Our plan for healing and finding wellness with depression flows from our theological reflection. First, all churches--whether they believe that members of the congregation or leadership live with depression or not--should provide education and opportunity for discussion about depression and other forms of mental illness. Second, the person living with depression must feel safe to name the disease and voice lament, and the community must be strong enough to hear this lament. Finally, the individual and her/his family must find webs of support in professional care and in the community.

• Education:  Education assures that the all members of the community know about mental illness, its causes, and healthy ways to address the disease and care for a loved one. This should take place whether or not the church knows of any individuals suffering with depression, because it creates a safe environment to allow for the next two steps.     

• Provide education that is theological, sociological, and psychological in nature
• Explore holistic understandings of the issues surrounding depression and healing
• Educate all members of the community: Pastor, congregation, individuals suffering from depression, and loved ones of those who suffer 

• Naming/Confessing and Lamenting: Breaking the silence involves both speaking and hearing. If one envisions confession and repentance, the model runs like this: the Pastor names the depression in an appropriate setting, confessing not to the "sin" of despair but to the need for help, and repents of the over-burden of too many tasks. Likewise, the community confesses their prior lack of support and pledges to empower the Pastor. To move away from the language of sin, the person suffering from depression must feel able to name the illness and voice her lament in a community that can hear and support her, if healing is ever to occur. 

• Breaking the silence is an act of prayer, voiced to God, to one's self, and to one's community
• The Pastor (or individual suffering with depression) voices the lament  
• The lament is heard by God, by one's self, and by the community
• With the depression named, all those involved can make their way back to reality, to honest perceptions of the problem at hand, and to realistic expectations of each other and the healing ahead

• Reconciliation and Support: Often the Pastor (male or female), by her very nature, thinks of those she serves before herself. This prevents her from fully utilizing resources to support her in her return to wellness. What is needed is a healthy balance of concern for the other and concern for one's self. The Pastor serves the church when she takes care of herself, and the church serves itself when it takes care of the Pastor. In both cases, the care for the Pastor is the primary concern, which will result in the overall heath of both Pastor and community. 

• In dialogue with a health care professional, the individual should seek treatment and assessment, including discerning a healthy level of involvement and determining the need for a leave of absence or hospitalization. 
• Form a Pastor Support Group within the congregation to "cheer the Pastor on" and assist with ministry
• Pastor should find an area-clergy or ecumenical support group for appropriate, non-congregational disclosure and support  
• Continue to build "webs of support" for the Pastor and family

For resources and links, please view our resource page and our bibliography.

[Resources]   [Bibliography]