Mental illnesses are disorders that disrupt emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. They significantly impact daily functioning and personal relationships. Their severity can vary, going from mild to persistent to debilitating forms. Globally, mental health is receiving much attention. Yet many communities, including the church, remain relatively silent despite the urgent need for engagement.
The Present State of Things
Common mental disorders affect one in five adults globally. Major disorders impact 7% of adults. Among children and adolescents, 10–20% experience mental disorders. Half of all mental illnesses start by age 14. These conditions are a leading cause of disability, accounting for one-third of years lived with disability worldwide. They can reduce life expectancy by 10–20 years.
In his book, The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt links the recent surge in mental health issues to increased technology and social media use, particularly since 2014. Vulnerable populations—the poor, homeless, prisoners, certain minority groups, and the disabled—bear a disproportionate burden. Paradoxically, wealthier nations experience higher overall mental health challenges.
In India, the 2015-16 National Mental Health Survey reported that 10.6% of adults suffer from mental disorders, with a lifetime prevalence of 13.7%. Recent data indicate a higher prevalence among Gen Z and girls (30 – 40%).
Studies in India also reveal rising feelings of alienation and loneliness among students and the elderly. It echoes global trends highlighted in the latest WHO report. Trauma often remains hidden within families and churches, as seen in rising rates of divorce, substance abuse, and digital addictions.
A Compassionate, Competent Response
Behind these statistics are real, hurting individuals, isolated from families and communities.
Recent studies have also recognised the importance of spirituality as a key dimension of mental health, with research supporting its positive impact on well-being.
As anxiety and related issues reach epidemic levels, how can the church offer a competent and compassionate response? Its capacity to reclaim a role in holistic care has never been more crucial. The challenge is to move from silence to proactive engagement. We must integrate compassion, awareness, and spiritual care into a renewed community response.
The Legacy of the Church
The church is a healing and caring community. Its legacy is rooted in Jesus’s compassionate care for the “invisible people,” whose suffering went unnoticed by others. He saw the crowds as distressed and helpless, sheep without a Shepherd. It mirrors the present, invisible, unnoticed mental health struggles of people who suffer in secret and silence.
Jesus called for prayer and action, sending his disciples out to serve.
Historically, the church has played a pivotal role in major health crises. During the Plague of Cyprian (AD 249–262), Christians cared for the sick and dying. While others fled to save themselves, the Christians put their lives at risk to care for the unwell. Such acts of charity and hospitality, amid persecution, set Christianity apart and contributed to its growth and influence.
Critical Shifts in Care-Giving
However, with the rise of institutionalised medicine, care became professionalised. It distanced health and healing from the experience of community and spiritual perspectives.
There was a shift in theological approaches as well. Christians set aside the concept of the “wounded healer,” who finds strength in brokenness. It gave way to more triumphalist views, which equate emotional distress with spiritual failure.
There were cultural shifts from community to more individualistic and psychological frameworks, where emotions define identity, and spiritual struggles are oversimplified.
A Four-fold Pastoral Approach
Martin Lloyd-Jones, a physician turned preacher, advocated for a nuanced, four-fold pastoral approach. In his book Spiritual Depression, he emphasises assessing physical, spiritual, psychological, and demonic factors in mental health.
He urged pastors to first rule out physical causes, provide patient spiritual counsel, recognise genuine mental illness requiring medical intervention, and discern possible demonic influences. He always encouraged collaborating with professionals when needed.
This holistic model integrates medicine, spirituality, and psychological insight. It serves as a reminder that true Christian care addresses the body, mind, and spirit together. It continues the legacy of the church as a source of compassion, discernment, and wholeness for people in distress.
Reimagining the Future
The intersection of mental health and Christian faith is often misunderstood. Responses range from over-spiritualisation to exclusively naturalistic medical interpretations. We need an integrated approach that recognises the complexity of mental health, drawing insights from notable Christian leaders and contemporary perspectives.
Many revered Christian figures struggled with mental health challenges, such as Martin Lloyd-Jones, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, William Wilberforce, and E. Stanley Jones. In fact, Spurgeon candidly wrote about his “fainting fits.” He emphasised that even people with strong faith are not immune to depression or despair.
After years of mission work in India, E. Stanley Jones experienced breakdowns, which he attributed to physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion. His journey towards healing underscored the interplay of body, mind, and spirit. It led to the founding of a psychiatric and spiritual centre in Lucknow.
Vital Movements for the Church
We should move away from the tendency to compartmentalise mental health. It wrongly treats the body with medicine, the mind with psychiatry, and the soul with spiritual guidance. Instead, we ought to recognise that human beings are an integrated whole.
Leaders and congregations alike must move beyond stigma, simplistic labels, and casual theodicy. Harmful stereotypes—such as equating mental illness with personal sin or weakness—must be challenged.
Churches, especially leaders, should foster cultures of vulnerability. We should empower individuals to share their stories without fear of judgement or the urge to offer “spiritual band-aids.” Consider that the silence of Job’s friends offered more comfort than their misguided explanations.
True community is marked by mutual support, soul talk, and accepting brokenness as part of the human experience. Prayer for healing must be approached with sensitivity, resisting pressure to see instant results and instead providing consistent, ongoing support.
Dismantling Barriers
Stigma remains a significant barrier to serious conversations about mental health. The church must dismantle barriers of self-stigma, social stigma, and structural stigma. We must recognise that everyone moves along a continuum of mental health and illness. Rather than isolating people with mental health challenges, we should embrace relationships that affirm each person’s worth and humanity.
Practical Recommendations
Some ways forward include training church leaders to improve their mental health literacy, establishing more avenues for counselling, addressing mental health holistically, and conducting regular mental health audits in our communities.
Ultimately, caregiving within the church should be a source of mutual healing and transformation. As Henry Nouwen reminds us in his book The Wounded Healer, “When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.”
The church’s vision for care must recognise mental health as vital to spiritual and communal well-being.
