Guide for Mental Health Ministry (2024)

Churches and pastors are often the first line of defense for individuals and families seeking support and resources as they live with serious mental illness and navigate a complex, overwhelming and fragmented mental health system in the U.S. Thus, mental health ministry is essential to the churches’ mission in our contemporary society. And yet researchers suggest that only one-fourth of congregations have a plan in place to assist individuals and families experiencing serious mental illness (Adelle M. Banks, “Preaching on Mental Illness Often Rare, Survey Finds,” The Christian Century [November 2014]: 18). This document is intended to encourage congregations to educate themselves regarding the contemporary needs of individuals and families experiencing serious mental illness and to point toward a wide variety of resources available to congregations as they nurture mental health ministries within their contexts.

Guide for Mental Health Ministry from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (2024)