Recent research shows that most clergy in the United States are overweight. In blog posts on Beyond the Ordinary, Cynthia Woolever (2010) and Joelle Kopacz (2012) share how pastors fare when compared to the population as a whole.
Woolever relates how senior or solo pastors fare compared to the population:
- 77% of American male senior or solo pastors compared to 72% of all American males BMI (Body Mass Index) is high enough to be considered overweight
- 76% of American female senior or solo pastors compared to 63% of all American females BMI (Body Mass Index) is high enough to be considered overweight
Kopacz relates how associate pastors fare compared to the population:
So What?
A smaller percentage of clergy fall into the normal weight category than the population at large. This is true for all clergy as well as every subgroup considered: male senior or solo pastors, female senior or solo pastors, male associate pastors and female associate pastors.
- Why do you think a greater percentage of clergy are overweight than is true of the population at large?
- What type of changes within the profession do you think would be helpful in lowering the percentage of clergy who are overweight?