How to Be a Congregation that Cares About Mental Health

Practice compassionate care that embodies Christ.

Preach and teach on mental health topics.

Respond to mental health crises the same way the congregation responds to any other health crisis. Visit the person at home or in the hospital, bring food, offer support, hold them in prayer, etc.

Accompany people in their need without trying to fix the problem. Learn how to listen without judgment.

Learn to identify the signs of someone who is at risk for suicide and how you can help.

Confront stigma by examining your own attitudes and preconceived beliefs about mental health challenges.

Examine your personal and denominational beliefs and teachings around issues such as suicide (for example, read and discuss the ELCA’s social messages on mental illness, suicide prevention, people living with disabilities, etc.).

Educate yourself and your congregation on mental illness and suicide.

Participate in training opportunities like SPM’s suicide prevention training (suicidepreventionministry.org). SPM is an affiliate of our task force and available to facilitate a training workshop or provide consultation.

Emphasize God’s unconditional love for all persons without exception. Validate everyone’s worth as human beings and accentuate their identity in Christ.

Make room in the church for those who are clearly less than “perfect.”

Know the resources in your area and make sure they are available to congregants. Include some of these resources in church displays, like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 (as of July 16, 2022 a new three-digit designation 988 will be available for call, text, or chat).

Show up when it’s uncomfortable. Learn how to be a non anxious presence so that those in need can give voice to their pain or painful experiences.

Have a “Mental Health Sunday” at least once a year. Include litanies, prayers, and sermons that focus on mental health.

Make sure that youth have a safe space in which to share their experiences with adults who have training in listening skills and mental health topics and can keep appropriate boundaries. A recent Surgeon General’s report indicates that depressive and anxiety symptoms in youth doubled during the pandemic.

Special focus should be on protecting teenage girls. The same Surgeon General’s report indicates that emergency room visits in the U.S. for suspected suicide attempts were 51% higher for girls in 2021, but only 4% higher for boys, compared to the same period in 2019.

Remember that anyone can experience shame, emptiness, and poor mental health. The church’s role is to be a place of welcome, inclusion, and acceptance.

Create a safe space for people to tell their stories and share their journeys without judgment.

Recognize the value of belonging in a loving, accepting community – and endeavor to be that community.

Communicate the gospel in a way that affirms the value of each person as God’s beloved.

Embrace the power of words and welcome. Is your congregation truly welcoming of all people? How do you actively convey that welcome?

Strive to be a congregation that values saving lives above all else.

Train lay congregation members to be Stephen Ministers.

Provide mental health training opportunities for rostered ministers.

Put supports in place for those who might feel vulnerable during worship and need companionship.

Provide space for a mental health support group or recovery group.

Recognize the healing and community-shaping power in sharing the sacrament of communion.

Practice passing the “Peace of Christ” with intention.

Learn what to say and what not to say to someone who is struggling or who is a survivor or family member.

Participate in Companionship Training through Pathways to Promise (pathways2promise.org). One of our task force members is a certified trainer - CONTACT US.

Become a “WISE” congregation, offered by our friends at United Church of Christ (mhn-ucc.org).

Voice and hear prayer concerns for mental health challenges, encouraging prayer requests, including suicidality and self-harm.

Work towards being a community that invites authenticity and openness. Encourage people to talk openly about their mental health challenges. Practice truth-telling.

Reach out to those with mental health challenges, addictions, and trauma with the same care you reach out to those living with physical illnesses.

Improve congregational care teams to ensure that the most vulnerable are cared for by many members of the congregation.

Find out what your denomination does to support awareness and participate in mental health initiatives.

Form a congregational task force or ministry team.

Join with other organizations – other denominations, nonprofits, mental health centers, etc. – and network with them, participate in their events, and find opportunities to be in shared mission.

Form or join a book study.

Write articles for your congregation’s newsletters and announce events in the church bulletin.

Enter into mutual relationships with those who struggle. Strive to drop the roles of helper and recipient. Recognize how those with challenges can also help the church. Move from a position of providing service to empowerment and kinship.

Strive towards helping those with mental health challenges feel welcomed, valued, supported, and included in the life, leadership, and work of the church.

Find ways to celebrate even the smallest victories. Any step toward hope and healing is worthy of praise and thanksgiving.

Remain steadfast – nurturing such efforts takes more than passion, it also takes persistence. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will succeed.

Be attentive to the Holy Spirit to lead you in unexpected directions.