To Continue the Synod’s Efforts to Address Mental Health and Mental Illness

Preamble Over the course of the 2019–23 quadrennium, the Office of National Mission (ONM) staff reflected on how best to respond to the Synod’s ongoing desired goals, objectives, and possible beneficial actions pertaining to mental health and mental illness. Mental illness is considered the most severe yet diagnosable form of a mental health problem, with diagnosable mental illness affecting 20+ percent of the U.S. population in any given year. As ONM leadership considered 2019 Resolution 3-04A, “To Encourage Training of Our Pastors, Church Workers and Congregations to Recognize and Provide Pastoral Care for Those Suffering from Clinical Depression, Mental Illnesses, and Other Mental Disorders” (Proceedings, 131), particularly its four resolves,

Resolved, That our seminaries, universities, and recognized service organizations be encouraged to continue to strive for improved training in mental illness, health, and wellness for those studying to be pastors and church workers; and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage the seminaries and universities to include continuing education opportunities and resources regarding the topic of mental illness; and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod districts work to provide additional training to all workers through partnerships with our seminaries, our Concordias, and other trusted experts in the field; and be it finally

Resolved, That we encourage our pastors, church workers, and congregations to actively advocate for mental health and wellness in their congregations, among their people, and provide Christ-centered compassion and ministerial supportive care to those in need through prayer, private confession and absolution, and the means of grace, ONM eventually determined to establish an ad hoc task force to undertake further study, immediately feasible actions, and the development of recommendations aimed at future Synod actions and initiatives to address mental health and mental illness issues among both church workers and laity. ONM is grateful for the direct participation of the following individuals on the ad hoc task force, chaired by Rev. Steven Briel, D. Litt. (chair, LCMS Board for National Mission [BNM]); Mr. Steve Gruenwald (Concordia Plan Services); Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor (ONM); Dr. Richard Marrs (faculty member, Concordia Seminary); Ms. Jenna McMiller (ONM, task force secretary); Dr. Gerhard Mundinger (Chair, Concordia University System Board of Directors); Rev. Daniel Ognoskie (Zion Lutheran, Wilton, Iowa); Dr. Todd Peperkorn (faculty member, Concordia Theological Seminary); Dr. Stephen Saunders (faculty member, Marquette University); Ms. Martha Ulmer (Augsburg Lutheran, Shawnee, Kan.); Rev. Wayne Palmer (Concordia Publishing House). Following the diminishment of the COVID-19 pandemic, over the past two years this ad hoc task force has subsequently undertaken a number of considerations and actions, including but not limited to:

• preparation of various mental health and mental illness resources (textual and audiovisual)—most notably resources aimed to assist in the recognition of mental illness—for distribution to the Synod’s church workers via print and electronic means (commenced and continuing), i.e., those available at the Synod’s website:

• www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/mercy/church-worker- wellness;

• www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/mercy/health-ministry;

• preparation of accessible reference tools pointing church workers, congregations, and congregation members to additional useful resources pertaining to mental health and mental illness (commenced and continuing); and

• an issue of The Lutheran Witness (February 2023) devoted to the topic of mental health and mental illness. Proposed Action

WHEREAS, Mental health issues are distressing, disabling, common, and costly; and

WHEREAS, Mental health issues include diagnosable mental illnesses and less severe but distressing and disabling mental health problems; and

WHEREAS, Decades of research show that mental illness affects one in five persons of all ages in any given year; and

WHEREAS, Many persons experience mental health problems that are very distressing but are not serious enough to warrant diagnosis of mental illness; and

WHEREAS, Families, spouses, siblings, children, and friends are impacted by mental health issues of loved ones; and

WHEREAS, Mental health issues are similar to physical and medical issues in that they affect Christians as well as any other person; and

WHEREAS, Persons seeking help for mental health issues face stigma and bias against them; and

WHEREAS, Research clearly shows that persons with mental health issues are likely to seek help from their church; and

WHEREAS, Research shows that persons with mental health issues have a preference to seek help from their church rather than from a health professional; and

WHEREAS, Individuals seeking help from their pastor are likely to receive vital ongoing and spiritual care and counsel; and

WHEREAS, Jesus Christ commands His followers to show mercy to those in need and to carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2); and

WHEREAS, Members of the Body of Christ throughout the Synod desire to use their personal and professional abilities to identify and to serve the souls within our families and communities who have mental health needs; and

WHEREAS, Those wanting to provide such help should never take the place of mental health professionals but will desire to assist through recognition of potential mental health problems, providing mercy and spiritual care at every opportunity, and referral to mental health professionals as necessary and appropriate; and

WHEREAS, The Synod’s church workers, congregations, schools, and congregation members have limited capacity and training to help for reasons related to inadequate awareness and understanding of mental health issues; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm 2019 Res. 3- 04A, “To Encourage Training of Our Pastors, Church Workers, and Congregations to Recognize and Provide Pastoral Care for Those Suffering from Clinical Depression, Mental Illnesses, and Other Mental Disorders”; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God and commend ONM, in particular, for their efforts to date, forming its ad hoc task force, to address the broad spectrum of issues related to mental health and recognizing mental health needs among the Synod’s church workers, as well as members of congregations and schools, encouraging effective Christian mental health education initiatives in service of those goals;

and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod direct the continued furtherance of such intentional efforts by leadership and coordination coming from within the ONM Health Ministry program unit (housed under ONM’s Human Care and Ministerial Support area) under established policies and oversight provided by the BNM; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod discourage its members and congregations from attaching stigma to or being biased against persons seeking help for mental health issues; and be it further

Resolved, That these intentional efforts include the identification of potential opportunities for easily accessed and widely available mental health resources and programs already existing and the development of new and distinctly Christian mental health resources and programs for use by church workers, congregations, schools, congregation members, families, communities, districts, and the Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That all efforts to serve souls with mental health needs will also consistently recognize and honor the need to provide vital spiritual resources and gifts available only with the provision of spiritual care; and be it further

Resolved, That these intentional efforts be focused on the overarching goal of equipping and caring for our church workers, congregations, schools, and congregation members to better help persons both within and outside the Church who are directly and personally or indirectly, through family and other connections, affected by mental health problems or mental illness; and be it further

Resolved, That the ONM Health Ministry program unit, in identifying and coordinating such intentional efforts and providing such resources and programs, consider and employ all reasonable means available to the Synod for the promotion of mental health, including the provision of textual and audiovisual media distributed by print and electronic means, conferences, and other training events, and closely coordinated collaboration within and between the Synod’s agencies, auxiliaries, and recognized service organizations;

and be it finally

Resolved, That the ONM Health Ministry program unit provide a standalone report on its progress against the above- listed objectives over the 2023–26 triennium to the 2026 Synod convention