Flourishing in Ministry: Emerging Research Insights on the Well-Being of Pastors

From The Flourishing in Ministry Project, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

The mission of the Flourishing in Ministry project is to understand what constitutes good work for pastors, their families, and the churches these pastors serve.

Almost 1,000 pastors from more than eight different denominations who have generously participated in The Flourishing in Ministry Project research. In addition, it includes data from about 200 spouses. This report is an overview of the current state of well-being among these pastors. It also provides an overview of the science of well-being and discusses what implications the researchers think this science has for clergy and their families. It covers the state of pastoral well-being at the present time and some insights into the factors which seem to be related to higher (and lower) levels of well-being.