Churches offering Radical Hospitality for Individuals with Mental
Illness and
Their Families.
Handout.
NAMI-NC Annual Conference on March 9, 2007 Presentation
Rev. Dr. John M. Crowe
Certified Instructor,
Family to Family
Recipient of the 2002
President's Award from the Mental Health Association of NC
Chair-NC Conference
United
The NCC-UMC Committee on Disability
Concerns provides this information and should be used with great caution. It should
not be used as a substitute for seeing a licensed therapist. We are not
associated with any licensed medical organization or mental health organization
Use of such information is voluntary and any specific products or
psychological/theological advice derived from this site or its links does not
imply our endorsement. Nor does listing imply full agreement with
the content or the authors of each site listed below. We expressly disclaim liability that would result from
use of information from this page's references, referrals, or links.
Books mentioned in presentation.
Carlson, Dwight L. Why Christians Shoot Their Wounded?: Helping (Not Hurting)
Those with Emotional Difficulties. Inter-Varsity, 1994.
Gregg-Schroeder,
Susan. In the Shadow of God's Wings: Grace in the Midst of Depression. Upper Room Books,
1997.
Hammond, Mary Tuomi. The Churched and the De-Churched: Mending A Damaged Faith.
Murren, Doug.
Churches That Heal: Becoming a Church That Mends Broken Hearts and Restores
Shattered Lives.
Strobel, Shriley.
Creating a Circle of Caring: The Church and the Mentally
Waterhouse,
Steven. Strength for His
People: A Ministry for Families of the Mentally Ill (Book)
Westcliff Bible Press, 1994.
“Differentiating
schizophrenia from demon influence”
More Suggestions for a
clergy mental health packet
1. “Guidelines
for Clergy: Providing Pastoral Care to Persons With Mental Illness and Their
Family.”
2. Worship
Bulletin Insert for Mental Illness Awareness
3. Bible
Verses of Comfort for Persons with a Mental Illness
5. Children
and Mental Illness Bulletin Insert (Print out back-to-back and cut in
half to use as an insert.) The first
week in May is Children’s Mental Health Week.
6. Mental Illnesses Awareness Guide for Clergy and Other Spiritual Leaders
COST: Free
Available from: American Psychiatric
Association. Phone: 1-888-267-5400
7. When Mental Illness Strikes in A Family of Faith
A brochure in Protestant, Roman Catholic and
Jewish versions for families and for clergy working with families who have a
member who has mental illness.
Order Form www.pathways2promise.org/pdf/orderform.pdf
8. Mental Illness: Coping with the Holidays
The
holidays are especially difficult when our own feelings of sadness, loneliness,
depression and anxiety are the opposite of the "Hallmark" images we
see all around us.
9. National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery
and Understanding
10. May is Mental Health Month Bulletin Insert
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
profession
in the
After a mental health article by a clergy person in
a clergy journal was published, many heartbreaking e-mails came from clergy.
For example, A candidate for ordination as a Deacon who is
bi-polar asking if there is any support over the Internet
A pastor whose annual
conference has just cut in half the mental health
coverage for the conference health plan. He is afraid his wife will not
go to the hospital when it is needed because they can't pay the 50%
An elder who
shared a story of "abuse" by the church when they found out about his
depression even telling him not to speak about depression or suicide from the
pulpit because parents would have to explain it to the "fragile"
children. He goes on. . ."I
feel violated by my church. There has
been NO support for my family and wife.
I have questioned my allegiance to my
denomination many times.
The truth is there is so little support from the church.
What
former spiritual giants had to say about mental illness and the Christian faith
This article is about someone who has been there,
done that, and has the t-shirt. The Protestant Reformation Leader and writer of
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, Martin Luther felt free to share his own
struggles with mental illness, i.e. depression. Research of Luther's
sermons, teaching material for young pastors display a very compassionate
person of pastoral care with insightful and detailed observations, and a proclamation
of real grace for real life. Both his compassion for Christians with
mental illnesses and his keen observation of them were way ahead of his time.
This article is about a person whom the
denominational family tree of Methodists and holiness churches view as the
herald of sanctification--holiness of heart and life. For century after century
the idea prevailed among Christians that filthiness was akin to holiness. This
only helped the spread of diseases like the "Black Plague." On
one occasion Mr. Wesley said "Cleanliness is next to
godliness." His concern for personal hygiene rose out of his
understanding of sanctification, his view of pastoral care,nd his concern for
people's mental and physical health.
Wesley was as concerned for the health of people’s
bodies and minds as he was for their souls. He read medicine with the same
avidity he showed for theology. He also found health education lacking and
supplied it. Early in his ministry Wesley established a visitation program for
the sick and dispensed medicine to the poor in
As a significant figure in Christian history, John
Wesley has import for modern Christian psychology in at least four ways: (1)
his contention that the findings of science could be used by Christians for the
glory of God and the alleviation of human suffering; (2) his personal example
of how difficult it is to put faith into practice in daily living; (3) his
teachings about the grace of God and the possibility of Christian perfection;
and (4) his concern for social justice and the welfare of the poor. This essay
discusses these issues and demonstrates how a study of Wesley can influence
modern Christian psychology.
Statements
from different faith communities and mental illness.
1 in 4 Households in Your Church is Afraid
to Tell You This Secret by
Carlene Hill Byron
Carlene Hill Byron is the former Director of
Communications for Vision New England. Through NAMI—the Nation’s Voice on
Mental Illness, she and her husband, James, train churches to effectively serve
people within the congregation with mental health problems and also teach
NAMI’s class for families of people with mental health problems. They are
members of
First published by Vision New England’s Ministries
with the Disabled, Acton, Massachusetts.
Models Churches Offering Radical Hospitality
A. North Presbyterian Church
B.
Plymouth
Congregational Church, UCC,
C.
Mount
Vernon Presbyterian Church of
Alexandria,
D.
Hillsboro
Presbyterian Church of
Nashville,
Additional Resources
This is a network composed of members
and friends of NAMI. It was established for the purposes of (1)
facilitating the development within the Faith Community of a non-threatening,
supportive environment for those with serious mental illness and their families,
(2) pointing out the value of one’s spirituality in the recovery process from
mental illness and the need for spiritual strength for those who are
caretakers, (3) educating clergy and congregations concerning the biological
basis and characteristics of mental illness, and (4) encouraging advocacy of
the Faith Community to bring about hope and help for all who are affected by
mental illness.
B.
NAMI-NC
NAMI and Communities of Faith Links
C.
North Carolina Conference Mental Health
NCC Mental Health is a focus of the North Carolina Conference of the
United Methodist Church Conference Committee on Disability Concerns
D. Some helpful web sites for World
Mental Health Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in October.
E.
Ministry, Mental Illness, and Communities of Faith
Religious communities are in a unique position to
combat stigma and provide a message of acceptance and hope
F. Advocacy in the Church and Fighting the Stigma of Mental
Illness
For more information contact: John M. Crowe, D.Min., APC
Chair, NCUMC Conference Committee on Disability Concerns Member, NAMI-NC Member, NC Mental Health AssociationIncapacity Leave
E-Mail drcrowe1@cs.com or drcrowe@nccumc.org
Phone: 919 759-2146 
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