Many professional counselors would prefer that “church people” not get involved in helping people with mental health struggles. Perhaps they have heard horror stories of uninformed friends who do more harm than good by contradicting good medical advice in favor of more prayer and faith.
We also mentioned earlier in this series that many people seem reluctant to ever share their mental health struggles with people from their church.
So, what should the role of Christians be in helping with mental health struggles? Is it appropriate to seek help for mental health struggles from a church?
When we’re equipping churches through our training, these are some of the most common questions. Leaders want to know how to respond to the issue of mental illness.
Some fear they might do more harm than good, and others seem to have overconfidence that simplistic strategies will reorient all mental struggles.
Here’s what we tell churches and individuals.
Be a faithful friend who speaks the truth in love over time.
Don’t underestimate the power of friendship in the battles of mental health. Strong Christian friendships make a powerful impact.
The rest of this article lays out a few ways to be a good friend
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