In this episode of Key Ministry the Podcast, Catherine Boyle shares 4 steps any church can take when an individual or family has a significant mental health need that may require ongoing church support.
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Proverbs 23:23 NASB: “Buy truth and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding."
Are there specific Bible verses that catch your attention, no matter how many times you’ve read them or heard them?
Hebrews 4:12 states that “…the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This means that God—who is outside of time and space—uses His Word to draw people to Himself, no matter what era or time period in which we find ourselves.
The first time I read the Bible all the way through, I was 11 years old. Some of the messages that resonated deeply with me, even as a young teenager, were from Proverbs, about getting wisdom and understanding. Of course, I had no concept what it would look like to acquire wisdom and understanding. Both of those words only become true when difficult experience is paired with the truth of God’s Word. Getting wisdom and understanding is not just about learning things in your head, it’s about recognizing certain things when they are presented before you, and applying what you know to be true about God and doing what His Word says in response.
I have long believed that wisdom and discernment are the two necessary ingredients for a thriving mental health ministry. But why are wisdom and discernment needed? To answer, let’s ask some questions about real situations you regularly face in your church or ministry:
Nearly every week, random people from your community come to your church for help of every kind. Do you sense that there are deeper, unspoken needs under those stated needs? That’s an example of getting and applying wisdom and understanding.
There’s a teenager who doesn’t fit into your youth group, who other kids don’t like. Do you recognize the often subtle symptoms of depression, anxiety and autism spectrum challenges in that teen? That’s another example of getting and applying wisdom and understanding.
There’s a family from your church whose kids have made poor choices. Do you think about how those choices have impacted the mental health of each family member? Do you recognize that each member of that family will have faith questions, because life hasn’t turn out as planned? Ministry friends, this is another example of getting and applying wisdom and understanding.
In some ways, mental health ministry isn’t that hard. It’s just opening your eyes to see the unspoken needs that are right in front of you, then taking steps to meet needs. That’s how most ministry starts!
So how does wisdom and understanding move from recognition to action? Here are two recent stories that are excellent illustrations and can serve as models for your church.
This past July, two different ministry friends told me nearly identical stories about individuals who are part of their churches. These friends live in two different states, and are members of very different churches. One friend is part of the ministry team at a resource-rich suburban mega-church. The other friend is part of the ministry team at a very small church plant in a poor urban environment. But the mental-health related problems that were presented and the approaches to meet the needs were remarkably similar, because both churches have chosen a path of wisdom and understanding.
Common Story Details
Each individual has a diagnosed serious mental illness that often negatively impacts their day-to-day lives.
Each individual has an ongoing connection to their church.
Each individual had a crisis that was brought to the attention of a ministry leader at the church.
4 Steps taken by the Churches
The ministry leader who was the individual’s contact elevated the need to other ministry leaders, including pastors, elders and prayer and care teams.
Each church believes that their local body of Christ has a responsibility to come alongside their members who are in crisis, to help them navigate and get through the crisis. Each church began taking steps as in accordance with this view.
Each church approached the issues in a holistic way. Whether the immediate issues were with employment, housing, transportation, childcare or other support, the church met needs and sought the help of others from the community where appropriate. In secular terms, the church provided or became a link to ‘wraparound’ supports and services.
Each church has a transformative health view of their ministry to individuals and families who need ongoing support, for all the persons involved. “Health” includes developing and promoting healthy spiritual, physical and mental health habits, as well as personal responsibility and accountability. Though the people involved may never have a ‘cure’ for their mental health challenges, this approach ensures that both the individual helped and the persons who are helpers are given personal agency, dignity and respect.
If your church is doing any of the above steps on a regular basis, you are already engaged in mental health ministry! You may or may not have support groups meeting at your church, you may not yet have talked about mental health challenges from the main stage. But it seems to me like you’re already doing great things to support mental health needs in your church! We’d be happy to help you determine how to share that this kind of support is available, as part of mental health ministry; click on the link in the transcript if you’d like to have a conversation.
On that note, we recently hosted our first Mental Health and the Church conference. No matter where your church is in the development of mental health ministry, I encourage you to watch some of our main stage videos, including my presentation called “What’s Your Why?” to help you clarify your mental health ministry focus. Tremendous progress has been made on mental health ministry in recent years, but there is so much wisdom, understanding and instruction for all of us yet to learn.
Last, I have some personal news: this will be my last podcast episode as a Key Ministry team member; I’m retiring effective October 31. My family is in a time of transition; my husband is retiring November 2024, and we are moving soon. God has also been stirring me towards a new ministry initiative, most likely a podcast, where I and other friends will share about the incredible answers to prayer that only our Lord can orchestrate.
My family needs to get through the next few months before I can get going in a new ministry phase, but if you’d like to be notified when that next phase starts, you can follow me on Facebook, X or Instagram. I’ll still be reachable through social media.
I hope to serve as a Board member for Key Ministry starting in January 2025. Dr. G has already mentioned a few projects he’d like me to work on, and I promised to take him up on them as time allows.
I have truly loved my time serving churches, ministries and families through Key Ministry; I will miss working with each of you. And I will miss my regular connection with Steve, Beth, Elaina and Larah; they are each much more than just friends and colleagues. We are very much a family, in the best sense of the word. Thank you for the privilege of being part of this incredible team of servant-leaders.
