Years ago, I drove past a church sign that read, “Jesus is the only Prozac you need.” Unfortunately, many churches still share similar attitudes regarding mental illness. It is as if having faith in Jesus will make one immune to mental illness.

Mental illness is often viewed as the result of one’s personal sin or weakness. In Jesus’ day, illness of any kind was attributed to sin. This errant mindset was based on ignorance and stigma. In John 9:1-2, Jesus confronted this type of presumption with his own disciples: “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. ‘Rabbi,’ his disciples asked him, ‘why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?’” (NLT). Although the disciples asked why the man was born blind, they assumed they knew the answer. Therefore, they quickly followed their first question with the question they felt got to the heart of the matter. Whose sin caused this man’s blindness – his or his parents? “‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered. ‘This happened so the power of God could be seen in him’ (v. 3).” The disciples were asking the wrong question based on the wrong assumption. Jesus healed two types of blindness that day. First, he gave sight to the blind man. But, he also gave insight and understanding to the disciples and other onlookers. Illness of any kind is not the result of one’s personal sin.

Disease as well as death are consequences of man’s fall. When we consider the effects of the fall, we often focus on the spiritual aspect – that the relationship between God and man was broken. Although man’s relationship with God is the most significant, the fall affected every aspect of man’s being. Scripture indicates that there are four facets of self: spiritual, mental, physical and relational. These four facets are outlined in Luke 2:52, “Jesus grew in wisdom [mental] and in stature [physical] and in favor with God [spiritual] and man [relational].” Man suffers from broken relationships and physical and mental illnesses because of the fall.

Carol Dowsett (author of the article “Mental Health and the Church”) explains, “Mental illnesses are medical conditions. They are disorders of the brain.”1 The brain performs numerous and varied functions. When a part of the brain is not working properly, one’s ability to think, express emotions, relate to others and perform daily functions can be affected. Mental illnesses manifest in different ways depending on which area of the brain is malfunctioning. Mental illnesses refer to a wide range of disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, anxiety, dementia and post-traumatic disorder to name a few. One out of five adults (18.6 percent of the population) in the United States suffers from a mental disorder in any given year.

The current mental healthcare system in the United States is a set of disjointed resources that can be very trying to navigate. Many difficulties surround getting proper mental healthcare. According to Matthew S. Stanford (author of Grace for the Afflicted), those challenges include “too few mental healthcare professionals, a shortage of psychiatric facilities, no transportation, limited financial resources, a lack of knowledge and education, stigma and shame, and misguided cultural beliefs.”2 Because of these difficulties, people often seek assistance from clergy rather than mental health professionals.

Pastors are often ill-equipped to help those who come to them seeking help. However, there are some basic steps that the church and clergy can take to assist those in need of mental healthcare. Because each church is different and has varied available resources, Stanford says that “it is not necessary for every congregation to be involved at the same level. It is only necessary that each congregation become involved.” These basic steps suggested by Stanford include:

Train clergy and church staff

Train clergy and church staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness. Organizations such as National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and Mental Health America offer easily accessible mental healthcare training.

Build professional relationships

Pastors can build professional relationships with mental healthcare professionals in their communities. When clergy establish professional relationships with mental healthcare professionals, the referral is more meaningful to the person being referred, and the person is less likely to feel that he is being passed off to someone else by the pastor. The care can be a collaborative effort between pastor and healthcare professional. Also, it is important for clergy to know something of the healthcare professionals’ religious beliefs. Counselors’ religious beliefs affect the type of psychotherapeutic approach they use. Therefore, it is most advantageous for the client and counselor to share similar religious beliefs.

Educate the congregation 

Pastors have a responsibility to educate the congregation so that the church is a safe place to discuss problems. Often, stigma and shame prevent those suffering with mental illness from receiving care. Congregants feeling that the church is a safe place to share any kind of difficulty serves to lessen this stigma and shame. Ways to educate the congregation include placing brochures and other written materials about mental health somewhere accessible within the church and inviting a mental health professional to speak to the congregation. 

Develop a pastoral care team

The care and support of those struggling with mental illness is not the pastor’s burden alone. The church as a whole is called to “share each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Look for individuals within the congregation who are gifted with mercy and those who have experience with mental illness. Develop a pastoral care team with these people. 

Host or lead support groups 

Churches can offer the use of their facilities for organizations to conduct their support groups. Some organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous are only looking for a space to have weekly meetings. It requires very minimal effort on the part of the church to allow such a group to meet at a time when the facilities are not being used. However, if a church is called to a more hands-on approach, there are organizations such as Grace Alliance and Celebrate Recovery that train congregants to lead groups. Support groups benefit those living with mental illness and their caregivers. 

Use Sunday services

Our weekly worship services are a great place to begin the discussion on mental illness. There are numerous ways to incorporate the conversation into our services including praying in a general way for those struggling with mental disorders, preparing sermons that acknowledge the difficulties of mental illness and inviting someone who has dealt with mental illness to share her story with the congregation.

Not every church has the resources to implement every step listed above. Not every church is called to the same level of commitment and involvement. However, every church has a responsibility to be prepared to assist whether on a small scale or larger scale when someone with mental illness comes to them seeking assistance. The likelihood is that someone suffering with a mental disorder has approached your church for help in the past. If that has not happened yet, it will in the future because people often turn to clergy for help before they turn to mental healthcare professionals. Those suffering from mental disorders is a section of the population in need of outreach. The church should not overlook this because of its own ignorance and misunderstanding.

The church has something to offer those with mental disorders that the present mental healthcare system cannot: hope that transcends circumstances. For us, hope is more than a feeling. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. He will sustain us when the world around us tells us the situation is hopeless. No situation is hopeless in Jesus’ hands because he has already overcome the world (John 16:33).

For more information on mental health, check out these resources:
Celebrate Recovery
Focus on the Family’s Christian Counseling Network
Grace Alliance
National Alliance on Mental Illness

Other helpful articles:
“Mental Health and the Church: Tearing Down the Walls of Silence.” Facts & Trends

Stetzer, Ed. “The Church and Mental Health: What Do the Numbers Tell Us?” Posted July 31, 2018. Christianity Today. 

References:
Dowsett, Carol. “Mental Health and the Church.” Posted November 12, 2015. Bible.org. www.bible.org.
Stanford, Matthew S. Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2017.

Allison Richardson is an ordained minister with the Georgia Conference. She has a Masters of Christian Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.