Church and Mental Health - Page 2 of 6 - Uniting the Church and mental health

Taking The Stress Out Of Money

You may have heard several conversations about money within the Church. From the necessary “tithe your percentage to the church” sermon, being part of a small group on Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey, sitting in on a budgeting meeting for the ministries when it gets heated, or trying to decide if you are going to pay for that $2 donut and $4 coffee at the newly installed church coffee shop, money is apart of every church.

One thing is true, there is stress in money.

We don’t have enough money, it seems difficult to keep money, and it’s hard to obtain money. The Church even talks about how money is the root of all evil.

But what if there was a way of taking the stress out of money?

All Christians December 15, 2018

Is It Okay For Pastors To Have Anxiety? [Devotional]

When I worked in youth ministry, whether within a church or in a parachurch setting, I discovered a little secret pastors don’t tell anyone. They are human just like everyone else and stress and anxiety are just as bad for them, if not worse. If pastors cannot be successful, how can we have any hope?

Pastors December 6, 2018

Christian Marital and Premarital Curriculum

Marriage is hard. Think about being in a relationship with someone, them knowing all of your deepest flaws and you knowing theirs. Further, your understanding of family, finances, or sex is different from theirs. You have children, but struggle to keep your own marriage as a priority. Then we throw in disappointment, in-laws, and personal expectations that may not be met. Having a resource to help you understand what you are currently going through in marriage as well as having something before you say ‘I Do’ is huge and having it faith-based is all the more important.

Below, I have shared several resources for people to use, though I will be honest, they all require you to have a mentor couple to work with you. It’s not easy and you should not go it alone.

All Christians November 28, 2018

Family Phone And Internet Contracts

Working with children and their families in counseling, one conversation that comes up over and over is concerns of the parents, teachers, and other important figures for the children that they are either misusing technology or putting themselves at risk. While you cannot prevent all problems from affecting children, there are several things that parents can do for their family in order to protect them.

Below I have links to several contracts and pledges for the family to go over and sign on how to properly use and expect to work with family members with the internet and smartphones. Further, I have several tips you need to consider as you begin dialogues with your children because a simple contract is not going to prevent harm, but constant vigilance and communication.

All Christians November 21, 2018

How The Church Could Prevent Suicide

Let me first say, this is a very sensitive subject. Suicide is gaining more and more public press with high profile people in the media spotlight committing suicide. Along with that, mental health is becoming more of a normalized topic where people feel they can openly talk about this as we demystify suicide and get the facts about it. If you are worried about yourself or others struggling with suicide, please familiarize yourself with several resources to help support you. Further, if you know someone has suicidal ideation, we ask you review this sheet and take proper precautions.

Pastors November 9, 2018

The Power of Vulnerability [Video]

What is shame? What is fear? What is anxiety? Why do we fight? Why do we abuse drugs and alcohol?

I do not think the video below answers all of the questions, but I do think this is a huge piece of the puzzle. And to us as Christians, this shame, fear, guilt, and stress disconnects us from God. It disconnects us from the gifts God has for us.

All Christians October 31, 2018

It Takes A Community To Serve The Hurt [Devotional]

People are hurting every day. The story of the Gospel is literally a love letter to those who are broken, hurting, suffering, and without hope. It is in this time that we can find hope in God. It is in this time we find salvation. It is where we can begin to grow.

For the Church, we want to share who God is and develop a reliance on Him.

For counselors, we want to see people find peace and comfort.

What if these two ideas were not at odds, but instead aligned together. I propose that to truly serve a community, it isn’t just an idea to consider, but a necessary part of finding wholeness.

All Christians October 24, 2018

Should Churches Care About Mental Health?

Mental health currently in America has a strong secular investment and the Church is missing from the conversation. We need to change this. Where is the Church? Should we as Christians even care? Aren’t we supposed to not be of this world?

Rick Warren absolutely says it best. Jesus’ life demonstrates we should be showing our love to those who hurt, especially mental health. He notes specifically three points: the historical reason, the Biblical reason, and the practical reason. I would even add there is a compassionate or Holy Spirit reason as well.

Check out the video below.

Pastors October 17, 2018

What Is The Opioid Crisis? [Video]

I am a huge fan of educating people when it comes to mental health and substance abuse and the Church may be one of the biggest places that could use some educating on these topics. Opioids, opiates, heroin, and other pain-relieving drugs are a problem in America. Here is some educating on the substances.

Substance Abuse December 29, 2017

Mental Health Diagnosis Is A Process

For someone who has never struggled with mental health or been to a counseling session, the process of counseling may be a mystery or some “you go there to get help, they fix you” kind of mentality. Unfortunately, if you have been part of the process, you know this is not the case. The Huffington Post came out with a new article on the topic of mental health that I think both clients of mental health and Church officials/congregation members who have a desire to support people who struggle with mental health should read.

Mental Health December 27, 2017