{"id":31085,"date":"2022-09-10T15:16:18","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-tips-for-church-leaders-to-help-people-suffering-from-depression\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:16:18","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:16:18","slug":"5-tips-for-church-leaders-to-help-people-suffering-from-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-tips-for-church-leaders-to-help-people-suffering-from-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Church Leaders to Help People Suffering From Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sasha Freemind photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Paul Asay<\/em><\/p>\n

The wilderness doesn\u2019t sound like much. But in the Bible, it sure is a popular place.<\/p>\n

Jesus spent 40 days there. Moses, 40 years. When Israel\u2019s Queen Jezebel was trying to kill the prophet Elijah, he ran into the wilderness and asked God to take his life.<\/p>\n

But \u201cwilderness\u201d doesn\u2019t need to be a place of ravens and broom trees. Depression is a wilderness all its own. And like Moses\u2019 doubting followers, those who suffer from this wilderness may wonder whether they\u2019ll ever find home.<\/p>\n

Just last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly one-third (31%) of U.S. adults said they were struggling with anxiety\/depression symptoms. There\u2019s a good chance some (if not many) of those people are in your church.<\/p>\n

According to the CDC, 31% of U.S. adults said they were struggling with anxiety\/depression symptoms last summer. There\u2019s a good chance some (if not many) of those people are in your church. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

My own depressive wilderness wasn\u2019t located in a desert, but in my basement. While Elijah ran to a cave, I ran to my couch. I was there for nearly a month\u2014barely eating, barely sleeping, mustering just enough energy to watch the Disney Channel at 3 a.m. Gentle, family-friendly reruns were the only shows that didn\u2019t make me want to throw up.<\/p>\n

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I felt worthless, hopeless, almost lifeless. It felt like Psalm 102 was written for me: \u201cMy heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread . . . I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop\u201d (Psalms 102:4, 7, ESV).<\/p>\n

Christians are hardly immune to depression: I and countless others are proof of that. But sometimes, the church doesn\u2019t quite know what to do with us. How can you be depressed when you hold the gospel\u2014the Good News<\/em>\u2014in your hands?<\/p>\n

Many well-meaning Christians\u2014even some pastors\u2014characterize depression not as a disease or condition, but as a sin<\/em>, a rejection of the truth of God\u2019s saving love.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not as simple as that. When I\u2019m in the teeth of depression, I may know mentally that God loves me. I may know, on some level, that I\u2019m precious. But that hardly touches the worthlessness I feel. The pain. The inclination, like Elijah, to just lie down and give up.<\/p>\n

So what can you do to help these hurting people in your midst? How can pastors and church leaders come alongside those who are depressed and give them the hope that they so desperately need?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy. And honestly, I feel a little intimidated even daring to say what might help. I can only say what might\u2019ve helped me if I walked into a pastor\u2019s office in the depths of my depression.<\/p>\n

Listen.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s so simple but often so overlooked. When people are hurting, sometimes the process of simply talking can ease the pain.<\/p>\n

When people are hurting, sometimes the process of simply talking can ease the pain. \u2014 @AsayPaul Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

I\u2019m an introvert, so talking doesn\u2019t come easily. Writing a whole book on depression\u2014my<\/em> depression\u2014was one of the most uncomfortable things I\u2019ve done in my life. But I\u2019ve found that when I do<\/em> dare talk about how I\u2019m feeling\u2014even if those feelings don\u2019t make sense or aren\u2019t fit for dinner party conversation\u2014I feel better.<\/p>\n

Giving voice to those feelings can, at times, give me a sense of greater control<\/em> over those feelings\u2014almost as if they were Rumpelstiltskin, who lost his power once the princess learned his name. As I talk, I often find myself formulating strategies for how to deal with those destructive emotions\u2014strategies that eluded me when I kept those feelings to myself. Sometimes the biggest thing we need is a good sounding board.<\/p>\n

Avoid easy answers.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019re part of a fix-it culture, and sometimes the church itself embraces the idea that if you just do or say or pray the right thing, all will be just fine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Depression isn\u2019t a leaky pipe that just needs a good twist with a monkey wrench. \u2014 @AsayPaul Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

But depression isn\u2019t a leaky pipe that just needs a good twist with a monkey wrench. And honestly, I believe that sometimes our \u201c10 steps to a better you\u201d culture is unbiblical. Moreover, depression acts a bit like platitude Teflon: Well-meaning advice, even good<\/em> advice, simply slides off unless the person\u2019s in a space to actually hear it.<\/p>\n

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Lean into the Wilderness.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Depression is inherently isolating. It pulls us away from friends and family and can even make us question our relationship with God. Why can I not feel God\u2019s presence?<\/em> We ask. Does He not love me? Am I doing something wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n

These questions plagued me, and I had one or two Christian friends who told me that, yes, I must<\/em> be doing faith wrong\u2014that the distance from God I was experiencing was a sign of unbelief or sin.<\/p>\n

The wilderness, as miserable as it can be when you\u2019re there, can be a place of deep encounter. \u2014 @AsayPaul Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

But the Bible itself says something far different. I turn to Psalms and see the writers frequently cry out with sorrow and grief and anger. Many biblical \u201cheroes\u201d found themselves in that wilderness I mentioned, be it physical or emotional or spiritual.<\/p>\n

Even though I felt alone, the Bible told me that I was in good company. And I came to understand that the wilderness, as miserable as it can be when you\u2019re there, can be a place of deep encounter.<\/p>\n

Stress that God loves them.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

People who suffer from depression often feel worthless, inherently unlovable. When I wondered why I didn\u2019t feel the presence of God like some of my friends did, I took a step beyond \u201cAm I doing something wrong?\u201d to \u201cIs there something wrong with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

And all the Sunday school clich\u00e9s that convey God\u2019s love for everybody didn\u2019t work on me. It didn\u2019t sound like love. It sounded like pity.<\/p>\n

Even when we feel most broken\u2014and let\u2019s face it, we often are pretty damaged\u2014we\u2019re not discards. We\u2019re treasures. \u2014 @AsayPaul Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

And yet, God does<\/em> love us. He loves us like a mother loves her newborn baby, even though the baby brings literally nothing to the relationship but lots of noise and smelly diapers. He loves us like a child loves a parent suffering from Alzheimer\u2019s: Even as everything that made that person who they are is slowly stripped away, they are still precious, worthy of love and care.<\/p>\n

Even when we feel most broken\u2014and let\u2019s face it, we often are pretty damaged\u2014we\u2019re not discards. We\u2019re treasures. That\u2019s an important truth to emphasize.<\/p>\n

Encourage counseling.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While many churches embrace counseling (and some even have counselors on staff), some Christians argue that counseling or psychiatric help for mental illness is unnecessary, perhaps even un-Christian.<\/p>\n

God should be sufficient for all our woes<\/em>, they say. And ultimately, that\u2019s true. But it\u2019s also incredibly misleading. Depression isn\u2019t just a spiritual issue, but a mental and physical issue as well, complicated by the brain\u2019s complex chemistry and our own unique experiences.<\/p>\n

Don't be ashamed to look for help if you need it. Your flock needs the best of you; make sure they get it. \u2014 @AsayPaul Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Few pastors would ever discourage a parishioner from seeing a doctor for a broken arm. But sometimes, the brain can be a little broken too. At such times, it could use a little expert treatment and perhaps medication to help it find and maintain balance.<\/p>\n

One final word: As you help those suffering from depression, monitor your own mental health too. Being a pastor or church leader is often synonymous with stress; the demands of the job can be overwhelming. Your depressed or anxious congregants can turn to you for help, but where do you<\/em> turn?<\/p>\n

Seek out connections among fellow leaders. Don\u2019t be ashamed to look for help if you need it. Your flock needs the best of you; make sure they get it.<\/p>\n

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Paul Asay<\/h2>\n

@AsayPaul<\/p>\n

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Paul currently works in Focus on the Family\u2019s Plugged In<\/em> division, reviewing movies and TV shows and analyzing culture from a Christian perspective. He has written for\u00a0Time<\/em>, The\u00a0Washington Post,<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Christianity Today<\/em>, among others.\u00a0He’s the author of Beauty in the Browns: Walking With Christ in the Darkness of Depression<\/em>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n