 Church Systems Task Force on Clergy Health Jointly Convened by GBPHB and GBHEM
For Immediate Release
February 4, 2009
Contact: M. Colette Nies, Managing Director, Communications
(847) 866-4296 or cnies@gbophb.org
Evanston, IL—The 17-member Church Systems Task Force (CSTF), jointly convened by the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB) and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), met in Jacksonville, FL, January 28-29, beginning their General Conference 2008 charge to study the impact of UMC employment systems and culture on clergy health.
General Conference 2008 directed the denomination to study the effects Church systems have on the health of clergy by reviewing the employment systems and structures of the Church and their impact on clergy health, and to bring recommendations if needed to General Conference 2012.
“This task force will examine ways in which the Church systems contribute to the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and financial health of clergy as they enter and progress in ministry,” commented Bishop Ward. “We are interested in the effects our Church systems have on the health and wellness of the individual clergyperson, the related impact on local churches and, consequently, the broader health implications experienced across the connection.” GBHEM General Secretary Jerome Del Pino also noted, “The work of this task force comes at a pivotal moment in the life of our Church when we are focusing our attention on leadership, new church starts and revitalization of congregations, poverty and global health. What is learned in the work of the task force regarding clergy health will help us move forward in achieving the goals we have set for each of the four focus areas.”
The task force will employ a rigorous research approach to examine:
- itineracy and appointment-making systems;
- supervisory systems;
- processes for entering and exiting ordained and licensed ministry;
- transitioning clergy into ministry (acclimation process);
- prevalence of health risk factors, health conditions and disability as they relate to employment situational variables; and
- key vocational factors influencing clergy health.
The Church Systems Task Force is one of the initiatives of the Center for Health, under the auspices of the GBPHB, which began last year as the result of the Denominational Health Task Force research and General Conference 2008 legislation.
This important work will help determine interventions to support clergy health needs and to provide specific guidelines for sustaining a healthy work/life balance.
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About the General Board
The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB) is a not-for-profit administrative agency of The United Methodist Church, responsible for the general supervision and administration of the retirement, health and welfare benefit plans, programs and funds for more than 74,000 clergy and lay employees of the Church. The Center for Health initiative and the Central Conference Pension Initiative are established and managed under the auspices of GBPHB.
GBPHB is the largest faith-based pension fund in the United States and ranks among the top 100 pension funds in the country. As a socially responsible investor, GBPHB is actively involved in shareholder advocacy, proxy voting, portfolio screening and community investing. In 2008, the agency celebrated 100 years of caring for those who serve the Church.
About the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) provides training and support in the Wesleyan tradition for those called into professional ministry, as well as access to Church-related higher education for all who desire it. Created by The United Methodist Church to address concern for those areas of common life of clergy, GBHEM prepares and assists those whose ministry in Christ is exercised through ordination or the diaconate and provides general oversight and care for United Methodist institutions of higher education.
In response to the gospel's commission to "go ye therefore and teach," American Methodism has founded more than 1,200 institutions of higher education, among them some of the country's great colleges, universities and theological seminaries. GBHEM, located in Nashville TN, is organized into two program divisions (Higher Education and Ordained Ministry) and three offices (Interpretation, Loans and Scholarships, and Administration).
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