Here in St. Louis during a layover, between flights, after 2 days in Cleveland for the first Mental Health & the Church Conference, hosted by Key Ministry. Very grateful to be there in person with other mental health advocates, ministry leaders, people with lived experiences, organizations, nonprofits, and a few pastors in the mix too.
I spoke a couple times, one was a workshop about The 5 Ingredients Churches Need to Implement Mental Health Ministry. Here are the slides; this session was not recorded.
The other was a 15-minute (or so) talk called a Quick Take, titled: “How Churches Hold the Key to Unlock Mental Health for Asian Americans and non-Asians too”—
The tech team was phenomenal, livestreaming (and recording) all the #mhatc24 main sessions and the Quick Takes—watch them on YouTube at youtube.com/@KeyMinistryOfficial.
3 Thoughts I Have at the Moment
Firstly, this kind of a gathering needs to happen every year, annually, if this topic is going to move forward. Having an occasional conference now and then, or here and there, does not build the relationships and continuity this thing urgently needs attending to, some would even say, mental health crisis or epidemic. This conference could take some different directions, whether it’s to raise more awareness about the crisis, share resources available, have an annual marker to note our broader community’s progress, or a consistent place to highlight the latest developments, this is too important to neglect. Another way to look at the event’s focus could depend on the audience. Would it be primarily pastors and churches? Or would it be for those actively doing the work of mental health ministries along side of or inside of churches? If I may say so, the latter could be more strategic as an intentional space to work on collaborative efforts between multiple organizations, joining forces to tackle challenges and exploit opportunities.
Secondly, I heard several conversations about the gap between mental health professionals and academics, who have significant industries and institutions, and the 300,000+ churches and pastors in the USA. That gap is exacerbated because expert knowledge has a lot of empirical data, research, evidence-based practices, but so much of that is not translated nor accessible by the general public, the very people who need help with providing care and support that complements what professionals provide.
The church has the potential to provide meaningful community of belonging, purpose, and connection for people who suffer in many ways, both visibly and invisibly. In this moment of history, more churches have ministries to care for recovery from substance abuse, divorce, grief, many other kinds of life challenges, but for people with disabilities or mental health challenges, those are comparatively fewer. And one of the main hurdles is not lack of resources, it’s a lack of volition due to competing priorities.
Thirdly, if someone were to identify the bottom line, and several speakers did, it seems to be a church pastor’s reluctance or resistance to bless and empower the church’s members to start a mental health ministry. Yes, it’s an uncomfortable topic to address, there are times it’s messy, there are no clear answers, yet this is the call of being a follower of Christ, to show care and compassion to the brokenhearted, just as Jesus did. Yes, there are competing priorities, already mentioned above. Yes, it’s hard work.
The issue is not lack of awareness about the problem or the solutions. Pastors already know there are people struggling with mental health challenges in their church and their community, as this journal article states: “The First Person They Call is Their Pastor”: The Role of New York City Faith Leaders in Supporting Their Congregation’s Health and Well-Being. There are ample numbers of Christian mental health resources and programs designed for churches to use. Just Google.
The work of mental health ministry cannot be owned by the pastor or a staff member alone. Pastors are already overworked, and the better opportunity is to have a warm handoff from pastoral care to congregational care. Struggling people need peers and companions for that sense of belonging, care, and community. and that’s what churches can provide that professionals don’t and can’t.
What of the churches and pastors that do have mental health ministry? 2 things I’ve noticed are required = pain + person. The pastor has to feel the pain of mental health struggles, whether it’s a part of their own lived experience, or a family member’s. Someone who has suffered mental illness touches the pastor’s heart and motivates them to take action.
And, the pastor needs to have a person they trust, to implement and activate the mental health ministry for the church. It’s a great responsibility, the need is urgent, and lives are at stake. More than 50,000 Americans died by suicide in 2023 with many more who attempted, and even more having ideation. That’s just one kind of mental health challenge & suffering; there are so many more. Lord have mercy.
Learn How to Prepare Your Church for Mental Health Ministry
Get resourced at the Church Mental Health Summit on October 10th, over 50 speakers, 10,000+ attendees last year from many countries around the world. Free for one day; purchase the all access pass to view any time. Register at churchmentalhealthsummit.com
Here’s an excerpt of my talk at Church Mental Health Summit—
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