As part of a pastor’s family that was affected by serious mental illness, Amy Simpson brings sensitivity and insight into how churches minister to those with mental illnesses. Her research on the topic formed the basis of her book, “Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission.” Amy is also the author of “Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry” and “Blessed Are the Unsatisfied: Finding Spiritual Freedom in an Imperfect World.”

In Today’s Conversion podcast, which is hosted by NAE President Leith Anderson, you’ll learn:

  • What the most common forms of mental illnesses are in the United States;
  • How social media and Internet use impact the mental health of young people;
  • What roles churches and medicine play in treatment; and
  • How to address the stigma of mental illness in the Church.

Read a Portion of the Transcript

Leith: In partnership with Christianity Today, you conducted a survey of 500 churches to understand what’s going on with mental health in the Church. Out of that, did you find out to what extent pastors are aware that people in the congregations are suffering from mental illnesses?

Amy: This finding actually surprised me, because based on how our churches typically respond and how much we talk about this in our churches — which is not very much — I was expecting a lower percentage of pastors to be aware of or to admit that mental illness is present within their congregation. But it was actually very high. Ninety-eight percent of pastors were aware of some kind of mental health problem existing within their own congregation. So virtually 100 percent of pastors acknowledged this is present in their churches. But at the same time, only 12.5 percent of them said that mental illness was openly discussed in a healthy way in their church. And, there were other statistics in there that showed there’s a pretty big gap between that level of awareness and the level of response — at least a healthy and productive response — so we have some work to do there.

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Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Fuller Theological Seminary.

 

 

Amy Simpson

Amy Simpson is an author, speaker and leadership coach. Her books include “Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission,” “Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry” and “Blessed Are the Unsatisfied: Finding Spiritual Freedom in an Imperfect World.” Simpson previously served as an editor at Christianity Today and vice president and publisher of Christianity Today’s Church Ministry Media Group and Leadership Media Group. Simpson is on the board of Minds Renewed, a national consortium of Christians who serve those impacted by mental health concerns and addictive disorders. She holds a B.A. in English from Trinity International University and an M.B.A. from University of Colorado at Denver.

Leith Anderson

Leith Anderson is president emeritus of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor emeritus of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He served as NAE president from 2007–2019, after twice serving as interim president. He served as senior pastor of Wooddale Church for 35 years before retiring in 2011. He has been published in many periodicals and has written over 20 books. Anderson has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Bradley University and Denver Seminary.