Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 18 hours ago
New global research associated with Harvard University suggests that people who regularly attend church tend to do better in life than people who do not.
The Global Flourishing Study is following more than 200,000 people across 22 countries and tracking not only happiness, but meaning and purpose, relationships, character, mental and physical health, life satisfaction and material stability.
But if churches are helping people flourish, what is happening to the pastors who lead them? Senior pastors carry grief, crises, expectations and organisational responsibility that most people never see. A church may appear to be growing and successful while its pastor is quietly being depleted.
And how do we know whether a church itself is healthy?
Valerie Ling joins us from the Center for Effective Serving to explore richer ways of recognising flourishing in pastors, churches and the communities they serve.
thepastorsheart.net/podcast/church-attenders-do-better-valerie-ling
New global research associated with Harvard University suggests that people who regularly attend church tend to do better in life than people who do not.
The Global Flourishing Study is following more than 200,000 people across 22 countries and tracking not only happiness, but meaning and purpose, relationships, character, mental and physical health, life satisfaction and material stability.
But if churches are helping people flourish, what is happening to the pastors who lead them? Senior pastors carry grief, crises, expectations and organisational responsibility that most people never see. A church may appear to be growing and successful while its pastor is quietly being depleted.
And how do we know whether a church itself is healthy?
Valerie Ling joins us from the Center for Effective Serving to explore richer ways of recognising flourishing in pastors, churches and the communities they serve.
thepastorsheart.net/podcast/church-attenders-do-better-valerie-ling
