Recently at LifeWay Research, we’ve been doing an extensive series of studies on mental health and the church. Working with various organizations and churches, our hope is to better equip the people of God to minister to those struggling with mental illness. To download the full research report, click here.
This afternoon, Christianity Today reported our new research findings on pastors and mental illness. Sarah Zylstra writes:
Your pastor is just as likely to experience mental illness as any other American, according to a LifeWay Research survey commissioned by Focus on the Family.
Nearly one in four pastors (23 percent) acknowledge they have “personally struggled with mental illness,” and 12 percent of those pastors said the illness had been diagnosed, according to the poll. One in four U.S. adults experience mental illness in a given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Recent deaths by suicide of high-profile pastors’ children, including Rick Warren’s son Matthew and Joel Hunter’s son Isaac, have prompted increased attention to mental illness from pastors’ pulpits and pens. Warren launched “The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church” this past spring. High-profile pastors, including NewSpring Church pastor Perry Noble, have publicly documented their struggles with mental illness.
Christians are not exempt from struggling with mental illness. Pastors and church members alike grapple with a variety of mental illnesses, and our new research shows that pastors often feel ill-equipped to help lead other believers through these struggles.
According to pastors, only 27 percent of churches have a plan to assist families affected by mental illness.
One of the sponsors of the research is Focus on the Family. I recently visited my friends at Focus in Colorado Springs, and we are continuing our work toward equipping churches and Christians in general to minister to the mentally ill. Check out the video at the bottom and this list of videos to hear our conversation.
At the Thriving Pastor site, specifically ThrivingPastor.com/MentalHealth, Focus explains:
Focus on the Family, working with LifeWay Research, conducted a Study of Acute Mental Illness and Christian Faith. The objectives of the research were to: 1) equip family members and church leaders to care for those suffering from mental illness, 2) help family members and church leaders discern the spiritual state of loved ones suffering from mental illness.
Professor and pastor David Murray will be on a future episode of The Exchange discussing the research. David has often written on mental illness—see this post as an example—and has been an important part of the research process. He explains a bit of that journey in this post, sharing:
Over the last couple of years, I got to know a Christian family who had seen family members suffer with mental illness, including schizophrenia. A close relative died from schizophrenia-related issues and left a substantial sum of money in his estate. After much prayer and consultation, the family decided to donate the money for research into mental illness and how it affects Christians, pastors and churches.
Here are some statistics from the study released today by LifeWay Research:
38 percent of pastors strongly agree they feel equipped to identify a person dealing with acute mental illness that may require a referral to a medical professional.
40 percent of pastors, 46 percent of family members in a household of someone with acute mental illness, and 54 percent of individuals with acute mental illness believe medications should be used any time they can ease symptoms of acute mental illness.
53 percent of individuals with acute mental illness say their church has been supportive.
65 percent of family members in a household of someone with acute mental illness believe local churches should do more in talking about mental illness openly so that the topic is not so taboo.
I talked with a number of young pastors late last week who feel ill-equipped to address matters of mental illness, should (and when) they may have to face them.