Mental Health and Your Church: A Handbook for Biblical Care

In any church community, some are struggling with mental illnesses. Unfortunately, as Thorne and Midgley describe it, “most of us in churches will have only a rudimentary understanding of all the various biochemical, social, and spiritual theories of mental illnesses there are.” Often, stigma and lack of awareness and expertise in addressing these issues often lead to missed opportunities to care for these members.

This book provides a strong resource for pastoral care with a focus on mental health issues or mental illnesses among people of a congregation. Humbly respecting the need for professional diagnosis and treatment, the authors mainly approach this from a broad congregational care perspective.

The Bible itself has examples of people experiencing God despite having mental illness struggles. “The depressed Elijah, the abused Joseph, the raped Tamar, the fearful Moses, the desperate King David, the bitter Noami, the Corinthian Christians who had come from a background of alcohol misuse, the woman at the well whose life was imploding in multiple ways—all were valued members of the worshipping community.” The first step of pastoral care is to destigmatize mental illness and raise awareness about its prevalence, even among God’s children. As the authors put it, “struggles with mental health is a common Christian experience.”

Because mental health struggles can be very isolating, it is important to carry out “the call to relate.” This book lists many practical ways to build caring communities by including people with mental illnesses. In mental illness, people’s self-identity and their perception of God might become distorted. Therefore, pastoral care is also “a call to remember.” Through sermons and community events, the church can create a safe space to help people remember their core identity as beloved children of God.

The authors also acknowledge that some people’s mental illnesses are deeply rooted in abusive theologies when “a perversion of God’s Word … leaves people deeply traumatized.” Biblical care for people with mental health challenges means the pastoral team teaches and practices a theology that brings healing and wholeness.

Sixteen chapters of this book fall under three sections. The last section offers practical tools for dealing with common mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, addiction, psychosis, and the needs of caretakers. In each subject area, the authors provide real-life and specific examples. They apply the “raise awareness-relate-remember” framework to each type of situation. (The Good Book Company)