Introduction
Mental illness is a global disease burden that affects millions of people due to various reasons. The United States is mainly affected by the menace as about one in five adults suffer from the condition, which amounts to over 70 million Americans (Hays and Jennifer 8). The church is ordinarily regarded as a place where people go to seek not only spiritual guidance but also healing. Pastors are mainly expected to help people deal with their different issues, including stress and anxiety. They are expected to offer healing to their followers just as expert physicians. However, even as people seek help from the church in times of distress, they forget that pastors are ordinary human beings who can also be affected by similar stresses.
Difficulties
Pastors can suffer from difficulties in their ministerial work, marriages, sex life, and burnout, among others. Their responsibilities may suppress the causes and symptoms of mental health illness among pastors. Mental illness is then discussed according to the scriptures and its aftermath in the ministry. The paper further suggests options for recovery and methods of preventing the condition from developing or even worsening and leading to severe outcomes, such as suicide. Pastors’ mental health disorders, their causes and symptoms, their relationship to the Bible, and the ensuing effects on their ministry are complicated, multidimensional problems that need to be addressed. Understanding these factors is crucial for providing practical support, implementing preventive measures, and promoting recovery, ultimately fostering the well-being of pastors and the sustainability of their ministries.
Causes and Symptoms
Pastors are not immune to mental health illness as some of them experience some mental illness and may be diagnosed with stress and anxiety conditions. According to Biru et al., close to 25 percent of pastors silently in the U.S. struggle with mental health issues. However, they shy away from making their struggles known for fear of being shamed and other associated stigmas. The conditions could also develop due to a family history, which increases their likelihood of developing stress, anxiety, or depression. They could also be exposed to trauma, which is an emotional reaction to any occasion that causes them to be distressed due to sexual assault, abuse, divorce, or receiving a diagnosis. Pastors could suffer mental health illness due to certain physiological or neurological factors that make them more likely to experience depression. Just like other people, pastors can be confronted by extraordinary sorrow due to the loss of a child or partner.
Furthermore, pastors could suffer mental health issues due to feeling isolated from the congregation and the lack of access to webs of backing from people in ministry or other pastors. This particularly escalated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused governments to restrict human interaction through lockdowns and restricted movement. Pastors were significantly affected as churches were closed as they were considered high-risk areas for contracting the disease that caused many infections and deaths. Financial stress could further cause mental health illness as some pastors may find that they struggle to make ends meet, which leads to feelings of inadequacy and depression (Lehmann et al. 11). Reduced offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated this problem as pastors depend on church offerings to maintain their life and that of their families.
Several pastors are deeply devoted to spreading the gospel and caring for others, working for long periods. As a result, they suffer a lack of self-care due to not getting enough to eat or not getting enough sleep, which contributes to the development of mental health challenges. They can also experience burnout when their tasks do not pan out as they planned or envisioned, especially when confronted with the facts of being in ministry (Stanford and Michel). They are expected to walk with people through the worst moments in life, perform with every sermon, or the need to appear perfect. This may impose a huge burden on pastors, so they may feel isolated or lonely, leading to the development of signs of mental illness, such as chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and even thinking of self-harm or suicide.
Examples in Scripture
Even as mental illness may cause people and pastors to feel overwhelmed, the Bible suggests that that is not the true description contained in the teachings. The Bible indicates that everybody was created in God’s likeliness, meaning they remain a true reflection of God despite their mental condition. Psalms 139 14 and Genesis 1:26 suggest that each person is wonderfully created in the image of God (Christopher and Isabelle 67).1. Timothy 3:16 indicates that people must continue to show respect for God as he exists in the flesh, not mentally. Those who believe in his word will be glorified (Christopher and Isabelle, 71).
Romans 5:12-19 states that people are born condemned and corroded by the sin committed by Adam (Christopher and Isabelle 67). The purpose of Christianity is to preach salvation and deliver people from the penalties and power of sin. Therefore, mentally ill people can be healed by having strong faith, and Jesus is not surprised that people get diagnosed with mental health issues or any other struggles.
Christianity recognizes different levels of mental illnesses that people may suffer from that specifically relate to how the mind connects with the brain and the time the disease begins to develop. The connection helps to describe the way people communicate with God. For instance, substance dualism holds that the mind and the brain are separate and different but are vitally connected. According to Hays and Jennifer (5), cartesian dualism holds that the mind is superior to the brain in that some of its functions are distinct and beyond the brain. Property dualism describes the view that all the mind processes emerge from the brain.
In addition, different views on salvation and the insufficiency of mental capability exist. Universal condemnation suggests that all mentally ill are destined for hell, while universalism is the belief that they go to heaven. Universalism targets people who are suffering from mental illnesses from birth. Election refers to the view that some mentally ill people have been chosen while others are not, and agnosticism holds that since the scripture does not say, people cannot say.
Furthermore, the Bible has many people who battled different emotional challenges that today could be a sign of mental illness. While it is argued that mental illnesses may be a product of sin, it is not caused by it. The book of James 4:1 suggests that sin resides in the hearts of men, and if a mentally ill person sins, they shall be held accountable (Christopher and Isabelle 73). God worked with many characters in the Bible who suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts, including Jonah, David, and Elijah, who may have had bipolar disorder. In the New Testament, Jesus was accompanied by some disciples in ministry who may have expressed symptoms of anxiety, especially Peter. However, they are remembered today because they stood firm and believed in Christ.
Aftermath
People who have mental illness are considered outcasts, and society tends to treat them differently. If a pastor is found to suffer from mental illness, there is a high chance that his life will be impacted alongside that of the family and the ministry. The disease will create tension, cause stress and uncertainty, and may result in notable shifts in how the pastor lives afterward. Family members will be affected differently, which may result in personal and community fallout. Campbell (1110) states that there is also the possibility that mental health illness will cause congregation internal conflict. Particular members in the congregation may suffer differently, and the real impacts require that the church should consider the effects of mental illness and be prepared to address it. However, family members and the congregation need to be reassured that the problem can be resolved through understanding and empathy.
Recovery
The journey to recovery begins by seeking help from mental health practitioners, including therapists, psychiatrists, counselors, or psychologists. They can provide the necessary diagnoses, therapy, and medication management and offer valuable guidance and support. Pastors can recover from mental illness through the use of conventional treatment methods. In particular, medication has proven to be highly effective in treating mental illness, and pastors, their family members, and other people with acute mental illness have a similar attitude toward medication. The treatment can help to ease the symptoms of the disease. Another approach is to use psychological therapy to treat their mental illness. Scazzero (45) argues that therapy mainly applies to sharing spiritual principles. Another option for recovery is through awareness of mental illness, including the causes, symptoms, and triggers. Several organizations provide resources and reliable information to support making positive changes in one’s lifestyle.
Prevention
The church bears a heavy responsibility to provide resources and support for pastors and other individuals with mental illness, their families, and the congregation. Churches talk openly about different health conditions, and they should do the same for mental illness to reduce the feeling of stigma. This can begin by encouraging the congregants to develop a safe space for pastors to thrive. They can extend support and God’s grace in their struggles to deflate the misconception among pastors that they have suffered alone and in silence to appear perfect (Campbell 1110). The congregation should check in on the pastors, support and show love to them, and encourage their growth through providing counsel and prioritizing mental wellness in the church.
Furthermore, self-power may be a significant impediment to receiving mental health treatment due to the perceived stigma that can keep pastors, especially men, from seeking assistance. According to Yamada et al. (873), pastors hold the view that they can independently handle their mental health issues.
Conclusion
However, they should prioritize self-care, establish healthy boundaries, and seek professional help when needed, recognizing that their well-being is essential for effective ministry. Social support is a critical component to preventing mental health issues, as one becomes resilient by having access to resources and being open to the challenge. The community can offer additional support through regular meetings, online support, and building relationships within the body of Christ.
Works Cited
Biru, Blen, et al. “The Gap in Mental Health Service Utilization among United Methodist Clergy with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms.” Journal of Religion and Health. 2022. Web.
Campbell, Anthony David. “Clergy Perceptions of Mental Illness and Confronting Stigma in Congregations.” Religions, vol. 12, no. 12. 2021, p. 1110. Web.
Christopher C.H. Cook, and Isabelle Hamley. The Bible and Mental Health. SCM Press, 2020.
Hays, Krystal, and Jennifer Shepard Payne. “Lived Experience, Transparency, Help, and Humility: Four Characteristics of Clergy Responding to Mental and Emotional Problems.” Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling: Advancing Theory and Professional Practice through Scholarly and Reflective Publications, vol. 74, no. 1. 2020, pp. 4–11. Web.
Lehmann, Curtis S., et al. “Hospitality towards People with Mental Illness in the Church: A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Study.” Pastoral Psychology, vol. 71. 2021, pp. 1–27. Web.
Ogg, Galen. “Ministry for the Mind: Pastoral Care for Emotional Health in Trenton, NJ.” Dataspace.princeton.edu. 2018. Web.
Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Thomas Nelson, 2011.
Stanford Matthew and Michel Ann. “The Church and the Response to the Mental Health Crisis.” Lewis Center for Church Leadership, 2021. Web.
Yamada, Ann-Marie, et al. “Beliefs about Etiology and Treatment of Mental Illness among Korean Presbyterian Pastors.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 58, no. 3. 2018.Web.