Churches That Heal
an all-new, digital toolkit designed to equip pastors and churches to address issues of mental health in their communities through a biblical and psychologically-sound path of healing.
The world is full of hurting people.
And the Church is not immune.
Many people in our churches are hurting.
Communities have struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking for healing in order to move forward.
Pastors themselves are also experiencing high levels of pain, stress, burnout, and depression.
All of this is often referred to as the “mental health crisis,” and rightly so.
In fact, a third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression.
The mental health crisis is one we, the Church, cannot afford to ignore.
The Church’s Role
We know that when people are hurting, many of them first reach out to the Church to find help. Sometimes, a church is well-equipped to help and they do, in significant ways. But far too many times, a church finds themselves wanting to help, but past a few sessions of pastoral counseling, they don’t know what to do next.
Simply put, so many churches are ill-equipped to handle these complex issues that are keeping people from living in the fullness of God.
In other churches, hurting people might get answers that they already know, like “pray about it,” “get in the Word,” or some other spiritual practice that many of them are already trying, but is falling short of the help they need. At that point, it leaves them feeling like the Church has no answer for them — and can even cause them to run in the opposite direction.
Nothing breaks my heart more.
And I imagine it breaks yours, too.
We know the Church does have answers because God has answers to the mental health issues that most of us will experience at some point in our lives. The Church can be one of the most powerful places for people struggling with these issues to find help — when a church is equipped to provide it.
I have seen this to be true over my four decades helping ministries be equipped to provide the help and healing that the Gospel promises. And it is my firm belief both as a clinical psychologist and as a person on the journey that God and His Word have provided answers to our pain, and the Church can be well-equipped to deliver them.
I believe the Church should be a place that hurting people run to, not away from.
Church, I know you want to help those who are suffering. But, the truth is that sometimes you just need some help figuring out how to do it. We have heard this message a lot over the past few years from pastors and leaders: “we feel ill-equipped to handle the issues of mental health in our churches and we need a simple program to help.”
Years ago, I developed a model that ministries could use to help those struggling with what we now call “mental health” issues: depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, eating disorders, broken relational patterns, failure to launch, or confusion over how to accomplish their callings and bring their gifts to fruition. This program has been proven over decades and validated by research and many, many ministries, and the best part is this:
it is delivered through biblical processes whereby people discover that spiritual growth is also the answer to the pain that they feel.
They discover that God really does provide the answer and mental health in the church becomes a priority.
Said another way, it brings mental health struggles into the purview of spiritual growth, and that is why I believe the Church has such a powerful role to play.
Introducing, Churches That Heal
Which brings us to today, to your church, and to the hurting people in your community that God is calling you to reach. As the need increased and churches asked for more equipping in this area, I put this proven model into a comprehensive, simple-to-use toolkit that gets a local church up and running with the help that people need need when it comes to any kind of mental health problem.
Through Churches That Heal, you will learn about the processes for healing that God outlines in Scripture and be given practical solutions for meeting the needs of those in your community who are struggling with mental and emotional issues.
In today’s world, reaching the most people as effectively as possible means going digital. That’s why we created this digital toolkit, with hundreds of videos and downloads, to support you anytime, anywhere.
Our Proven Roadmap for Churches
We’ve made it simple through Churches That Heal
Pastoral Healing
Pastors and staff teams get healthy first. After all, the health of a community begins with the health of its leaders. Through a staff retreat, faith leader teams will experience a Pastoral Healing Journey, complete with a Leader Guide created specifically for church staff members.
Pastoral Training
Then, Pastors go through Mental Health Training where you’ll learn practical, nuts-and-bolts answers to deal with any kind of challenging mental health issue your church faces such as:
- When is the answer to pray for healing?
- What is the best way to help someone struggling with an illegal drug addiction?
- And more…
This is the mental health resource you have been looking for to help a church member struggling with mental illness in your faith community.
Church and Community Rollout
Following the Pastoral Healing Journey and Mental Health Training, as a church leader, you will introduce the content to your community or church either through a Sunday morning series or half-day community event. In addition to videos for the event, we provide you with a Participant Guide and marketing and event materials. All these resources can help you become a mental health ministry!
You Will Also Receive
Small Group Curriculum
Have your church and community members go even deeper through the Churches That Heal small group curriculum. Through your Churches That Heal membership, you will receive unlimited digital access to the Small Group video series, Participant Workbook, and Leader Guide, for any small groups in your community that would like to experience this transformational journey. We’ve made it easy for you to share this resource with anyone interested in participating.
Video Library
Also within the Churches That Heal Toolkit you will find Dr. Cloud’s extensive video library with hundreds of his sermons, messages, and topical video content at your fingertips. Whether you use these videos for personal and staff development, or even as a stand-in for a Sunday message, the Churches That Heal video library is designed to help you become the Church you’re meant to be: a Church That Heals. Topics include: boundaries, fear, anxiety, depression, performance, dreams, marriage, and many others.
Regular Equipping
In addition to all of the resources members find immediately on Churches That Heal, Dr. Cloud is in regular touch to provide webinars, new topical video series, devotional emails, and other resources to continue meeting you where you are in your journey.
Your Community Needs You
What do you want people who are suffering to experience when they come to your church and say “I have an issue”?
What if your church could be known as a beacon of healing in your community?
Pastors, now is the time to proactively embrace mental health issues and those who struggle with them. Churches That Heal was designed for you.
Let me be your psychologist and pastor and share a path for healing that is both biblically-based and psychologically-sound.
– Henry
What results can I expect?
Our Partners
Compassion International
Learn more about our sponsor and partner, Compassion International