Is Your Faith Community Responsive to Persons with Mental Illnesses?
- Does your congregation make a deliberate attempt to welcome and integrate persons with mental illness and their families into the total life and work of the church (without being obvious and setting them apart) by:
- Being accepting, friendly, understanding and genuine?
- Praying for those who are experiencing a mental illness the same as for other illnesses?
- Visiting and calling on the individual experiencing mental illness and by offering to help in little ways (remembering to follow-through with commitment)?
- Offering support and love to the parents or family of the individual, by inquiring about their family member’s health as one would for anyone who is ill?
- Listening and talking with the individual experiencing mental illness?
- Does your congregation use every opportunity to educate themselves and others about mental illness by:
- Encouraging clergy, lay staff and congregational members to learn about mental illness?
- Raising awareness of mental illness in sermons, bulletins, and newsletters?
- Adding books and other publications tot he congregation’s library?
- Becoming familiar with local mental health services and support groups?
- Does your congregation offer its facilities and/or resources to individuals experiencing mental illness and their families by:
- Hosting a group of people from a local residential facility?
- Sponsoring support groups for individuals experiencing mental illness and/or families?
- Offering employment opportunities?
- Does your congregation advocate for people experiencing mental illness?
- Working with other churches and organizations, such as the Mental Health Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
- Supporting efforts to obtain appropriate housing and jobs?
- Not letting false, stigmatizing and discriminatory statements about mental illness go unchallenged?
- Supporting adequate state and local budgets for mental health services?
- Giving money for research into the causes and cures for mental illness?
- Does your congregation undertake a ministry to, ministry with, and ministry by persons experiencing mental illness and their families? Are they invited to serve as leaders and committee members?
(Sources: HopeAllianz Counseling and Healing Center. Adapted from criteria established by the Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Network, NAMI-MN: “Information about Mental Illness and NAMI-MN for Faith Communities and Religious Leaders,” 2001; FaithNet).