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For many Christians, faith is described through the language of experience. We talk about feeling God’s presence, experiencing peace during prayer, finding joy in worship, or sensing that God is speaking through Scripture. These experiences can be meaningful parts of a person’s relationship with God, but they can also become complicated when someone is living with mental illness.

[Read more…] about When Mental Illness Changes Someone’s Experience of God

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become one of the most talked-about technological developments in recent years. Whether we realize it or not, AI has already become part of everyday life. It helps write emails, summarize meetings, answer questions, generate silly Facebook profile images, translate languages, and even assist with research. Many pastors and Christian counselors have begun asking an important question: Should we be using these tools in ministry and counseling? We have even reviewed what the risks are with AI in mental health.

[Read more…] about Are AI Tools Appropriate for Christian Counselors and Pastors?

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Christian counselors and pastors spend much of their ministry helping people find healing. We sit with those overwhelmed by anxiety, grief, trauma, shame, depression, marital conflict, and spiritual discouragement. We teach Scripture, offer wise counsel, and pray faithfully. Yet many Christians still struggle with a fundamental question.

How do I actually slow down long enough for God’s Word to shape my heart?

Many believers know the Bible well. They attend church, complete Bible reading plans, and memorize verses. However, information alone does not always become transformation. We often consume Scripture at the same hurried pace that we consume social media, news, and email.

One ancient Christian practice offers a slower, richer way of engaging God’s Word. It is called Lectio Divina, which simply means “divine reading.” While its roots stretch back to the early church and the monastic tradition, its basic principles are deeply biblical and can be practiced by Christians from many traditions as a means of attentive meditation on Scripture.

For pastors and Christian counselors, Lectio Divina can become not only a personal spiritual discipline but also a gentle therapeutic tool that helps people reconnect with God during seasons of emotional suffering.

Why Our Minds Need to Slow Down

Modern mental health research consistently reminds us that our brains were not designed for constant stimulation. Notifications, endless scrolling, and multitasking leave many people emotionally exhausted and spiritually distracted.

Anxiety often keeps our attention trapped in the future. Depression frequently anchors our thoughts in the past. Trauma can keep the nervous system in a constant state of vigilance. God repeatedly invites His people into something different.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Stillness is not the absence of activity. It is the intentional posture of becoming attentive to God’s presence. Lectio Divina helps cultivate this posture.

Unlike studying Scripture for information or preparing a sermon, Lectio Divina encourages believers to prayerfully receive God’s Word before trying to analyze it. (This is something we deeply push in our ebook Shepherding Towards A Healthy Ministry) The emphasis is not on discovering hidden meanings but on allowing the Holy Spirit to impress Biblical truth upon our hearts and guide our faithful response.

What Is Lectio Divina?

Lectio Divina has been practiced by Christians for well over a thousand years. Although slight variations exist, the practice generally follows four or five movements that move from reading Scripture toward contemplation and faithful action. The goal is not emotional experiences. The goal is communion with God through His revealed Word.

Eugene Peterson, in his book Eat This Book, describes Lectio Divina:

“Lectio divina provides us with a discipline, developed and handed down by our ancestors, for recovering the context, restoring the intricate web of relationships to which the Scriptures give witness but that are so easily lost or obscured in the act of writing.”

This distinction is important for Christian counselors. Scripture remains the authority. Lectio Divina is simply a way of slowing down enough to hear, receive, and obey what God has already spoken.

Here are the steps for taking part in Lectio Divina.

Step One: Read (Lectio)

Choose a relatively short passage in the Bible. The Psalms, the Gospels, or one of Paul’s prayers often work well.

Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to guide your attention. Read the passage slowly. Then read it again. Avoid rushing.

In counseling, we might call this mindfulness, where we slow down and simply are present with what the Bible is talking about. What does it describe? How is the Holy Spirit using this?

Notice which word or phrase naturally captures your attention. Rather than forcing an insight, simply observe what seems to stand out as you prayerfully engage the text.

Step Two: Reflect (Meditatio)

Instead of immediately consulting a commentary or study Bible, quietly reflect. Ask questions such as:

• What does this passage reveal about God?
• What truth is the Lord reminding me of?
• Why does this particular phrase seem significant today?
• What emotions arise as I read these words?

For clients in counseling, this stage often reveals underlying fears, assumptions, or wounds that ordinary conversation may not uncover. Just as we are not exploring a commentary for a sermon, we are not investigating right now why these emotions are rising up.

Someone reading Isaiah’s words about God’s faithfulness may suddenly recognize how deeply they fear abandonment. Someone reflecting on Psalm 23 may realize they have intellectually believed God is a Shepherd while emotionally living as though everything depends upon themselves.

Step Three: Respond (Oratio)

Prayer naturally flows from reflection. Take time to talk with God with what you have read and what is stirring in you. Instead of formal language, simply respond honestly.

Confess. Thank Him. Ask questions. Express fears. Offer gratitude.

The Psalms demonstrate that God welcomes authentic emotion. Biblical prayer has always made room for joy, grief, confusion, anger, hope, and lament. The Gospel of John shows the divinity of Christ. Whatever you read, have a conversation with God about it.

For many counseling clients, this step becomes emotionally healing because they begin speaking honestly with God rather than merely talking about Him. Do not rush this, but have a full, meaningful conversation with God.

Step Four: Rest (Contemplatio)

This may be the most unfamiliar step for many evangelicals. After reading, reflecting, and praying, simply sit quietly. Not to empty the mind. Not to seek mystical visions. Simply to remain attentive before God.

This quiet resting allows Scripture to settle into the heart rather than merely passing through the intellect. As the psalmist writes,

“I have calmed and quieted my soul.” (Psalm 131:2)

If all we have done is consumed Scripture and talked with God, this rest is enough. If God wants to do more, we can then act.

Step Five: Live (Actio)

Many contemporary guides include a final step: action. Ask yourself:

• What act of obedience is God inviting me toward?
• Is there someone I should forgive?
• Is there anxiety I need to surrender?
• Is there truth I should remember today?

Scripture was never intended to remain inside our journals. It is meant to shape our lives.

Does this change a relationship you have? Maybe it’s something you need to consider for your life goals? Is there movement we see that needs to happen next in what you do for a living? Now is the time to act.

Why This Matters for Christian Counseling

Christian counseling seeks more than symptom reduction. We hope to see genuine spiritual formation alongside emotional healing. Lectio Divina supports this process in several meaningful ways.

It reduces emotional reactivity.

Slowing down helps activate reflective thinking instead of impulsive reactions. Many clients discover they become less driven by fear when they intentionally dwell on God’s promises.

It strengthens emotional awareness.

Clients frequently notice emotions they had ignored. Rather than suppressing sadness or anxiety, they bring those emotions before God through prayer.

It develops secure attachment with God.

Healthy relationships are built through attentive presence. Lectio Divina cultivates exactly that. Rather than viewing God primarily as a theological concept, believers learn to experience ongoing communion with Him through Scripture.

It encourages lasting spiritual habits.

Many counseling interventions eventually conclude. Healthy spiritual practices continue for a lifetime.

Practical Ways Pastors Can Introduce Lectio Divina

Pastors need not transform their churches into monasteries to benefit from this practice. Instead, consider introducing it in accessible ways.

• Begin an elder meeting with a ten-minute Lectio Divina reflection.
• Practice it during a church prayer gathering.
• Teach it in a counseling ministry training.
• Use it during pastoral retreats.
• Encourage small groups to practice it before Bible discussion.

Christian counselors can also assign Lectio Divina as a spiritual formation exercise between sessions, especially for clients experiencing anxiety, burnout, grief, or spiritual dryness.

A Word of Caution

As with many historic spiritual practices, Lectio Divina has sometimes been presented in ways that emphasize subjective impressions over biblical authority. Christian counselors and pastors should help people remember that personal reflections never supersede Scripture itself.

The Holy Spirit illuminates God’s Word. He does not contradict it. The purpose of Lectio Divina is not to receive new revelation but to become more attentive and obedient to the revelation God has already given in Scripture.

Final Thoughts

Mental health is not merely about reducing symptoms. It is about becoming whole people who increasingly love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Lectio Divina invites us into that process.

It teaches us to slow down. To listen. To pray. To rest. To obey.

In a hurried world filled with noise, perhaps one of the greatest gifts pastors and Christian counselors can offer is helping people rediscover the life-changing habit of lingering in God’s Word until it begins to shape not only what they know, but who they become.

For generations, pastors have been among the first people church members turn to during life’s most difficult moments. We find that more people go to churches than mental health professionals. Whether someone is grieving, struggling in their marriage, facing anxiety, wrestling with addiction, or asking difficult spiritual questions, the local pastor is often the first phone call. That sacred responsibility has not changed, but the challenges surrounding pastoral counseling certainly have.

[Read more…] about What Lifeway Research Reveals About Pastors and Counseling, and Why It Matters

When I tell people in church that I now serve as a chaplain in a mental health rehabilitation center, they usually nod and smile. They are kind about it, but I don’t think most of them really know what I do.

Most will picture a kind man in a collar, moving between beds and offering prayers. In a sense, pastoring, but in a hospital.

That picture is not wrong exactly. It’s just incomplete.

[Read more…] about What Chaplaincy Actually Is

Mental health can often be discussed in terms of biology, diagnosis, or individual choices. While those factors matter, Christians and church leaders must also recognize that mental health is deeply shaped by the environments where people live, work, worship, and build relationships. Financial stress, unsafe housing, social isolation, discrimination, unemployment, and lack of healthcare access all can affect a person’s emotional and spiritual well-being.

[Read more…] about When Life Affects Mental Health

The conversation around disability ministry in the Christian church is changing. For many years, discussions focused primarily on physical accessibility, such as ramps, elevators, and wheelchair seating. While these remain important, and several churches have significant changes to make here, current research is challenging churches to think more deeply about what true inclusion means. Researchers, theologians, pastors, and disability advocates are increasingly emphasizing belonging, theological reflection, and meaningful participation in the life of the church.

[Read more…] about Disability Ministry in Today’s Church: New Research On Focusing On Belonging

Pastors and Christian counselors are encountering a reality that seems impossible to ignore: more people are struggling emotionally, relationally, and spiritually than ever before. Anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, addiction, loneliness, marital distress, and hopelessness appear in church pews every week. At the same time, counseling practices often have waiting lists, mental health services can be financially inaccessible, and pastors frequently feel overwhelmed by the volume of care needs within their congregations.

I have seen this be true at the agency I’m with, at the referrals I help make from our church as part of our mental health ministry, and in long conversations with agencies across the state and nation who are understaffed and overburdened. The need is great and the number of people who are hurting is growing more and more.

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Two months ago at the 2026 Disability and the Church Conference, I had the opportunity to present a workshop titled “Shepherding Toward Wholeness: Building Resilient Leaders and Healthy Churches.” The presentation centered on a growing reality many churches are beginning to recognize: pastors and ministry leaders are carrying tremendous emotional, spiritual, and relational burdens while trying to faithfully shepherd others.

[Read more…] about Shepherding Toward Wholeness: Building Resilient Leaders and Healthy Churches

The Church is called to be a reflection of the heart of Christ. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently moved toward those who were hurting, marginalized, misunderstood, and struggling. He welcomed people whom others avoided and demonstrated that God’s Kingdom has room for those carrying burdens of every kind. In fact, my favorite story of Jesus that I hold close to my heart and have led my profession for the last ten-plus years is the Beatitudes, which has led my mission.

For many individuals experiencing mental health challenges today, the church can either become a place of healing and belonging or a place where stigma and misunderstanding deepen their isolation. It’s my belief that the Beatitudes are one of the most prominent callings to help include and make way for people with severe mental illness, substance misuse, and disabilities.

[Read more…] about How the Beatitudes Call the Church to Mental Health Inclusion