Introduction.

Research consistently shows that people with emotional problems most frequently turn to clergy for help. People with serious mental illness are as likely to contact clergy as they are to contact mental health care professionals.

People do not choose these patterns of help-seeking because they are unaware of mental health care resources. Rather, they do so because they are more familiar with clergy.

Clergy do not charge fees. Also, there is less stigma involved in discussing one’s personal problems with clergy. However, most clergy as well as congregations are grossly unprepared for ministry to people with a mental illness and their families.

All too often what we see in the relationship between churches and persons with a mental illness as well as their families boils down to giving money to the mental health treatment systems and or referring people to mental health services. Such support is for the most part “non-religious” in nature and is not an example of offering radical hospitality.

While just giving money and making referrals is passively inadequate, the ignorant outlook and responses by individual. Christians and churches is far worse. People with a mental illness have been told their real problem is sin, a demon, or lack of faith.

An adult church youth leader totally invalidated a depressed teenager's feelings with an un-thoughtful response to a question. This teenager had in previous youth meetings spoken about her depression and thoughts about suicide. One day I overheard this young girl ask her adult youth group leader if she was always that happy. Without a thought the adult responded, 'oh yes, I'm always this happy in Jesus.' I can only imagine how that statement made the teenage girl feel about herself and about her Christian faith.

Sometimes a church member will tell another to just snap out of their depression. Here's an example of why you cannot just snap out of it (lean all of my weight on a small person and tell them to just get up. It is not possible to just snap out of it.)

Sometimes, the response of churches is similar to what a graduate student in psychology at the University of California, Berkley experienced. She observed the silent response of the stigma of mental illness in a recent clinical psychology class when a student made the frank disclosure that she suffered from bipolar disorder.

"Other students, who had previously been engaged and excited about learning about mental illness in the abstract, became extremely uncomfortable, refused to make eye contact with her, and were quiet and withdrawn,"

This is a very sadly ironic story, however the same kind of reaction too often takes place in our churches when a member opens up as that student did. One Sunday a prominent Southern Baptist pastor told his congregation about his personal struggle with depression. Before the week was over, he found himself voted out and his family with no where to live.

As a Christian, someone with a family member who has mentally illnesses, a person with bipolar disorder, and a former pastor for 20 years before going on disability, I’ve experienced the Christian community as both sometimes radically hospitable and other times ignorantly cruel. The sad truth is that clergy on disability are viewed by many in the church as second class for you are neither active nor retired.

We clergy are afraid to talk about our own mental health because so many of us carry the secret burden of depression. Many members of churches carry the burden of mental illness in secret as well. In fact, 1 in 4 church households are afraid to tell you their secret. Carlene Hill Byron's article about this silence closes powerfully saying

“The challenging good news is that when people with mental illness turn to someone outside “the system” for help, the church is first to get the call 40 percent of the time. Is your church ready?”

Hearing the stories of Jesus and singing hymns of commitment to follow where he leads us in ministry to others is all very exciting in the abstract. However, what we hear in Sunday School lessons and sermons along with the songs of commitment we sing suddenly becomes very concrete in the face of human need.

Peterson’s The Message Bible translates the Greek words for “the least of these” in some translations to—the “overlooked and ignored” Matthew 25:31-46

How can what you do or don’t do for the overlooked or the ignored somehow is how we treat Jesus Christ? Well, when I was a young boy, someone called my dad “Old Crowe.” I took it as if the man had said it me. So, I told him to not ever say that again or I was going to beat him up.

The NT, particularly in the first chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus is presented as both our creator and our redeemer. As was said over and over again in the movie Nativity “God has come for the lowest of men to the highest”

So often, the stigma of mental illness leads to persons with a mental illness to feel like we are the lowest of all people. We constantly see examples in every sphere of life where we are overlooked and/or ignored. Yet, Jesus' parable says that whatever someone does or does not do for persons with a mental illness, they have done or not done unto Jesus.

A.  What models can help us?

Let's take a look into 4 churches for some models of radical hospitality. The websites where you can read more about these churches is in your handout.

North Presbyterian Church

Kalamazoo, MI 49007

One half of their membership are persons with a mental illness.

The church works with many community agencies to help provide support to those in our community who are in need.

The church has a Togetherness Group which represents the primary, and in some cases, the only social outlet for many of its members.

The group meets weekly for activities. The Togetherness Group Council meets once a month and plans the activities. The Council consists of Pastor MacDonald, Becky Schrock-Herdeck, two volunteers and 4 group members.

Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC, Seattle, Washington

www.pathways2promise.org/pdf/model-psmin-2005.pdf

Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, Virginia

Hillsboro Presbyterian Church of Nashville, Tennessee

Please take a few minutes to rate your faith community using the form provided in your handouts.

How to Rate Your Faith Community

(Adapted from criteria established by the Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Network – PSMIN)

1.  Does your congregation make a deliberate attempt to welcome and integrate persons with a serious mental illness and their families into the total life and work of the church without being obvious and setting them apart by:

• Being accepting, friendly, understanding and genuine?      
• Praying for those who have a mental illness the same way as for other illnesses?
• Visiting and calling on the mentally ill person and by offering to help in little ways?
• Offering support and love to the parents family of the ill person, by inquiring about the relative's health as one would  for anyone who is ill?
• Listening and talking with the mentally ill person?

2.  Does your congregation use every opportunity to educate themselves and others about mental illness by:

• Encouraging clergy, lay staff and congregations to learn about mental illnesses?
• Raising awareness of mental illness in sermons, bulletins, and newsletters.
• Adding books and other publications to the congregation’s library?
• Becoming familiar with local mental health services and support groups?

3.   Does your congregation offer its facilities and/or resources to those having a serious mental illness and their families by:

• Hosting a group of people from a local facility?
• Sponsoring a support group for them and/or their families?
• Sponsoring a social club or drop-in-center?
• Offering employment opportunities?

4.   Does your congregation advocate for people with mental illness by:

• Working with other churches and organizations, such as the Mental Health Assoc. and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)?
• Supporting efforts to obtain appropriate housing and jobs?
• Not letting false, stigmatizing statements about mental illness go unchallenged?
• Supporting adequate state and local budgets for mental health services?
• Giving money for research into the causes and cure for mental illness?

5.  Does your congregation undertake a ministry to, ministry with, and ministry by persons with serious mental illness and their families?  Are they invited to serve as officer bearers and on committees?

The National Council of Catholic Bishops rightly stated the following “We proclaim that if any disabled person is prevented from active participation, the church community is incomplete.” The ultimate goal of radical hospitality is empowering both ministry with and ministry by persons who have a mental illness and by their family members.”

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Anyone want to share what you gained by doing this evaluation?

Two additional challenges.

Just what is radical hospitality? Frankly, it is the exact opposite response of what so many with a mental illness and their families experience. Such a response has led many to quietly disappear from their congregations and join the alumni of the membership. These experiences lead people to develop a perception or stigma of the church. This is quite a hurdle to overcome, but it can be done.

Experiences of churches telling people their mental illness comes from a sin, a demon, lack of faith or poor will power created a stigma about the church in the minds and hearts of both some members of churches and non-members. Thus, many church members with a mental illness and their families become part of de-churched. One goal of this workshop is reverse this trend.

Some people hear these tragic stories and develop their own negative views of the church and mental illness. Some mental health professionals have a negative view concerning Christians and thus see no place for faith in treating someone with a mental illness.

I hope this workshop helps reverse this as people hear good stories about churches offering radical hospitality to people with a mental illness and their families.

B.  What is next after we evaluate our church?

One possibility is for a small group within a church or a church as a whole must develop the biblical perspective that whatever they do or don't do for the overlooked and forgotten (people with mental illness and their families), they have done unto Jesus. Invite other church members to join you in looking at the plight of our state's mental health reform through those verses in Matthew. Hopefully, some will see a new area in which to extend the ministry of Christ in the world.

Second, gather some information about Christian leaders of the past and present with a mental illness. For example, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Doug Murren.

Third, honestly face the fact that your work has been made even more challenging by the ignorant outlooks, and hurtful responses too many churches have toward those with a mental illness and their families.

Fourth, have Carlene Hill Byron chbyron@nc.rr.com. and her husband to come to your church to train those already doing care-giving like Stephen's Ministries.

C. A gift idea for Clergy Appreciation Month and Mental Health Week in October?

As we move now to A gift idea for Clergy Appreciation Month in October during mental health week, I want to highlight a few resources.

Carlson, Dwight L.  Why Christians Shoot Their Wounded?: Helping (Not Hurting) Those with emotional Difficulties. Inter-Varsity, 1994.

This book is worthy of its many good reviews. Carlson, a physician and psychiatrist, cites scientific evidence to restore peace and dignity to those who have been told by well-meaning individuals that their mental illness is due to sin, spiritual weakness, or lack of faith.

Pointing to substantial research findings, Carlson takes issue with prominent Christian writers and speakers who over-simplify emotional distress

Gregg-Schroeder, Susan.  In the Shadow of God's Wings: Grace in the Midst of Depression.  Upper Room  Books, 1997.

In taking us on her personal journey into depression, Gregg-Schroeder  encourages a new understanding of the spiritual gifts that can come from  depression. She also has a small group study guide for this book.

Hammond, Mary Tuomi.  The Churched and the De-Churched: Mending A Damaged Faith. 

St. Louis:  Chalice Press, 2001.

Mary does an excellent job of writing about how those haunted with mental illness join the ranks of the de-churched and offers good ideas on how to reach them once again.

Murren, Doug. Churches That Heal: Becoming a Church That Mends Broken

Hearts and Restores Shattered Lives. West Monroe, LA:  Howard

Publishing, 1999.

This book is written from the perspective of an experience pastor who has bi-polar disorder. With it properly medicated and under good control, Doug built

and was pastor of the fastest growing and largest church in his denomination.

The congregation was begun in his  living  room with ten people and grew to an a Sunday attendance of 4,800 people. Like Martin Luther who suffered from

depression, Rev. Murren did not keep his mental illness a secret but used it as an opportunity for  ministry.

Pastor Doug Murren writes as one wounded healer (bi-polar)to another by sharing scripture and true stories of how to create a church that brings healing to

the broken emotional lives and relationships in their community.

Strobel, Shriley. Creating a Circle of Caring: The Church and the Mentally Ill.

Raleigh, NC: NAMI-NC, 1997.

In this curriculum for adult study, Shirley Strobel reminds us that “Among the most forgotten of our fellow human beings are the mentally ill.” Drawing

inspiration from professionals in the mental health field, Strobel uniquely formats a wealth of information  about mental illness and calls on church

members to begin a ministry with persons who are suffering. She uses theological reflections in succinct and gripping lessons that will sensitize adults in the faith

community to both the plight of those suffering from severe and persistent mental illness and the plight of their families.

Waterhouse, Steven.  Strength for His People: A Ministry for Families of the  Mentally Ill (Book)  Westcliff Bible Press, 1994.

Speaking from the experience of having a brother with schizophrenia, Pastor Steven Waterhouse shares the painful impact of mental illness on a

Christian family.

Rev. Waterhouse carefully brings to the forefront several concerns seldom addressed in other materials—particularly the valid and invalid theories of  schizophrenia’s causes and the relationship of psychiatry to religion. One difficult issue is covered with a frank discussion on differentiating schizophrenia from

demon influence, this work is extremely thought provoking. (A copy of this  discussion is copied in your handout.)

As someone who spent 20 years as a pastor, let me encourage you to be wise in how you encourage a pastor to read something, attend something or receive something. Pastors are bombarded with requests that end up only giving them one more thing to do on their own. The best approach and one that shows appreciation for a pastor’s ministry and weighty responsibility is to say something like here’s something that might free your ministry up by teaching us to minister as a congregation in this area.

In your handout is listed a web page where you can find Suggestions for a clergy mental health packet I’m just going to mention a few of them. Several of are available for free.

The plight of clergy mental health.

I’m going to say just a few things about depression and clergy today. The executive director Pension, Inc. for the Virginia Conference of the UMC stated the following in a June 22, 2006 UM News article.

The clergy population as a whole consumes a tremendous amount of mental health benefits. The health insurance industry has walked away from clergy because of that. They say ‘we can’t handle you any more. You’re too expensive.

During the time of the previous generation of clergy, we were in the top five healthiest professions in the US. They had less stress, more resources for dealing with stress and more respect. This generation of clergy are now in the bottom five least healthy with far more stress, much fewer resources and less respect.

Christian leaders with a healthy outlook about persons with a mental illness.

Your handout has the online address where you can read what historical spiritual giants like Martin Luther and John Wesley  had to say about mental illness and the Christian faith. It will surprise and bless you to know their outlook is more biblical and healthier than many of their spiritual descendants in America today.

These two along with today’s Dr. Larry Crabb, and the writers of the books I mentioned earlier call the church with one load clear voice in calling for churches to offer racial hospitality to persons with a mental illness and their families both as persons to be ministered to but also to equip for being in ministry with.

D. How can I advocate in my church

Now for a major shift into an area that I’ve been active in since 2002. We hear a lot about advocacy and it is exclusively aimed toward local, state and federal government which is good. I want to tell you today that you can advocate within your local church, your area District, Synod, Conference, etc. for people with a mental illness and their families.

Upon my family member’s fourth hospitalization between August of 2000 and May of 2001, a LCSW gave me a brochure about NAMI. That summer, I joined the newly formed NAMI-Affiliate in the Rocky Mount area.

In the spring, that affiliate and the one in Wilson worked together in offering the Family-to-Family Class for family and friends of the mentally ill. When they covered Advocacy in class, I thought of writing a resolution to the Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church in his state. Both clergy and laity gather yearly during in June to make various decisions.

Until then, I had never written a resolution on mental health. Neither had I ever seen such a resolution in almost 20 years of pastoral ministry.

My resolutions use whereas clauses mentioning Jesus’ ministry. ( “Jesus came preaching, teaching, and healing. . . continues through the Church.”) Then I drew from the founder of Methodism, John Wesley’s ministry such as. writing a sound book on home health remedies; starting dispensaries of medicines to the poor who were being charged way too much; and advocating for better hospital conditions; as well as better housing for the poor.

I also drew from supporting parts of the United Methodist Hymnal as well as our denominations Social Principles related to mental health, advocacy, the role of government in health care, and the right of all persons to have equal access to health care.

Then, I included some whereas statements about changes in the state mental health plan and what congress has yet to do about parity. From there I included some statements about NAMI. Be sure to mention Shirley H. Strobel's Creating a Circle of Caring: the Church and the Mentally Ill.

The therefore let is be resolved part of each resolution called for the church to some specific actions, such as requesting each church be asked once a year about their activity and plans for ministry in the area of mental health. Also, ask the denominational leadership in district within NC to offer mental health and the church workshops.

Another resolution, called for lifting up mental illness concerns in worship services in October; publicizing mental health resource information in church newsletters; and Utilize the video/DVD resource “Creating Caring Congregations” during the year.

The most recent resolution asked for a conference director of mental health ministries, but we ended up with a committee on disability concerns which our Book of Discipline mandates each conference to have.

As far as I know, I’m the first clergy on disability leave to serve on much less chair any committee or commission on the conference or district level of our own Conference. We were able to have a wonderful fall conference for the clergy and laity on mental illness and the church. Part of our latest focus is on our clergy and their families who are on incapacity leave. We know very well that the church at large views us as second class citizens because we are neither active nor retired. A growing number of us going on disability in the UMC, Lutheran denominations and others is because of depression or other mental illnesses. We are meeting this spring with the committee overseeing incapacity leave to see how we can help those who feel forgotten and overlooked by the church.

Now another aspect of advocating which helped these resolutions was getting the support of friends on other conference agencies like the Conference Board of Church and Society. They were glad to help. One way they helped was to speak on the floor of annual conference when I was just not able to.

There are a list of statements from different denominations about the church and mental illness which are online. Using them, you will be able to take parts of it or all of it and advocate for your local church, your district, synod, etc. to get about the ministry which your denominational leadership has stated in these documents. (The online address for finding these statements is included in your handout).

Do your homework. Make sure to mention the ministry of Jesus, quote some scripture or at least reference to it, tie in someone with your church system that has done something good in this or related area, draw any supportive statements you can from whatever book of church order or book of church discipline you have, pull some support from your hymnal or song book and tie it in to a few concrete action steps which must be done for your church to demonstrate radical hospitality to individuals with a mental illness and their families. In addition, before you submit it to a local church governing body, a district or conference group or a big denominational wide meeting seek support from others like your pastor and people who chair other committees.

Conclusion

Someone did a research project on human nature and this biblical story. Every person was told they were to give a talk on the Good Samaritan in a building near them on a college campus. Some were told they had plenty of time to go and speak. Others were told they had very little time. The last were told you barely have enough time to even get there on time. Between the two building beside the sidewalk on which each person walked laid a person in obvious need. Just like in the real story, a vast majority of the people walked right past the person on their way to talk about the story of the Good Samaritan. 

Too often, Churches are like some in the story of the Good Samaritan.

Reflect on this statement.

"Our reaction to those who have dropped exhausted on the road of life is the ultimate test of our personal understanding of God's grace."

Say after me,. "Our reaction.......

to those who have dropped exhausted......

on the road of life...........

is the ultimate test...........

of our personal understanding ..............

of God's grace."

This presentation was adapted from my earlier one for the NAMI-NC Fall Regional Workshops in October of 2004.