(From my Churches of Christ mate Alan Matheson.)

Hi Rowland

The Fin Review commissioned the survey; carried a 2 page discussion of the findings and despite clergy topping the list of overweight/obese professionals, they made no mention of the fact. Alan

“Australian clergy are fat.

Eighty per cent of ministers of religion are overweight or obese.In fact,in a specially commissioned survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the Australian Financial Review(15.3.08), they carry more weight than any other of the fifty professionals and managers surveyed.

They are fatter than construction managers,the local banker or the computer whizz down the street.

The thinnest of all professionals are doctors,secretaries,nurses and teachers.

Surveys in the USA in the 1950s showed that “clergy had the lowest rates of disease for every major diagnosis and lived longer and healthier lives than people in any other profession”. In the USA,at least,by 2003,seventy six per cent of clergy were either overweight or obese, with weight being “a bigger problem for men than women,with seventy nine percent of men being over weight compared to fifty two percent of women”.

Assistance is readily available. While there appears to be no guarantees of their effectiveness,older clergy may find help in Shedd’s,Pray Your Weight Away(1957),Cavanaugh’s, More of Jesus,Less of Me(1976), or Kreml’s, Slim for Him(1978). Younger clergy maybe helped by Colbert’s, What Would Jesus Eat?,Cleveland’s, The Lord’s Table:A Biblical Approach to Weight Loss,Malkmus’s, The Hallelujah Diet,or Rubin’s, The Maker’s Diet.

However it is viewed clergy have a big problem.Too many of them are overweight and as such are a problem for themselves,their families,their congregations and ultimately the health system.

Are our theological colleges seeing this as a problem? While Victoria has not had a pastor to pastor for many years,is the issue being addressed in other states in their ministries with their pastors? Are any of our state conference ministers committees or associations involved in “clergy wellness centres” as are found in other countries? Do our ministers think they have a problem?

Or maybe like a lot of other health issues, men are reluctant to talk about this aspect of their health.”

Alan Matheson

March 18, 2008

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