Churches are caught in a major financial bind as health-care costs escalate, reports Religion News Service.

Church memberships are declining — making finances tight — and the proportion of older clergy members is growing, so the cost of insurance for them is rising fast, the article says. What’s more, research shows that Protestant ministers tend to be more overweight, stressed, and depressed than the general population, adding to the overall increase in health costs borne by churches.

In response, some churches have made changes to their health-care plans and are encouraging pastors to get health-risk assessments and are offering incentives for taking steps to improve their health.

See The Chronicle’s article on the efforts under way by grant makers and others to help clergy members deal with physical and emotional stress.

(Free registration is required to view the Religion News Service article on the Washington Post site.)