Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

The Center for Health

The United Methodist Church (UMC) recognized five demensions of health - physical, emotional, spiritual, social and financial - that assure our clergy are Fit to Lead, engage communities and support mission and ministry of the Church. Recognizing that clergy health has been deteriorating, General Conference 2008 passed legislation creating the Center for Health to address health's importance for Church leaders - both in the short-term and long-term - and ensuring the vitality of our Church for generations to come.

One of the Center for Health's four major initiatives directly supports students entering seminary and beginning their careers in ministry: the Fit to Lead pilot.

Fit to Lead is rooted in the Wesleyan perspective of health as wholeness and self-care in support of vital ministry. The first pilots began in 2008 with the partnership of three UNited Methodist seminaries: Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL); United Theological Seminary (Trotwoo, OH); and Drew Theological Seminary (Madison, NJ).

Students who participate in the pilot will be traced over three years in order to measure sustained behavior change throughout those academic years, in perparation for clergy appointments.

Data collected will be used for years to come to establish standards for healthy behaviors across the denomination that will affect clergy, lay workers, congregations, communities and the mission and ministry of the Church.

Seminary Pilot

The elements of the pilot are designed to guide seminarians in becoming Fit to Lead in multiple demensions of health and to help them embrace Fit to Lead fundamentals thourghout thier careers in ministry. The three-year pilot comprises:

Personal Health Assessments
-Fit to Lead assessment tool-understand wellness in all five dimensions-physical, emotional, social, spiritual and financial.
- WebMd® Health Risk Assessment-answer lifestyle questions and enter biometric measurements to evaluate health status and health risks.

Workshops
- Financial management, psychological well-being and physical vitality workshops will engage students and help them understand self-care and embrace healthy practices
- Areas of specific focus are based on health self-assessment results.
- The first workshop at Garrett was held in August 2008.

Coaching
- A personal Fit to Lead coach will guide students to identify action items for self-care and support their progress.
- Seminary support services (e.g., nutritionists, counselors, social workers and other clinical support) will reinforce healthy practices.

The results of the Fit To Lead seminary pilot workshops and assessments, combined with results from other Center for Health initiatives, will be delivered to General Conference 2012.

Multidimensional Learning

Fit to Lead is designed to help reinforce the importance of health - physical, emotional, spiritual, social and financial - of the workers of the Church in the short-term and understand the consequences that health has on the denomination for the future of the Church itself. Students will be tauaght and counseled by leaders in the fields of psychology, finance , medicine and spirituality.

Read the full bios of the Fit to Lead workship leaders and counselors online click here.