“Pastors have been trained, if you will, to stay out of the mental health lane and just refer out. So that is definitely a thing. And what we are more exploring and advocating for in this book is, hey, churches can be helpers. And we’re not just talking about staff, we’re talking about laypeople. There’s tremendous things that laypeople can do that can make a difference with a small amount of training.”
“Speaking to [mental health] from the pulpit is huge and it encourages all the conversations, so that can be really helpful. And then another next step for church leaders is really working on those relationships with Christian mental health professionals in your community.”
“I talked with some counselors who said it is so powerful when a pastor says to someone in their church, ‘I’m praying for your therapy appointment this week.’”
“We’re hearing stories of people who are in a peer group in their church saying, ‘I don’t see my therapist as often as I used to because I don’t need to because I have the support.’”
“It is going to look different in every church. But what we are advocating for is for this to really be on the radar and for churches to really develop strong relationships with therapists and their community and just see where it all goes.”
“This is the mental health crisis. What if churches were to become the place where you can go to start your journey and will carry you through your journey?”
“It’s the equivalent of people bleeding out in your church. And it’s one of the biggest issues of our day…so for the church not to address it is for the church to go on a path of irrelevancy, if you will, and to miss the moment.”
Mentioned in the Show
“Beyond the Clinical Hour: How Counselors Can Partner with the Church to Address the Mental Health Crisis” by Jim Sells, Heather Sells, and Amy Trout
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Anchor International
Fresh Hope
Mental Health Grace Alliance
National Christian Foundation
