Intro:
For me, it started with a simple message in Facebook messenger. Someone I barely knew was reaching out to me and asked if we could have lunch and if I could help them learn more about our town. Of course, I knew this was not why he wanted to meet. I will never forget his words as he sat across from me and said, “I am worried about you, I see you in a downward spiral, and I am concerned for your health and your ministry.” For the first time, I was talking with someone who would not let me off the hook, and as we sat there, he would not let me leave until we had a plan. By the way, he is my counselor.
Pastors are not immune to mental health struggles. In a recent study, it was found that pastors experience more symptoms of depression and anxiety than non-pastors. Pastors have difficulty finding time for themselves. They are constantly trying to be the caregiver for their congregation, making them feel like they don’t have control over their own lives.
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health, the medical term, is defined as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the everyday stresses of life, can work productively, and can make a contribution to their community. Mental health does not mean that one’s life is devoid of challenges and difficulties. In fact, Depression and Anxiety are part of “normal” life in that most people experience them at some time. However, for whatever reason, “mental health” conversations are sometimes taboo among Christians, particularly pastors. Why Is Mental Health Important? Mental health is essential because it is the health of the mind that makes us truly healthy. The Bible says that “a body without a soul is dead” (Ecc. 9:5). Mental health is the health of both body and soul.
What pastors need to know about mental health.
Mentally healthy people are much more likely to be able to cope well when difficulties arise. It is the difference between being able to cope well when there is a hurricane, flood, or earthquake and being unable to cope when there is a hurricane, flood, or earthquake. In fact, depression and anxiety are part of the “normal” experience of life. However, most people are not aware of these feelings, and many of us try to deal with them alone. Because mental health is so important, pastors should know about mental health and minister to people with mental health problems.
Mental health and the mental illness of others cannot be separated from the work of ministry. Therefore, ministers have a special obligation to minister to people with mental illness. The first thing ministers must do is to understand the illness. As a pastor, you must know the signs, symptoms, and causes of mental illness. You must know the diagnosis, the history, and the prognosis. You must also know how mental health professionals can help people with mental illness.
When The Pastor Struggles
However, what happens when all of this hits close to home? What happens when the pastor struggles with mental health? Or the minister goes through a period of emotional distress?
The key to ministry is caring for people. That is what makes us ministers. Therefore, ministers must be able to care for themselves. A minister who is sick is a sick minister. A minister who is depressed is a depressed minister.
A minister who struggles with mental illness is a minister who is struggling with something that needs to be addressed. If a minister is concerned about their mental health, they should be concerned about the church and about the church’s concern for them.
Pastors must be able to identify what makes them more susceptible to mental illness and know the steps they can take to be well.
Of course, we are not going to leave out the Bible
The Bible helps us understand the issue of mental health. The Bible is especially helpful in helping us recognize mental illness and encouraging us to seek help.
In Psalm 139, the psalmist writes about his mental illness. He says:
Hear, O Yahweh, my voice when I call to you;
hear me when I call to you,
for my cry has reached to you,
to your holy temple.
The psalmist understood that mental illness is real.
Pastors, we must understand that this is a real thing, not something that is just made up, and we must understand it is ok for us to struggle as well.
Pastors are people too.
They have bodies, minds, and emotions just like the rest of us. However, for many pastors that are involved in ministry work or are focused on serving their congregation members or other Christians, there is little time to focus on themselves which leads to a decreased awareness of wellness, burnout, depression, and suicide.
How can the church be supportive of a pastor who is struggling with mental health issues?
Some of the things that can be done to keep a pastor healthy are:
- Make sure the pastor’s needs are met.
- Offer help in the form of a counselor, therapist, or psychiatrist.
- Provide rest and relaxation time for the pastor.
- Encouragement: Tell him how much you care about him. Encourage him to seek professional help or make sure he knows that he is not alone.
- Build him up: Praise him for his work; allow him to be recognized for his work.
- Finally, just take the time to talk to the pastor. Ask him how he is doing, if there is any way you can help, how is his family doing, what is he struggling with?
I want to take a quick moment and talk about a few things that can be done to help.
The importance of self-care.
This is important for a couple of reasons. One is to help you keep your faith. It is easy to get worn out in ministry and feel like you can’t be a good pastor unless you are putting your life on hold and are putting yourself last. This is a terrible mindset to have. The other reason is that pastors are constantly in touch with their bodies. It is easy to be so busy doing ministry that you don’t have the time to make sure you are healthy. This is a massive problem for pastors. Pastor, you must practice self-care, meaning you must take time to take care of yourself.
Take time to exercise.
Make it a priority to set aside time to do things that increase your heart rate, and the will help you stay healthy. This does not have to be running; it can be doing something fun or some sort of sport; it can even mean going out and prayer walking. The point is to get some exercise
Get enough sleep.
Your brain actually heals when it sleeps. If you are not getting enough sleep sooner or later, it will affect the rest of your body. A lack of sleep can lead to cognitive impairment, making it difficult for someone to concentrate and remember details. Another effect is the depletion of energy. Sleep deprivation is also associated with increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation.
Get some sunshine.
This may seem like a strange one, but the sun is actually a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals. This doesn’t mean you should stay in the sun for too long, but it means you should take advantage of the sun when you can.
Maintain relationships
Pastors have to have friends. They do not necessarily have to be in the church, but pastors need to have friends that they can talk to and that they can be real with. Pastor, you need a friends and for those that are not pastors, why not be a friend to your pastor?
In conclusion, pastors have a responsibility to their congregations, their church leadership team, and themselves. They must be mindful of the signs of depression and mental illness, get treatment when needed, and speak up when they notice that another pastor might need help.
To offer the best service possible to parishioners, pastors must also stay mentally healthy. Attend regular counseling sessions with a therapist who can diagnose and treat mental illness, if necessary.