Book Review – Mental Health and the Church
Image: Mental Health and the Church by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 6 out of 10. A book that focuses on reducing mental health stigma in the church and improving church worship environments, primarily for families of children with special needs.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD / 2.2.2023; No. 107
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 6 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Stephen Grcevich
About the author
Stephen Grcevich, MD, is a pediatric psychiatrist and the founder and President of Key Ministry, a nonprofit organization focused on helping churches minister to families of children with “hidden,” developmental, and physical disabilities. Dr. Grcevich has decades of clinical experience as well as teaching and research experience. He is a past recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and was an invited participant at the White House Summit on Mental Health in 2019. Dr. Grcevich obtained his MD at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, completed his general psychiatry residency at Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and completed his fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at University Hospitals of Cleveland.
General description
Mental Health and the Church is a book for leaders and families in Christian churches on developing inclusive programming and an inclusive culture in the church for adults and families of children with mental health and developmental disabilities. Conditions addressed in this book include:
Anxiety
Executive function weaknesses
Sensory processing differences
Social communication challenges
Social isolation
Unique and most important aspects
Mental Health and the Church is a book that mostly focuses on addressing stigma and the need to change ministry environments. Dr. Stephen Grcevich outlines seven barriers that people with mental health and developmental disabilities might face in attending church services as well as seven inclusion strategies for churches to adopt. This book’s subtitle, A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions, is reflective of what the book contains, however, much of the information seems more applicable to children with autism and ADHD than other conditions and ages. Important ideas from this book:
Providing examples of large churches (Saddleback, North Pointe, and Willow Creek) that have successfully made some of these changes.
Sharing examples of unhelpful teachings that are not biblical and end up worsening stigma, as well as describing four types of communication and behavior to avoid saying or doing publicly.
Listing strategies for helping attendees with anxiety and ADHD to have a more positive experience attending an in-person church worship experience.
Describing how to create a “sensory-friendly” environment for children and adults with sensory sensitivities.
Best quotes
“The families I meet through my work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist are far less likely than other families in our community to be actively involved in a local church…The severity of aggressive behavior, meltdowns, and impulsiveness demonstrated by the children prevented their families from attending Sunday morning worship services and hindered their ability to maintain their volunteer commitments or small group involvement.”
“We need to recognize how two different types of stigma impact the challenges churches face in outreach to individuals and families impacted by mental illness – the stigma in our general culture connected to persons with mental illness and specific treatments for mental illness, and the stigma uniquely connected with mental illness in the church.”
“Mental health inclusion is best understood as a mind-set for doing ministry rather than a ‘program’ for ministry.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in learning how to improve ministry experiences for families of children with mental health and developmental disabilities are likely to enjoy Mental Health and the Church.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are looking for a book that goes into depth on how to help children and adults with a wide variety of mental health problems are unlikely to enjoy Mental Health and the Church.
Conclusion
Mental Health and the Church is a book that focuses on reducing mental health stigma in the church and improving church worship environments, primarily for families of children with special needs.