Mental Health and Your Church

Mental Health and Your Church: A Handbook for Biblical Care, Helen Thorne & Dr Steve Midgley (The Good Book Company, 2023)

I had the privilege of attending a day conference recently where Steve Midgley spoke about mental health and the church. It was excellent - biblical, psychologically informed, thoughtful, and nuanced. So, I was pleased to get a copy of this new book he has written with Helen Thorne.

This book is for everyone in churches who wants to care for those with mental health challenges - yet sometimes feel unsure of how to do so and what role the church could have in this space. As they say, the aim is “not to turn you into mental health professionals, but to equip you with knowledge and wisdom, and to help grow that attitude of love and compassion towards those who struggle” (p.17).

The goal is to help everyone to see that caring for one another is what we are called to, especially for those who bear more burdens in life. While mental illness is hard, it is normality for many in our church, and “despite the hardships of those struggling and the complexity for those trying to care, one thing is certain: when the local church is acting as a local church can, the results for all involved can be a delight and not a burden.” (p.14)

The first section is about understanding mental illness. Firstly, diagnosis - and the qualifier that a mental health diagnosis is more a description than an explanation. And God speaks to these situations:

“What we want to resist is the idea that mental-health disorders place people into such a distinct category that Scripture no longer has a voice there.” (p.29)

They present a biblical understanding of humanity: where our hearts (from which come our thoughts, emotions, decisions, etc) are embodied in a physical frame, located in the world (the place we are, our circumstances, society, etc).

“An understanding of mental health and mental illness that seeks to do justice to the Bible’s understanding of people must make room for all these factors: our physical bodies, our cultural and personal circumstances and the activity of our hearts.” (p.39)

They discuss medication and talking therapies, providing sensible and balanced perspectives on each (both positive and negative) and how faith intersects with them:

“If we can redeem the wisdom found is psychology and learn to apply the grace of the gospel and the power of Scripture to one another’s lives, we will have a talking therapy that surpasses all other talking therapies. We will profit from the ultimate psychotherapy - God’s own gospel plan for the healing of our souls.” (p.64)

The second section explores what a church can do. In the end - it’s neither nothing nor everything, there are a range of options and opportunities which include just loving people well in their complexity. This section focuses on what is achievable for most churches:

• helping people feel welcomed by raising awareness - talk about mental health challenges in a way that shows it’s part of normal human experience. 
• helping people feel loved 
• helping people remember their identity - both in God (forgiven, secure and free) and as part of God’s people. “Understanding truth about God and themselves won’t erase mental illness, but it will provide a beacon of hope within it.” (p. 100) 
• helping people be refined to be more like Jesus 
• helping people persevere - including ways to practically resource 

Throughout, they also acknowledge the need to support carers and those who walk alongside those who struggle.

“The basic rule is to step toward those in need, but to do so with humility - asking them about their struggles and doing lots of listening rather than lots of advising.” (p. 131)

The final section explores through what this might look like in a church through extended examples. These consider someone struggling with depression, anxiety, addition, psychosis, and a carer.

In the end, Thorne and Midgley acknowledge that this book won’t make anyone an expert, “but we do hope it will encourage some of you who read it to turn toward those struggle when previously you might have moved away.” (187)

Highly recommended for all of us in churches - whether leaders or members - whether personally connected with mental health struggles or not. In the love of Christ and with his people, we can all walk this road better together.