Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette

Firm body and spirit
Churches awakening to weighty problem

Feb. 25, 2006
By Rhea Edmonds

Whether it’s a small group meeting at someone’s house or a holiday celebration, one common thread – aside from prayer – intricately interwoven into the fabric of religious life is food.

The reality is that everyone’s got to eat. No beef there. The problem is that the relationship between the religious and food makes the religious more likely to be overweight than their non-religious counterparts, according to a 1998 Purdue University study of religion and body weight.

One primary reason, according to some local Christian leaders, is that pastors traditionally have not emphasized the need for healthy living through proper eating and exercise, and church life often revolves around foods that are prepared in unhealthy ways.

The Purdue study, conducted by Kenneth F. Ferraro, a sociology professor, found that a connection existed between being overweight and being religious regardless of a person’s faith.

“Most of the findings applied to Christian denominations,” he said this week in a phone interview.

Hindus and Buddhists tend to have lower body weights than average, and Southern Baptists and fundamentalists tend to have higher body weights, he said. “We are not saying that all religions lead to a higher rate of obesity, but we’re saying that some types of religions tend to do that.”

At the time the study was released, Ferraro said: “The religious lifestyle has long been considered a healthy one, with its constraints on sexual promiscuity, alcohol and tobacco use,” he said. “However, overeating may be one sin that pastors and priests regularly overlook. And as such, many firm believers may have not-so-firm bodies.”

Ferraro has done a follow-up study that is expected to be published this year.

“I think there have been responses to this that have permeated various churches and organizations,” he said, identifying one such group called Weigh Down.

Although the Rev. Mike Nickleson, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Fort Wayne believes the religious community is improving when it comes to diet and exercise, he said of Christians: “In times past we have not fully understood the medical impact.”

There is little opportunity in today’s health-conscious climate to remain uninformed especially since Christian bookstores are packing shelves with nutrition and exercise books targeting a Christian audience. A wealth of information is also available online, including articles exploring why weight is an issue in the Christian community and various Christian diets.

On TV, the Trinity Broadcasting Network at the beginning of the year joined in the national weight-loss discussion that resurfaces every January as people make resolutions to lose weight, get in shape and live healthier lives.

Carole Lewis, national director of First Place, a Texas-based, Christian total health program, appeared on the network in January with other faith-based health professionals. Lewis gives the church community a D for its approach to health and fitness.

“I think the reason they (the Christian community) tend to be heavier is that some of the other vices that are out there, Christians don’t tend to participate in; but overeating; I do think they think it’s not that bad. I don’t think they think their health will be affected.”
But the Rev. Phil Mortenson, pastor of Love Church in Fort Wayne, knows it will be, and he’s trying to get the word out about his church’s community center, which is open to anyone who wishes to use it.

The center has more than $100,000 in Nautilis workout equipment and an aerobics workout area.

What prompted this move at The Love Church? “Overweight, fat preachers,” Mortensen said. “You are preaching on ‘you’ll go to hell if you drink a beer,’ but they weigh 400 pounds.”

While the community center is open for anyone to use, Mortensen hopes to see more pastors take advantage of the facility. He still remembers seeing statistics when he was an insurance agent in the 1980s that showed pastors to be in the worst health condition of any other occupation.

“I get a lot of excuses from pastors about why they don’t come over. After they have their heart attack, they will come over and walk two miles. They will find the time,” Mortensen said. “I’m not trying to criticize pastors. I know how hard it is to lose weight, but I believe pastors have to set the example.”

Mortensen sees an opportunity for overweight and obese pastors to relate to their congregations.

While pastors instruct congregants to confess sin, “it would be helpful for the pastor to come clean, too,” Mortensen said. “I know whenever I admit my weaknesses the people appreciate it.”

The Rev. Bill McGill, pastor of Imani Baptist Temple in Fort Wayne, said few churches use space for exercise and other health-related activities.

There is a reason he believes the church has been relatively silent on the subjects of health and nutrition.

“It’s pretty hard for the pastor to talk about this when he or she is not physically active. It really does have to start at the head or shoulders and flow down,” McGill said.