Leaders and mental health

Christian leadership is a challenging calling. Not only is the ministry spiritually and physically challenging, it also exerts a huge pressure on the mind. 22% of UK clergy time off work each year is a result of depressive illness and over 50% of Christian leaders agree that they are more often than not, over stressed and over burdened. Additional to this is the reality that Christian leaders are spending a large amount of their time dealing directly with the mental and emotional health of their congregations and the wider communities.

Many leaders we meet have got to the stage of burn-out or mental exhaustion, often lamenting the fact that they either denied or repressed their negative emotions over many years for the sake of their ministry. The difficulty with leaders presenting themselves as emotional super-humans is that they not only hurt themselves, they also disempower their congregations. With the support of Mind and Soul many leaders are enjoying greater emotional and mental openness and finding recovery from the mental pressures of ministry. Alongside this journey they are also learning to create emotionally healthy church environments that truly support the people that they lead.

Search our resources for 'leaders' to find out more.

 

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