Local Churches Address Mental Health Crisis in Their Communities

Seeking to reach people outside their walls, more than 200 Seventh-day Adventist churches across North America, including 17 in the Lake Union Conference in the United States, recently hosted the short mental health series MindFit.

The Voice of Prophecy (VOP) media ministry produced the event to empower churches to be practical and spiritual resources for their communities in battling a continent-wide mental health crisis.  

“On a global scale, one in eight people struggle daily with mental illness — one in five in North America. The implication is clear: it is nearly impossible to live on this earth and not be affected by mental illness,” VOP associate speaker Alex Rodriguez said.  

Each session of MindFit, a four-part event, commences with audiences watching a 30-minute episode of a docuseries hosted by Rodriguez, who traveled across North America to speak with mental health professionals and patients. The series sheds light on the history and prevalence of mental health challenges. It emphasizes that effective treatments are available and amplified by biblical principles. After each episode, a local church leader guides the audience through a provided study and discussion. 

Sheila Hinton, who led MindFit at the Shelbyville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Shelbyville, Indiana, was thrilled to witness the series draw in community members. 

“It’s hard for our small church to attract people,” Hinton said, “but eight came for the event and three continued studying with ‘Peace Is an Inside Job.’ ” 

Peace Is an Inside Job is a VOP-created Bible study series churches can use as a follow-up to MindFit. At the Shelbyville church, community interest extended beyond even these study sessions. One MindFit guest who recently lost his parents to dementia has continued coming to Saturday (Sabbath) afternoon Bible studies. Another attendee has expressed interest in spreading the valuable knowledge he gained from the event. 

“It was exciting to visit with a man who works with youth at another church in the community,” Hinton said, describing the attendee. “He asked lots of questions and said he planned to share information with the youth.” 

Hinton believes it was MindFit’s relevant nature that helped her church build high-quality relationships with community members. 

Similarly, Dale Barnhurst, who led MindFit at the Oakhill Seventh-day Adventist Church in Caseyville, Illinois, believes the series is pointed and necessary. 

“Ever since COVID-19, we’ve been in trouble,” he said. “We’ve needed something to help people decipher what they are feeling.” 

Barnhurst and other church leaders were stunned by their MindFit audience’s engagement. A community attendee who was a licensed counselor stepped up to perform a Q&A session. One young woman impressed many with her vulnerability, sharing details of her mental health struggles that even her family members, also in attendance, did not know.  

“There were people crying, nodding their heads, asking questions — it was like, ‘Wow, this is what people are going through,’ ” Barnhurst shared. “MindFit was cutting-edge, and I am super thankful for it. We’ve needed something, and MindFit was more than something.” 

For churches interested in hosting the event and receiving an advertising boost to draw in more community members, VOP will conduct a continent-wide MindFit campaign September 19-21 and again January 2-4. In the weeks leading up to these dates, host churches will benefit from a mass social media campaign promoting the series. 

“With approximately 6,500 Adventist churches dotting the landscape of North America, our denomination is uniquely positioned to be a center of healing for those who are struggling,” Rodriguez said. “We filmed MindFit to place churches at the forefront of the mental health conversation. May the love of Jesus be reflected through us as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in bringing physical and spiritual healing to a world perishing in hopelessness.” 

The original version of this story was posted by the Lake Union Herald. Last updated August 5, 2024.