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.
We Are His Workmanship 