A Long Way Yet to Go

In 1989, I experienced a severe emotional collapse. My wife and I (except a great Christian doctor) toughed it out alone. I was a Christian Pentecostal pastor. This was not supposed to happen, yet it did. Because it did, and there was no handy explanation, it was attributed either to a sad lack of faith or some behaviour displeasing to the heavenly Father.

We have come a long way in our understanding and empathy for those suffering from mental and emotional illness. Every step forward provides further relief from the stigma and shame historically associated with these conditions.

But we must keep this issue on the 'front burner' of our ministry and outreach, continuing to learn and improve.

I was encouraged to discover that the largest church in my community was advertising a free evening addressing emotional and mental health issues. It featured mental health professionals graciously giving their time to offer help to people suffering in their mental health and provide understanding for others wishing to support those suffering.

In the last five years of seventeen years where we have served in our pastoral care role, my wife and I have spent an ever-increasing amount of time walking with people who are struggling with their mental health. There are no age, socioeconomic, or faith boundaries on this condition. It is universal. The church must understand that this is the real pandemic of the second quarter of the 21st century. Now is the time we are assigned to serve, and these are the people we are called to help.

Here are some suggestions to help address this great need using the church as our platform:

1. Take the lead in removing conversational awkwardness when discussing the topic. While emotional and mental health issues are discussed with greater freedom than ever before, we still have a distance to go to help remove the stigma and shame people carry when they suffer from it.

   Introduce mental wellness as a topic to your congregation like any other issue worthy of discussion. Preach a sermon series on the mental and emotional condition of Bible characters. Their struggles are clearly portrayed throughout their stories. Normalizing the conversation around mental and emotional illness breaks the ice for both those who suffer and those who wish to help.

2. Make every effort to "de-spiritualize" emotional and mental health issues. We would never approach any other ailment with such a dogged determination to attribute it to some spiritual root. Because emotional and mental illness manifests itself through irrational thought and unstable emotional behaviour, we tend to want to segregate it from any other metabolic malfunction. The brain is just another organ susceptible to dysfunction.

   There is no greater spiritual assignment on emotional and mental illness than there is on any other physical malady. De-mystifying the condition offers relief to the sufferer and courage to the caregiver.

3. Intentionally educate your congregational members on mental and emotional illness and wellness. We only tend to fear that which we do not understand. Use resources such as the 'Sanctuary' to help equip the people of your church so they are comfortable responding compassionately and knowledgeably to those facing these various mental disorders.

4. Become familiar with your area's various support groups and healthcare programs. Be an active ombudsperson for those unable to do it for themselves. The pathways to effective and efficient medical and emotional support are often difficult to navigate, and sufferers often 'give up' before they have reached the level of help they need. Know what is available and how to access it.

5. Become a “Corporate Sanctuary.” The 'muskox' is an interesting beast. When one of the weak members of the herd is threatened, the rest of the herd forms a circle around it, facing outward with menacing horns and discouraging any attacker. We can learn from that example. In days past, we called the meeting centre of a church 'the sanctuary.' The term 'sanctuary' literally means 'place of refuge and protection.' There is no group of people needing sanctuary more than those suffering from emotional and mental disorders. Take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that those precious people find honest and unjaded safety and protection within the embrace of your community of faith.

6. Protect your own mental health. No one should ever be vain enough to believe that they are not susceptible. If you find yourself approaching burnout or experiencing extended periods of depressed thinking, seek help. Early intervention provides the quickest relief and the best safeguard against recurrence.

As the Body of Christ, we suffer with those who suffer. We cannot draw a distinction between the type and degree of that suffering. We are called equally to all. Let's learn how to share one another's burdens and, in doing so, fulfill the law of Christ.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR