Making Progress
In recent years pastors have come forward to address the mental health in the church, Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren, who lost his son to suicide in 2013, and Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church of South Carolina addressed his secret battle with depression. Basically, the church needs to support people struggling in this area, not shun them. In a 2014 blog Perry wrote, “I’m tired of church leaders feeling like they can’t be honest because they’re privately losing a battle with depression. They’re too afraid to admit they’re hurting from anxiety because their church might ask them to leave…but it doesn’t have to be that way!”