While the Church has a long way to go in providing the resources needed to respond adequately to mental health issues, there are a lot of people out there doing great work to raise awareness and equip pastors. The following is a list of resources with descriptions on what each is all about. (I will include ChurchTherapy.com in case this list is passed around outside of this blog post.) The Twitter handle is available with each resource listed so that you can follow all of their latest info directly. Please comment below to let me know about more of what is out there! Feel free to share this list with others.
- ChurchTherapy.com – a blog seeking to raise awareness about mental health issues in the Church and offering training for pastors on mental health issues. (@ChurchTherapist)
- Hope for Mental Health – a ministry of Saddleback Church that puts together an annual conference on mental health and the Church. (@Hope4MH)
- The Mental Health Grace Alliance – a non-profit organization that seeks to equip and train pastors and lay leaders to launch mental health ministries in their churches. They have developed a peer-support group curriculum called Thrive. (@mhgracealliance)
- Church and Mental Health Chat – a live Twitter chat that meets weekly on Tuesdays at 9pm EST to facilitate dialogue around mental health issues in the Church. Log on to Twitter and follow the conversation using the hashtag #ChurchMH (@ChurchMHChat)
- The No Silence Alliance – a non-profit organization and blog seeking to raise awareness on mental health issues. (@NoSilenceOrg)
- Here/Hear – an advocacy group seeking to raise awareness of mental illness within the Church and to provide curriculum for peer-support groups. (@herehearorg)
- Hope & Healing Center and Institute – a center located in Houston, TX that offers training, seminars, and programming for mental health issues. Founded by Dr. Matthew Stanford, a Christian neuroscientist and mental health advocate. They also offer video resources for pastors/clergy. (@HopeHealingCI)
- Amy Simpson – a life coach and mental health advocate for the Church. She has written books including Troubled Minds and Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry. (@aresimpson)
Of course there are many other individual bloggers and Christian counselors out there raising awareness and advocating for the Church to do more to care for mental illness. I will update this list as I become connected with more resources!