Resource Hub
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Flourishing in Ministry Wellbeing Assessment
Developed by Matt Bloom, the Flourishing in Ministry Wellbeing Assessment is a free self-assessment designed to help seminarians, alumni, clergy, and other ministry leaders reflect on their well-being. Participants receive scores across four dimensions—Daily Wellbeing, Resilience, Thriving, and Authenticity—along with resources intended to help them sustain or strengthen their flourishing.
KEYWORDS: assessment instrument; authenticity; burnout; clergy well-being; Daily Wellbeing; flourishing; leadership; ministry formation; ministry leaders; resilience; seminarians; student well-being; thriving; well-being
Cultivating Greater Well-Being in Theological Institutions
Nonprofit organizations, Healthy Seminarians – Healthy Church, shared about cultivating well-being in theological institutions, emphasizing pastoral health and student support.
KEYWORDS: open access / free access; ATS Student Data and Resources Consultation (2025); congregational health; ministerial formation; pastoral health; seminaries; slide deck; student well-being; theological education
Exploring the Health, Health Behaviors, and Health Needs of Theological School Students
Initial findings from the North American Study of Theological School Student Health and Health Behavior (n = 430 respondents).
KEYWORDS: open access / free access; ATS Student Data and Resources Consultation (2025); health behaviors; health needs; mental health; quantitative research; slide deck; student health; theological education; wellness
The Biobehavioral Family Model with a Seminarian Population: A Systems Perspective of Clinical Care
Structural equation modeling applies the Biobehavioral Family Model to seminarians, finding higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population and supporting systemic clinical care.
KEYWORDS: open access / free access; anxiety; Biobehavioral Family Model; depression; family; health; relationships; seminarians; seminary students
The Impact of Financial Health on the Spiritual, Mental, and Relational Health of Christian Graduate Students
DESCRIPTION: Financial stress can affect seminary students across multiple dimensions of well-being, including spiritual, mental, and relational health. Using data from 189 students at five theological seminaries, this study examines whether spiritual health helps explain how financial stress relates to broader health outcomes. Structural equation modeling found that spiritual health accounted for part of the negative relationship between financial stress and both mental and relational health. The authors suggest that supporting students’ spiritual health may be an important component of interventions aimed at improving the holistic well-being of seminarians facing financial strain.
KEYWORDS: financial health; financial stress; holistic health; mental health; relational health; seminary students; spiritual health; student debt; student well-being; theological education
Experiential Avoidance Mediates the Relationship between Prayer Type and Mental Health before and through the COVID-19 Pandemic
DESCRIPTION: This longitudinal study examines how different types of prayer relate to anxiety, depression, and burnout among 564 seminary students from 17 theological schools. Colloquial, liturgical, and meditative prayer predicted lower experiential avoidance, which in turn was associated with fewer mental health symptoms; petitionary prayer showed no significant direct or indirect effects. The findings suggest that prayer practices may contribute to spiritual and character formation partly by helping seminarians remain engaged with difficult thoughts and emotions rather than avoiding them, with implications for student formation, mentorship, and well-being.
KEYWORDS: anxiety; burnout; character formation; COVID-19; depression; experiential avoidance; mental health; prayer; psychological flexibility; seminarians; spiritual formation; spiritual practices; student well-being
The Experience of Financial Well-Being, Shame, and Mental Health Outcomes in Seminary Students
DESCRIPTION: Financial hardship can affect seminary students in ways that extend beyond material strain. Drawing on a sample of 189 graduate students from ATS-accredited seminaries, this study examines relationships among financial well-being, shame, depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being. The findings show that lower financial well-being was associated with greater shame, which in turn mediated relationships between financial distress and depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being. The authors suggest that shame may be an important mechanism for understanding the broader psychological and spiritual effects of financial hardship and student debt among seminarians.
KEYWORDS: anxiety; depression; financial distress; financial well-being; mental health; seminary students; shame; spiritual well-being; student debt; student well-being
Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium)
Apostolic Letter by John Paul II (2001) closing the Great Jubilee year, calling for interior renewal, contemplative prayer, and "duc in altum" ("put out into the deep") as the foundation for new evangelization.
KEYWORDS: Catholicism; Christian discipleship; contemplative prayer; duc in altum ("put out into the deep"); formation of conscience; interior renewal; new evangelization; pastoral pedagogy; sacramental life; spiritual formation; virtue ethics