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Kay Warren is the co-founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, along with her husband, Rick. She is an international speaker, best-selling author and Bible teacher. After their son, Matthew, took his life in 2013, the Warrens shared he had a lifelong struggle with severe depression. Rick and Kay are committed to raising awareness about mental illness, reducing the stigma many experience and equipping local churches and families to effectively minister to those living with mental illness.
Big Questions:
What would you like people to know about mental illness?
How can pastors and leaders be better equipped to handle mental illness.
How do you comfort and reach out to a family who is struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts?
What would a church look like with no stigma around mental illness?
Tweetables:
[Tweet “Mental illness is real, it’s common and it’s treatable.”]
[Tweet “Half of all adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.”]
[Tweet “We have the wrong idea in the church that mental health is only a spiritual problem.”]
[Tweet “The spiritual side of who we are is one layer, but we’re a whole – body, soul, and spirit. Things go wrong on all levels. Stuff goes wrong in our bodies and it affects our brains, our behavior and our choices.”]
[Tweet “We have the opportunity to resurrect the person who’s living with an illness instead of being stigmatized or rejected.”]
[Tweet “Suicidal thoughts and that kind of massive depression is lethal. “]
[Tweet “We have this misunderstanding that if we bring up the word suicide, that it’s going to plant that thought into somebody’s mind. Absolutely not so – that’s a myth. “]
More from Brad Lomenick on ChurchLeaders
- Kay Warren: What Not to Say to Someone Who is Grieving
- Kay Warren: Surrender to God
- Kay Warren Speaks at Crystal Cathedral
Mentioned in the Show
- Grace for the Afflicted by Matthew Stanford
- Troubled Minds by Amy Simpson
- Resurrecting the Person by John Swinton
- Saddleback Church Mental Health Ministry
- Saddleback’s The Gathering on Mental Health and The Church
- Matthew Stanford Survey on Mental Health and The Church (about the survey)
- Demon or Disorder: A Survey of Attitudes Toward Mental Illness in the Christian Church (Matthew Stanford, PhD – his survey and findings)
- Choose Joy, Because Happiness Isn’t Enough
- nami.org (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
- Hope for Mental Health Ministry Tool Kit (more info to come)
- National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-TALK
