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Public Relations Director

7/1/2022

Public Relations Director of the Duke Clergy Health Initiative

 

The Duke Clergy Health Initiative (CHI) is in its 15th year of studying the health and well-being of United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy in North Carolina. Our mission is to assess and understand the well-being of clergy, including understanding the development and lifecycle of clergy. We use this information to identify, rigorously test, and promote wellness practices in support of thriving clergy. Our activities include:

  • Collecting data on clergy to identify the predictors and outcomes of clergy well-being

  • Developing and testing interventions to improve the health and well-being of clergy

  • Leading conversations about the calling and formation of pastoral leaders

  • Studying seminary students and theological education

  • Helping denominations best support clergy wellness, formation, and training

Our highly collaborative CHI team members are in Duke Divinity School, the Duke Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research and the Duke Global Health Institute, with other collaborators across several other schools and departments in the University. We work in partnership with leaders in the United Methodist Church at the state and local levels.

Our primary focus is on United Methodist clergy in North Carolina, and 95% of this job will share that focus. About 5% of the job will include letting other populations know of the broader relevance of our lessons learned.

 

The current position can be .75-1.0 FTE, as determined in conversation.    

Position Overview

The Public Relations Director will be a notable public face of the Clergy Health Initiative and an essential member of the Clergy Health Initiative leadership team. The Public Relations Director will be responsible for developing relationships with the key constituents and recipients of our findings to maximize knowledge and uptake of our findings and to learn about the wellbeing needs of clergy from a constituent perspective. It is essential that this person understand the inner workings of the United Methodist Church. They will learn and understand CHI’s research findings from across the 15 years and be able to articulate them in conversations, as well as make research presentations to clergy stakeholders and seminary students. Areas of focus include nurturing relationships with United Methodist clergy leaders in North Carolina and participants in CHI research studies, and expanding CHI’s reach and impact by increasing the accessibility of CHI findings.

The overarching goal of this position is to continually foster communication between CHI and the North Carolina and Western North Carolina United Methodist Church Conference leaders and stakeholders to promote the health of clergy, the utilization of CHI research findings, and bidirectional learning between CHI and the stakeholders. This person will also work with leaders in Duke Divinity School to determine well-being programming needs for seminary students and implement them (e.g., a brown bag lecture series; pre-orientation activities for students; brief videos combining health and well-being ideas with theology). The ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial spirit and be an advocate for the health of clergy. 

 

Work Activities

  • Develop an engagement plan with clergy supervisors and stakeholders around clergy well-being. (5%)

  • Build relationships with the two UMC conferences in NC and their various stakeholders. Meet regularly with NC UMC clergy stakeholders at meetings they hold; this will require some travel to district and conference-level meetings, with an anticipated 1-3 days/month. Set up and lead individual meetings with stakeholders; bring NC clergy leaders to CHI-related efforts, such as the Common Table discussion group. (20%)

  • Send out findings regularly via social media and e-newsletters; work with the Communications Director to write these communications using language familiar to the UMC. (10%)

  • Develop slides and presentation materials of CHI findings and tailor them to specific meetings and audiences. Be able to take the perspective of particular clergy and recall what relevant findings CHI has from across the past 15 years to bring to bear. (10%)

  • Learn, understand, and articulate CHI research findings; present at district, cabinet, and conference meetings; be able to answer questions. (10%)

  • Organize and coordinate regular meetings of a statewide UMC Clergy Well-being Council to vet and promote well-being practices specifically for clergy; this is a newly formed 15-member group of clergy at very high levels in NC, as well as our funders, and the meetings must be designed well and go smoothly. (10%)

  • Work with Duke Divinity School (DDS) students on how to maintain well-being; coordinate such learning with DDS faculty. (25%)

  • Assist in organizing a national conference, including identifying interesting content, stoking interest in attending, and bringing clergy leaders to the table. (10%)

 

Applicants should have excellent interpersonal skills, excellent writing skills, and good knowledge of and comfort working in social media. Detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the United Methodist Church is essential; having strong existing relationships with United Methodist clergy in North Carolina is a plus. Having a divinity degree and/or being ordained in either the NC or Western NC UMC is a plus. 

 

Preferred degrees: master’s in divinity or master’s in theological studies or similar

 

Preferred experience: at least 3 years in pastoral or extension ministry


We expect this position to start July 1, 2022, although sooner is possible. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Logan Tice at logan.tice@duke.edu.

Contact: Logan Tice

Church/Org/Business Name: Duke University

Address: 310 Trent Dr. Durham NC 27710

Email: Click to email