The church should be the last place where stones are thrown at the mentally ill and their families.  The church is a sanctuary.  It is a place of hope.  For some, the church is their last bus stop.  So, what do you do when mental illness strikes in the church with your member, members or in families?

Prayer is very vital and must not be sidelined.  However many feel that outside prayer, the church does not seem to offer much in terms of ‘intimate’ personal support which is often needed.

3 steps when mental illness strikes in the church:

#1  Maintain hope

Hope is your primary responsibility as a leader in the church.  Without hope faith is lost, and in essence, church is pointless. 

The Gospel is good news and is a message full of hope.    Jesus cured all manner of diseases including mental illness.  Also the Word assures us that every sickness has been overcome.

#2  Help families come out of isolation

Families can feel isolated even in the church!  They may keep up appearances pretending everything is ok when not.  Sometimes families feel pressurized.  They feel that they are to be seen to be exercising their faith or perhaps not praying hard enough! 

Families and people must learn to break the silence of their disease.  They must feel they can open up and talk about their challenges of mental illness without feelings of condemnation.  Families need to feel that members in the church are compassionate towards them.   

As leaders, remember to stick with the people and families involved.    Jesus touched the leper, when He could have just given an instruction for the healing but that touch was communicating something.  That touch brought emotional healing as well.  Eye contact is important.  You can ‘touch’ someone through the warmth of your expressions, smiles, affirmations and so on.

#3  Help break the silence

Some feel that the church does not talk or address mental health issues enough or even at all.  Not talking about their condition with them makes sufferers and families feel neglected.  It is like sweeping things on the carpet.   Asking how they are getting on for example, opens up dialogue. 

Are you affected by mental illness and part of a congregation?  How has your church supported you?  How would you like them to support you?  Please share and bless the Body of Christ below!

About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

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