Mental Health and the Church

This is a post about depression and how the Church should handle depression and depressed people. There may be triggers in this article. As always, If you’re depressed, tell someone. Tell a doctor, friend, family member or counselor. I am begging you please do not suffer alone, especially if you feel suicidal.

World Mental Health Day was on October 10th.  This week, in various discussions with Christians, I have heard "you don't need counseling, a doctor, a therapist, medication, etc." These same Christians follow up with you only need Jesus. 

I am not going to lie, that is one thing that really irritates me because it shows just how much work we need to do to become more acceptant of mental illness being treated. How many Christians do you know that will go to the doctor when they catch the flu? Have a broken bone?The common cold? Pregnancy? Most everyone will go to the doctor for ailments they can see or that they physically experience. So why not mental health? 

Mental Health shouldn't be a taboo topic. According to an article by Geneva College, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), "approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S." Biola Univerisity states that this means that nearly 46.6 million Americans over the age of 18 struggle with some form of diagnosable mental illness ranging in severity from mild to severe. On average, there are 48,344 suicide deaths, most of whom have a diagnosable mental illness. To break that down further, 100,000 population, there are 14.8 suicide deaths. 

Many of these individuals will have turned to their church and their faith for spiritual guidance in times of emotional distress. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to mental illness in many Christian churches. The prevailing culture of silence along with misguided attitudes and erroneous expectations often cause suffering believers to feel shamed, blamed and very unsupported. This means that a lot of good, Christ-centered people suffer alone and more often than not in silence. And sadly enough our African American counterparts are more likely to suffer in silence even if they have the funds to seek help. 

In years past, people with mental illness were ostracized, alienated and even abused. Today, most would agree that mental illness is better understood and better treated. However, some of the contempt and cruelty of the past has been replaced with silence and indifference in the present. It is time for the church to step up and make a difference, to move beyond the taboo and reach out to people who suffer from mental illness.

I was reading an article written by a pastor of the Moravian Church and in the article she relates the story of a woman whose husband had knee surgery and the church gathered around, brought food, etc. Yet when this same woman's husband attempted (unsuccessfully) to take his life, the fridge stayed its usual empty self. This goes back to the leadership of the church. This same article in the Moravian church stated that A 2016 study conducted by LifeWay Research and published in ChristianityToday revealed the horror and reality that only seven percent of church pastors discuss mental health with their congregations “once a month” or “several times a month.” Meanwhile, 92 percent of pastors reported talking about mental health in sermons or church functions “once a year, rarely, or never.” (By the way if you are a pastor looking for a great resource on mental health, I recommend the Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness from Kregel Publishers, see review here.)

Personally, one of the worst things I believe Christians can say to those who are suffering with mental illness is that "You don't really need help." "Jesus can heal you." "You have to believe more." As one who has been diagnosed with two mental illnesses, I can tell you I have heard my share of "You don't have enough faith" comments to last a life time. As CareNet blogger Susan Roberts writes "He is the source of our abundant life. However, mental health struggles are not often the result of sin or failure. Equating someone’s depression with mental instability brought about by God as a punishment is like equating a cancer diagnosis with God striking down King Herod for denying him glory. Mental illness is not a punishment.

So what can the church do? 

The church needs to educate itself on mental illness. Whether through conferences or classes. They need to learn to speak about mental illness compassionately and in informed ways. The Grace Alliance Mental Health Website offers resources for churches and individuals that want to work through learning more about mental health and even start their own grace group to help others through recovery with mental health. NCBI has a wealth of articles for starting Mental Health committees in churches so that they can  educate members and clergy on working with those who are currently stigmatized by mental health. 

I would like to remind you all that mental health in the church is something that I feel very passionate about. You may ready my First Blog about mental health at It is Well...Depression in the church. The following is from my second blog about depression and the church. Depression and the Church Revisited: 

Church leaders should know that depression is a very real issue that they must address.  Some people say that depression is solely a spiritual problem while others believe it to be a physical or mental disorder.  I believe it is both.  As followers of Christ, everything we are, everything we do and everything we experience is wrapped up in and affected by the personal relationship we have or do not have with God through Jesus Christ.  Nothing touches our life that doesn't pass through His hands, with His permission.  Every problem we face, whether it is a physical illness or an unconfessed sin is a "spiritual problem".  If it is a concern to us it is a concern to Him.

Church leaders should know that depression may require medical attention.  Chemical imbalances induced by stress can trigger depression.  It is important to know that a tendency toward depression is many times hereditary, resulting in a disorder that responds well to the right medication.  Depression is not eliminated by medication.  Medicine simply levels the playing field so that the issues and problems that lead to depression can be effectively dealt with.

Church leaders should know that depression may require professional counseling.  I am amazed that so many Christians are so afraid to see a Christian counselor.  Shame and guilt often prevent those who battle depression from getting the help they need.  God gave counselors their gifts and abilities.  He must have known we would need them.  Church leaders should be quick to encourage those struggling with depression to seek out Christian counseling. 

Church leaders should be aware of the shame and stigma felt by those who struggle with depression.  These people are not "crazy" but often feel as if everyone thinks they are.  Many times a pastor or church leader can make it easier for those who battle depression by simply acknowledging depression as a reality that anyone can face.

Church leaders should know that depression is not necessarily sin.  The causes of depression are incalculable. While it is true that depression can be triggered by the consequences of sin it is just as true that depression can simply be the result of a chemical imbalance present from birth. Depression can even be a side affect of medication or induced by health problems as well as physical and mental exhaustion. For example, those who must take medicine to control high blood pressure, thyroid conditions, diabetes and a host of other illnesses are very likely to struggle with depression.  Many of the most creative and powerful leaders battle depression because they constantly teeter on the brink of burnout.

Remember, authenticity and transparency bring healing.  As pastors and leaders we must be willing to practice emotional integrity, freeing those we love and lead to do the same. 

Forgiveness...

**Please note this article may contain triggers.**

I have recently been reading a book called To the Moon and Back by Karen Kingsbury. It's a work of fiction, where the background of the two main characters is the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. An event that I remember well as I was just a freshman in high school. I have never been to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, nor have I been to the memorial after the bombing. I did once hold a piece of rubble from the site at a highland games when we took time to remember all the lives lost in Oklahoma City.

This post, however, isn't about the bombing or visiting the memorial; it's about something that happened to me on June 10-11, 2001. These dates probably don't mean a lot to most people. It was a regular spring day, the news carried footage of the bombing, because on June 11, 2001, Timothy McVeigh, the home-grown terrorist was going to die. He was finally going to get what he deserved. Everyone around me was happy, because why should he live when 168 people, children included, died. 

I remember at one point Mr. McVeigh's picture flashed up on the screen; the image of him walking

McVeigh getting ready to walk out of the Noble County Courthouse

out the Noble County Courthouse. I remember my neighbor Kelly walked to the door of my apartment and saying "Good, one less criminal we have to keep up." But something in the look on McVeigh's face showed that he was remorseful. Maybe not to the point we should think that he would have been, but something within me said "This is someone's son, someone's brother, possibly their uncle and maybe even someone's father (even though we do not know if he had children). 

After Kelly left, I called my parents, and I remember asking my mom "Is it okay if I cry when they execute Timothy McVeigh? Is it okay that I feel bad for him?" My mom must have been confused, but she never let it show, she said "Well, yes, it is okay to feel bad for him, and it's okay to cry." I guess I realized what a silly girl I sounded like, so I explained to my mom, "Ya know mom, I get that he's a terrorist, I get that he hurt a lot of people, but what if he truly is sorry? What if he asked God's forgiveness? And no one mourns his death because we are so caught up in the evil that he did before he knew Jesus?" 

Most people would say that there is no forgiveness for what Timothy McVeigh did. However, according to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

You see there isn't one sin that you can name that Jesus Christ can not forgive.  So why do we find it hard to believe that Timothy McVeigh would be forgiven. Matter of fact, I learned tonight, that McVeigh sought forgiveness. "Tim asked to have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, or Dying, if facing imminent death, at around 4 or 5 in the morning," Ashmore said. The chief biblical text concerning the rite is James 5:14–15: "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (RSV). Father Ashmore, went on to state he[McVeigh] knew what he was asking to do--to stand before God, seek his pardon and forgiveness and to fill him with God's grace and lead him to life eternal and feel God's love."

1 John 1:9-10

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

1 John 2:2 

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

You see as we enter the Holy Week before Easter Sunday, it is time for us to reflect on our own lives, and how we could have been such as McVeigh, but by God's grace we have not fallen into that place. It is also a time for us to reflect on un-forgiveness in our own lives and look for the times that we could have or should have and possibly can still forgive others. 


Please note that this article is not saying what Timothy McVeigh did was okay; it definitely was not okay. However, forgiveness is a huge topic and this was just a short introduction to how I looked at the death of Timothy McVeigh. Yes, what he did was evil, but I don't think that made him an evil person, especially in light of him calling for a priest--even if it was a moment of desperation.