An overview of the history and current status of clergy health.

lergy have historically lived longer than other white-collar professionals, primarily due to less suicide, accidents, and infectious disease. As the health challenge in the United States has shifted to obesity-related chronic disease, clergy have experienced rates of obesity and corresponding chronic disease that are even higher than those of non-clergy. One possible explanation is the interplay between obesity and stress, and the variety of reasons for clergy stress is discussed. Research on clergy health, holistically defined, is needed. Important gaps in the literature include the healthrelated experiences of Jewish and Muslim clergy, clergy of diverse countries and cultures, and subgroups of clergy in the United States, including women and African-American clergy. The study of clergy health can shed light on more general research questions, such as the relation between health interventions and spirituality.