Dear UCC Ordained, Licensed, Commissioned and Privilege of Call Ministers and Members in Discernment:
New Year’s Greetings! We are pleased to announce that the United Church of Christ is being invited to participate in the Flourishing in Ministry Project, a national study on clergy wellbeing. This longitudinal study is designed and implemented by Dr. Matthew Bloom of the University of Notre Dame and is funded by the Lilly Endowment.
Using surveys and daily life studies, as well as conducting a limited number of interviews, the project’s main objective is to provide empirical data that will shed light on the conditions most conducive to well being among clergy and their families. What distinguishes a flourishing, meaningful, vital life from one that is declining, empty, languishing, or otherwise not well lived?
With your participation, the project will not only gain insight into this question; the UCC also will receive a specific aggregate report on the well-being of UCC ministers and members in discernment. This will assist local churches, conferences, associations, and national settings to learn more about the well being of ministers in our own denomination and to help shape future practices, support, and resources.
The 11-day window for participation in the initial survey will begin on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 and end on Friday, February 17, 2017. Individuals whose email address is listed in the UCC Data Hub (the denominational database managed by all conferences) will receive an email with a specific link and access code to take the survey within this time frame. After February 17, you will still be allowed to start and complete the survey; however, your information will not be part of the denominational aggregate report. (continued)
The survey should take approximately 45 minutes to complete. If your email address is recorded within the UCC Data Hub, you should receive an email from the Lilly Wellbeing Study (happy@nd.edu) on February 7 with the subject line “Invitation to Lilly Clergy Wellbeing Portal.” Additional instructions and questions are included in the Frequently Asked Questions below. You will be invited to take the survey again every three months for you to compare your wellbeing over time if you choose. You can always opt out of any future participation.
This study is being conducted with the full support of the UCC national setting through the Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD). If you have questions about the survey, however, please contact the Flourishing in Ministry project directly at happy@nd.edu.
Paz,
Rev. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD)
United Church of Christ