She Thought She Should Kill Herself - She Went To Her Pastor Instead
A pastor told us about a girl who was encouraged to kill herself by other teens online. A few rare and fortunate things happened that may have saved her life.
- She attended a weekly student ministry.
- She felt safe approaching her pastor for help.
- Her pastor recognized that he had a role in caring for the mental health of young people.
- Her pastor had a process in place to refer her out to professional help.
Most young people are not as fortunate.
- Many young people have abandoned church (or never attended), in part because they don’t see church as relevant to their life or the struggles they face.
- Many ministry leaders and volunteers have not been equipped to have serious discussions about life with young people.
- Sadly, many churches still fail to recognize that Christ and the bible provide answers for the everyday struggles that people face (including mental health struggles).
- Some churches are still resistant to work with mental health professionals to be part of a community of care for their church family.
The devastating truth is that an alarming number of young people are dying by suicide. The church can be part of the answer to this crisis. With a small donation, you can help us produce resources that help churches fill their role in saving lives?