponsible and opposed to what the Bible says we are to do. Scripture backs that up in many places. And a pastor is called to a higher form of accountability when he accepts such a role.
Does that inhibit God’s work in us for others? I don’t know. God works in spite of our brokenness and through it. But I believe we all need to be on some road of transformation instead of contently living in an area (whatever area it may be) of sin.
Thanks for the post and reminder about time managment. I’m just entering my second year in ministry, and I don’t think I’ve had a week where I haven’t skipped at least one meal, exercised more than once or gotten through “youth nights” on a caffiene high. Dang.
I recognize that this date was literally years ago but since you re-posted it, I figured I could comment. Reading the posts were quite fascinating and opinionated. First of all, my husband is a youth pastor and as part of his benefit package, the church pays for most of our family YMCA membership. I do indeed use it…thank God for YMCA child watch. I see physical fitness as equally spiritual to physical. I started running because I was running out of breath leading worship (I am not at all overweight..that had nothing to do with it..you can be thin and still out of shape). I knew that I couldn’t be all and do all that God had called me to do if I didn’t take care of myself. I know that a pastors job has many hats and crazy hours…physical fitness is still vital. Oh…and my pastor is an avid runner.
First, I worked at for a church that was based on high production and the unhealthy “lifestyle” you describe Anne was my life. I worked very late into the night, skipped meals and ate miserable meals in the wee hours, which was all very damaging. At the age of 26 I was overweight and had a bleeding ulcer that nearly took me out of the game. I was, and am now again, an athletic person but allowed the demands of ministry to run my health and life. Just so I’m clear, I allowed that. Anne MCD is beautiful, and comes at a very important time for those serving in ministry today. We need to reminded, challenged, and invited to be healthy conduits for God.
As for salary talk, I am finishing my 14th year in ministry, which 11 of those years were bi-vocational. I am now making 27k with zero benefits and yet we get by just fine. I pastor in an urban, inner city context which has many incredible needs. Keep it up Anne, we need your voice!
.-= Wally?s last blog ..More or less Patient? =-.
Interesting that you’re tweeting about this post. My husband and I have been feeling the mercy of the Lord breathing on us reminding us that we have health and it’s ours to steward. Growing up in the church, I have seen a range of unhealthy people, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It is really sad when the physical ailment is obesity because that is a personal responsibility neglected (for “noble” reasons or otherwise). I agree with many of the previous comments that a balanced but forward response among us to be active, healthy individuals so we can engage with this world we have been given to bless and restore. Keep up with your message, Anne. I hear you loud and clear.
yes!! some where along the line pastors forgot that their physical well being is a direct connection to their spiritual well being.
Thomas Aquinas believed that one of the aspects of obtaining a virtuous character is how one controlled his/her eating habits.
Doing pastoral ministry is not necessary physically exhausting, so ministers may need to consider being more physically active.
.-= jeremy zach?s last blog ..Serving In School Is Cool =-.
do you have any tips on excercise for adrenal fatigue condition?