Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (46.6 million) experiences mental illness in a given year. Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. (11.2 million) experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.¹ Many are afraid, confused, can be disruptive and are looked upon differently. Is that how the church should be effectively ministering to these people? – Mike

by David Qaoud 

Note: This guest contribution by Amy Simpson is an excerpt from her book, Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission.

If you want to help your church be more faithful and effective in ministering to those with mental illness and overcoming its related stigmas, what do you do? How can churches help, besides referring people to professionals?

Ready or not, the church is the first place many people go when they are in crisis. And if they end up in a counselor’s office, sometimes counselors are sending people back to their churches for complementary spiritual and pastoral help. Based on my research, very few churches are ready to offer this kind of help. All of them should be equipped to offer at least some basics. Here are several things churches can do, ranked in order from what I perceive as most basic to most complex.

Continued at Source: 15 Things Churches Can Do to Help with Mental Illness

¹ = Source