Research

The world of mental health has a strong, healthy reliance on evidence-based practices that has led to some very effective therapy models. Christianity historically has not relied on research, but tradition, culture, and values. So when we marry the two into Christian mental health, we need to hold both in reverence that I believe furthers the other.

The problem is that the research is scattered across many different platforms and so we wanted to find a cohesive location for it. Below we have a list of evidence supported research. While not all research is the same (read: longitudinal, peer-reviewed, reliability and validity, quantitative and qualitative, and survey versus case study), the ones below we feel are statistically significant based off the report that goes with the data. As we come across more and cite them in our articles, we will be sure to update this list as well as in future iterations, have categories for better reading.

See research you feel needs to be on here that hits the intersection of faith and mental health? Let us know!

• Mental Illness Remains Taboo Topic for Many Pastors
  Mental Illness Remains Taboo Topic. Lifeway Research, September 2014.
• Americans believe churches would welcome individual with mental illness
  Our article | American Views of Mental Heath Issues. Lifeway Research, September, 2013.
• American views on emotions and adversity
  Our article | American Views on Emotions and Adversity. Lifeway Research, 2021.
• Suicide statistics within the Church
  Our article | Churchgoer View on Suicide. Lifeway Research, September 2017.
• Pastors’ view on marijuana
  Our article | Pastors’ view on marijuana. Lifeway Research, September 2020.
• Porn in the Church
  Our article | Porn in the Church. CovenantEyes, No date given.
• Pastors and Porn
  Our article | The Porn Phenomenon. Barna, August 2015.
• Relationships strengthen mental health
  KeyMinistry article | Restoring Relationships. Barna, September 2020.
• How marriage and parenting impact an individual’s understanding of forgiveness
  Our article | The Mercy Journey. Barna, May 2019.
• Being Christian Doesn’t Guarantee Marital Happiness
  Our article | Marital Satisfaction and Counseling Research Findings. Marriagehelper.com, May 2021.
• Pastor burnout and rewards
  Our article | Pastor’s Well-Being. Barna, October 2021. Pastors Quitting Ministry. Barna, March 2022.
• Pastor self-care needs
  Our article | The Greatest Needs of Pastors: Personal Needs and Self-Care, Lifeway Research, April 2022.
• Pastoral mental health
  Our article | 2021 Pastoral Mental Health Report, Faithlife, July 2021.
• Pastors’ Views on Fear within Their Congregation
  Our article | Pastors’ Views on Fear within Their Congregation, Lifeway Research, 2023.
• Decline of church attendance
  Our article | State of the Church 2020. Barna, September 2020.
• Cultural Humility In The Church
  Our article | Where Do We Go from Here? Barna, April 2020.
• Churches Welcome Persons With Disabilities
  Our article | Churches Believe They Are Welcoming to Those With Disabilities. Lifeway Research, March 2020.
• Are their many Christian social workers?
  Our article | The Religiosity and Spiritual Beliefs and Practices of Clinical Social Workers. Social Work, January 2018.
• Religious participation strongly promotes health and wellness
  Our article | Religious Service Attendance and Deaths Related to Drugs, Alcohol, and Suicide Among US Health Care Professionals. JAMA Psychiatry, 2020.
• The Mental Health Benefits of Church
  Our article | Religious Communities and Human Flourishing. Association for Pyschological Science, 2017.