This post is part of a series focused on mental health in the life of a pastor. 

5 Messages to Pastors Struggling With Their Mental Health

The adage, “You learn more from your failures than your successes.” is a statement often attributed to various authors, leaders, and philosophers of history. Yet, even though we cannot identify the first person to say it, the adage is repeated because of how true it is. In my own life, I can confirm that I am more likely to take the time to reflect and understand what went poorly and what I could have done better after I messed up.

To that end, much of what I am about to share comes from failures. Some of those failures have been my own. Some are from failures that I have witnessed or personally experienced. Yet it is my hope that from these failures, lessons are learned that can aid pastors and churches in navigating the challenges of supporting a pastor who struggles with mental health.

Look at the struggle as a sickness.

As I alluded to in my 5 Messages to Pastors Struggling With Their Mental Health, struggles like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc often are viewed differently than, say, a thyroid issue.

Medical tests can typically verify an issue with someone’s leg, stomach, or heart. Yet since mental health primarily deals with thoughts, feelings, and emotions it is often relegated to being a fake disease, not as serious or, “just in someone’s head.”

While I believed mental illness to be very real, I failed to recognize the impact it was having on my day-to-day life. I failed to recognize how this sickness was impacting my family, my church, and more. Furthermore, I did not realize that my own mental health struggles were resulting in additional physical symptoms.

I am not a therapist and cannot diagnose your pastor through a blog post. However, if your goal is to support your pastor who struggles with their own mental illness, then it begins with recognizing their struggle as real. It is a sickness. It is not indicative of moral failure or lack of faith. It can be made worse or better by the steps taken.

Look at your pastor as a person

Perhaps this is something you already know. However, for the sake of being thorough, I feel it is an important concept to spell out.

Your pastor, regardless of age, education, marital status, race, denominational affiliation, or any other classification, has fears, insecurities, and struggles.

For some in your congregation, this can be difficult to accept. Even some in church leadership might hesitate to acknowledge the humanness of their pastor.

And yet, by failing to do so, you designate your pastor as something other. By failing to see these traits, common among all humans as they are, you will set yourself, and the pastor up for inevitable failure.

Should the pastor be held to a higher moral standard than the person sitting in the seat? Most certainly.

Should the pastor be held to a higher standard when it comes to their knowledge and application of the Scriptures? Absolutely.

Should the pastor be seen as one who does not deal with insecurities or sickness? Absolutely not.

Your pastor is human, give them the same grace and permission you would allow anyone else.

Look at your church as a community of support

Passages including the phrase “one another” or “each other” are found throughout the New Testament. Even a cursory study demonstrates how this group of Christ-followers, known as the church, are intended to work through the joys and challenges of life together.

One of my favorite such passages is written by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians 6:2 we read, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV).”

So my question to you and your congregation is: How can you best come alongside your pastor and help carry this burden? How can you best support your pastor and their family through this struggle?

For some, this may include ways familiar to your church such as visitation by church leaders or meals prepared by church members to demonstrate love. However, and I cannot stress this enough, make sure you are finding ways for your church to walk with the pastor and their family through this challenge. One of the absolute worst steps that can be taken, especially for an established pastor, is for the church to pull back and disconnect. This results in the pastor’s family feeling as though they are going through this alone, or even being punished because of illness.

Lots of details will change based on the relationship between the pastor and leadership, the pastor’s family and church members, etc. However, make a choice to use this time to live out the one another passages among your local body of believers.

Look for ways to encourage health and healing

Like recovering from an accident, illness, or surgery, the road to a place of emotional health takes time. What steps can your church take to support your pastor’s healing? Here are some possibilities (any of which could be a post in themselves):

A Doctor’s Visit – While a primary care physician (PCP) will not be the landing spot for talk therapy, trauma, or underlying issues, it is always a good place to start when it comes to health. Just like the mind can impact the well-being of the body, the well-being of the body can impact the mind. One’s PCP also will likely be the one to prescribe medications, should that be explored.

Counseling – Like visiting the dentist for a toothache, visiting a mental health professional for therapy should be considered a place to start. To be sure, there are a variety of counseling philosophies in existence.  There also may even need to be a few different counselors visited to find one that your pastor connects with.

Would your church be able to support your pastor by paying for counseling to ease any financial burden? It is something to consider.

Sabbatical – The idea of a Sabbatical means more than “a long vacation.” It is an extended Sabbath wherein responsibilities are reduced or removed for a time. A Sabbatical, specifically to aid in emotional health and healing. However, as stated above, walk through this WITH your pastor. Do not put your pastor in an isolated situation on sabbatical hoping they will get “fixed.” Often, it is beneficial to work with organizations that focus on ministering to pastors.   Soul Shepherding and Caregivers Forum are just two of the various ministries that specialize in this.

Regular, Honest Communication, with No Fear of Reprisal – One of the biggest hesitations pastors may have about admitting to or dealing with, their issues of mental health is the potential loss of their job. While this is a ministry, it is also how your pastor puts food on the table for their family. There are numerous factors that influence how trusting a pastor is to engage in such a topic, however, do all you can to normalize and encourage unfiltered discussion.

Look on with a long-term perspective

To this point, I have focused on how the church should support its pastor’s steps toward health and healing. However, as someone who has served in full-time ministry since 2006, I realize that a church leader may feel some tension navigating this challenge.

On one hand, there is the health and well-being of the pastor and the pastor’s family.

On the other hand, there are dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of individuals that your pastor is responsible to help care for.

How, then, should church leaders respond when those different concerns feel at odds?

Certainly, there are no formulas that offer fail-proof solutions to challenges like this. Any church leadership will need to consider all facets as they care for both the pastor and the rest of the church body. However, one way to care for both your pastor and your congregation is to approach this time from a long-term perspective.

There may be a time when building plans, programming, or other long-term objectives need to pause or be reworked in an effort to offer care and support. There also may be a time when, for the betterment of the congregation, church leaders need to remove the pastor from their official capacity, even as they continue with care and support as a member of their church body.

Whatever decision is made, look on from a long-term perspective. Think in terms of years not weeks or months as you consider both the well-being of the church and the well-being of the pastor and their family.

For mental health resources in your area visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

If you know of someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts, encourage them to text HOME to 741741.
A trained volunteer at the National Crisis Text Line will anonymously help navigate whatever crisis they are going through.