Every two years, roughly 7,000 counselors, pastors, coaches, and other leaders come together for the World Conference of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) in Nashville. They spend the week absorbing plenary talks and worship times, learning from hundreds of continuing education workshops and speakers, exploring more than 100 exhibitors’ booths, and making connections with others who approach counseling and care from a Christian perspective.

Our team always has a booth  to share our latest research and we often use the week to launch our latest book—as we did this year. It’s one of the most rewarding, exhausting, special, busy, and beautiful weeks that we have every two years.

We just broke down our booth two hours ago, and I’m writing this in our packed-to-the-gills minivanas Jeff drives us 4 ½ hours back home to Atlanta. I thought it might be fun and encouraging to share some “real-time” reflections on an amazing week.

Reflection #1: SO MANY counselors and pastors use our books and resources!

I cannot count the number of times (30? 50?) one of these wonderful professionals came up to me or Jeff or a member of the team and said, “I use your books regularly in my clinical practice,” or “We have every couple in our pre-marital counseling watch your videos,” or “Thank you for your research, it is so important,” or “This book saved my marriage, and now I’m using it to help others.”

No, no, I’m not fighting back tears, that’s just a bit of dust in my eye.

The overarching goals shared by me, Jeff, and our amazing team members are a) to help people thrive in their lives and relationships, and b) serve the precious caregivers who pour themselves out so those in pain can find healing. It is unbelievably encouraging to know that after more than 20 years, our work to create eye-opening, research-based tools continues to help both audiences.

Reflection #2: The new book, When Hurting People Come to Church, is hugely needed!

I would have to look at our records to be sure, but I think this is the largest book launch we have ever had at AACC in terms of sheer sales numbers. By Thursday, we sold through our entire[LD4]  stock of When Hurting People come to Church—and still had two more days to go! We were very grateful that this year our publisher, Tyndale House Publishers, had a booth opposite ours in the exhibit hall and we were able to beg a few extra cases from them!

As noted in last week’s blog about the book launch and the podcast with my coauthor Dr. James Sells, this book is designed to help the church become the hero in the mental health crisis. It equips church pastors and staff, Christian counselors, and involved lay volunteers with the vision, encouragement and practical tools to take some of the burden off pastors and clinicians and raise up trained church laypeople who can walk alongside those with basic needs.

We conducted two workshops this week to share that vision, as well as the research with 2,000 pastors that runs underneath it. So many licensed counselors came up after our workshops and said something like this one specialist: “For years, I told pastors that their only legitimate path was to refer needs to me or other licensed therapists. But I see that my way just isn’t enough. There just aren’t enough clinicians to meet the need. There aren’t enough pastors. We have to start thinking about enlisting the aid of laypeople, if we are going to actually care for those who need it.”  

Reflection #3: There are a HUGE number of churches and counselors already doing this!

Our book and the initiative that accompanies it, The Church Cares, are not really blazing a trail—we are lighting and perhaps paving and widening a path that has already been blazed by many others. Many dozens of churches and counselors came up to us in the booth and described the ways they were already doing or working on this type of lay mental health ministry in their churches.

This morning, I had yet another such conversation with a group of leaders and was so encouraged by what they said that my staff and operations director, Eileen Kirkland, tapped me on the shoulder and said, “They are a good example. You should interview them for your blog.”

Yes, yes I should!

Ian and Megan Taylor, Amanda Levy, and Monica Stuart all live and minister in central Florida, and all graciously said I could share what they told me.

Ian is Ministry Director of The Life Church, Apollo Beach. Megan is Office Manager of Renewed Integrated Counseling, which is owned by Amanda. Monica is one of the key licensed professional counselors. They have four offices in central Florida and more than 40 therapists.

Megan explained, “I am spearheading this effort to partner with the local churches. Monica and I go talk to pastors about the mental health need and to hear the pastor’s heart. What is going on in your church? What do you need? There’s a pain point that lots of pastors have; they don’t know where to send their people, and even when to send their people. We want to know how we can support them. And this idea of raising up lay care in the church is another way of doing that. I’m so excited about that. How can we equip the average Joe with some understanding of mental health and equip them to be the body of Christ and come alongside? In one workshop this week someone said, ‘Not everyone with a headache goes to primary care.’  And it’s the same with this. Not every bump in the road requires professional help.”

I asked Ian his thoughts from a church leader’s perspective. “Today, when the average person hears ‘mental health,’ we all instantly think ‘you need a professional, let’s get you a counselor, let’s get you a therapist.’ But it is so important for the body of Christ to be the body of Christ! Sometimes you just need a friend you can have coffee with. Sometimes you need someone who will just listen. Sometimes you need peer-support groups and life groups. And sometimes you do need the therapist. But all those other ways of helping will reduce the number of people who need the therapist.”

Megan chimed in again, “There just aren’t enough therapists to meet the need. Everyone is full. We are full. Right now, for example, our clinics have just 50 openings across four offices in the next four weeks. There are millions of people in central Florida. But we can help just 50 more.”

As she shared that, I thought, there are hundreds of churches in Central Florida. Imagine the difference to those millions of people if there were suddenly hundreds of trained lay listeners in churches who could walk alongside the basic needs—and free up the clinicians to see the more significant ones?

As our books sold, and then sold out, it was validating to realize that so many professionals see the need for the church to be the place where people can find help and hope for their life pain. Can you imagine if instead of hearing dire news stories about the mental health crisis in America, we began to discover that churches all around us are helping to solve the crisis in meaningful, lasting, and sustainable ways?

It will take many of us—not just the “professionals.” If you have a heart for helping the hurting, this may very well include you. You can see what the buzz is all about by picking up a copy of When Hurting People Come to Church, and giving a copy to your pastor.

I hope you will.

In the meantime, I’m going to put my feet up for a few days and just savor the goodness of being surrounded by so many boots-on-the-ground people who devote their lives to helping others.

If you are interested in having Shaunti bring research-based strategies, practical wisdom and biblical principles to your next event, please contact Nicole Owens at nowens@shaunti.com.

On our podcast, I Wish You Could Hear This, Jeff and I offer proven steps to help you thrive in your life, faith and relationships. In other words, we’ll offer the practical help you’ve grown accustomed to right here in this blog space.  You’ll take away specific steps that help you today. Listen, follow, and share with your friends on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other platforms.

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