I was fortunate to be part of an online panel discussion provided to over 100 ministers throughout my state. This educational program focused on how clergy and faith communities can better cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Also on the panel were two physicians, a hospital chaplain, and a theologian.
Prior to the program, the clergy completed an online survey about how the pandemic has affected them and their ministries. Not surprisingly, most said the pandemic has been quite stressful and it has impacted their ability to effectively lead their congregations.
Some of the most significant sources of stress for the ministers included the challenges in providing remote pastoral care, social isolation, health concerns, and technology issues related to moving church services and other programs online.
In the discussion, each of the panelists was asked to provide information that might be useful to the clergy. I told them that I always try to be solution-focused and to help people connect with needed and useful resources.
In that spirit, I offered the clergy the following 5 ways to better identify and promote effective mental health resources for themselves and their congregation:
- Understand that as many as 1 in 4 of us will likely struggle with mental health or substance use concerns sometime in our lives. Also know that these issues are often hidden and not observable. But also understand that help and effective treatments are available.
- Get to know the folks in the congregation or in the community who are counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses. Often one or more of them will agree to serve as a resource to help find mental health services for a congregation member in need.
- Become more familiar with the local mental health resources in your community. These include community mental health centers, crisis lines, therapists and counselors, psychiatric hospital units, and substance use recovery programs. There are more services in urban and suburban areas than in rural areas, but the increase in online telehealth services can reduce some of these access issues.
- Learn about helpful national mental health organizations which offer many free programs and resources. Two in particular are NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and MHA (Mental Health America). Also, write down the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. There are also some great free mental health apps such as COVID Coach.
- Consider developing or expanding a health and wellness team. Survey the congregation to find a few health care providers (medical, nursing, mental health, etc.) who may have interest in forming a team. Get organized and then assess the congregation’s health and wellness needs through a brief survey. Then plan some education and outreach activities to run through the year, e.g., blood pressure screenings, healthy recipes, walking groups, health and wellness fair, small group discussions of health topics, wellness tips in the newsletter or bulletin, guest speakers, or a health-themed worship service.
I do believe that faith communities can play an important role in promoting the mental health of the people they serve. I encourage those of you who are active and invested in these organizations to consider how you, too, can develop programs with this focus in your faith community.
I’ll leave you with these questions, which I also posed to the clergy in the program I attended:
- What do you see as the emotional and mental health needs of your faith community at this time and even after the pandemic? How do these needs differ across various age groups (children, youth, adults, older adults)?
- What opportunities exist for new or expanded ministries or programs focusing on the issues of physical, emotional and mental health and wellness?
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