Many people in the church carry hidden pain: anxiety that keeps them awake, depression that makes every day feel heavy, or trauma that flares up in quiet moments. For some, that pain becomes so overwhelming that they lose contact with reality in ways that are frightening for them and for those around them. This is what we call psychosis. When someone is experiencing psychosis, the church’s first job is not to fix everything. It is to stay calm and stay present.
Suicide and self-harm are not signs of weak faith. They are signs of deep pain. People who are struggling with suicide often feel like they have no way out, no hope, and no one who understands. Our job is to help them feel that they are not alone, that their pain matters, and that there is help.
A crisis is not simply “someone having a hard week.” It is a situation where a person may be in immediate danger, has lost significant contact with reality, or cannot reliably keep themselves safe. Mental health crises can include suicidal thoughts, self-harm, psychosis, severe agitation, or a person becoming unable to care for themselves safely. When someone is in crisis, the church’s first job is not to fix everything. It is to stay calm and stay present.
The lives of David, Job, Jeremiah, Elijah, Hannah, Jonah, Paul, and Jesus show us that emotional suffering is neither new nor shameful. God met each of them in their anguish…and through their stories, we learn how to care for others when they are suffering emotional and spiritual distress.
In both church and community, mental health is often seen as a spiritual failure, a personal weakness, or something shameful and dangerous, rather than as a real health issue that can affect anyone and often needs both spiritual and professional care.
