Does Trusting Jesus Really Mean We Need to Limit Access to Mental Health Care?

The first in a new series: The Intersection of Mental Health and Ministry

As our national mental health crisis continues to escalate, church leaders can find themselves ill-equipped to know how to guide their people who are struggling with depression, addiction or even burnout.

Many times this gap can be solved by finding good resources and training leaders, but inside some religious traditions, the problem is deeper. 

When trusting Jesus means rejecting professional mental health care, it leaves many church members feeling they must choose between their faith and their wellbeing. 

A Dangerous Theology and Practice

34% of evangelical Christians report that their church frames mental disorders as the result of demonic influence, with another 31% promoting the idea that recovery depends on prayer and deliverance alone. And of those evangelicals that do seek psychiatric help, 83% believe therapists don’t understand their beliefs and values, which may create significant success. 

Let that sink in. 

Over a third of the American Christian population does not feel that they can trust trained mental health professionals to help them in times of crisis.

This plays out in countless ways. Leaders burn out because seeking help would somehow signal weakness of faith. Church members suffer in silence because depression or anxiety must mean they’re not praying enough. Families are torn apart because getting therapy feels like betraying their trust in God. 

These statistics are particularly scary given that leader burnout is at an all time high; when the work of ministry and faith-based leaders demands more resilience, self-awareness, and emotional health than ever before.

A False Dichotomy

It is a false dichotomy that trusting Jesus automatically puts us at odds with the latest science and mental health care. So what’s going on? Let’s look closer at these positions that shape how our communities approach mental health.

The “Faith-Only” Position

On one side are voices arguing that trusting Jesus should replace reliance on professional mental health care entirely. This is a radical view that often comes from theological positions rooted in literal biblical interpretations, as well as a devaluing of our earthly, bodily experiences over more aesthetic “spiritual” things. 

From this perspective, mental illness is viewed as the result of personal sin, punishment for transgressions, or a product of spiritual weakness such as a lack of faith or trust in God. The prescribed solution is clear: pray, repent, and trust more. This can result in shame and despair, 

One article argues that the field of psychiatry is entirely corrupt and fraudulent, and that faith in God should replace medical treatment. Others argue that since Jesus did not practice universal healthcare or heal all the sick people he came into contact with, then supporting universal mental health care contradicts Christ’s own approach. 

The Human Cost

The real-world impact of this theological position can be devastating. In one study, 41.2% of respondents indicated that their church suggested they didn’t have a mental illness, even though they had been professionally diagnosed with one.

Research on evangelical perceptions shows that when people fail to receive miraculous healing for depression, it’s often framed as the person’s failure and lack of spirituality, with individuals feeling they had failed as a Christian as well as failed in life. 

In addition to the pain involved in struggling with depression, addiction, overwhelm and more, these believers take on an additional dose of guilt and shame. 

An Integrated Position

Fortunately, there are mental health professionals, progressive faith leaders, and organizations who advocate for integrating spiritual beliefs with evidence-based treatment.

The Evangelical Alliance and organizations like Kintsugi Hope emphasize that Jesus cared about both physical and mental wellbeing, arguing that “rather than blaming someone for being sick or thinking they lack faith, Christians are encouraged to understand that mental health issues are complex”.

Research supports this integrated approach, with thousands of studies demonstrating positive associations between religion and mental health. In fact, Christian-based CBT has been shown to be more effective for depression and anxiety than traditional non-religious CBT.

Authors like Lieryn Barnett from The Gospel Coalition argue that “mental illness is a result of the fall” but stress that “my affliction—like that of the man born blind—isn’t punishment for my sins or the sins of my parents”. This perspective maintains that seeking help is not only acceptable, but wise stewardship.

Reclaiming Self-Care as Worship

Much of the Center’s leadership development focuses on building resilience, capacity, and paying attention to what your body is saying. But there’s a history in some streams of Christianity that rejects the very idea that we need to care for ourselves. Instead, ideas of sacrifice and putting others first become not just values, but theological weapons used to shame anyone who dares tend to their own needs.

Here’s what we need to understand: paying attention to ourselves isn’t heresy. It’s worship.

When we care for our bodies, which includes our minds, we’re honoring the divinely created humanity we’ve been given. We don’t get extra spiritual points for running ourselves into the ground. We don’t prove our devotion by ignoring the very real ways our brains and bodies signal distress.

Even Jesus, who taught extensively about love and compassion, didn’t just care about physical health but was also concerned about people’s feelings and thoughts. He comforted troubled minds and said, “Those who feel sad are blessed, because they will find comfort”.

The idea that seeking professional help somehow indicates a lack of faith is a false teaching that has caused people to suffer unnecessarily. Stress, depression, and anxiety are not signs of weak faith. They’re signs of being human in a broken world.

Toward a Theology of Self-Care

What if we developed a theology of self-care that recognizes both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility? What if we stopped treating science and faith as competing forces and started seeing them as complementary gifts?

The language of “theology of self-care” isn’t new. Christian scholars and practitioners have been developing this framework for years. Victoria Monet from Dallas Theological Seminary articulates it beautifully: “As Christians, we care for ourselves not to feel good and look good. We care for ourselves for the glory of God and benefit of others.” This reframes self-care from self-indulgence to worship.

Chanequa Walker-Barnes, theologian and psychologist, puts it even more directly in her book Sacred Self-Care: “Caring for ourselves is not an act of indulgence; it is an act of sacred resistance.” She argues that the more she cared for herself, the more connected she felt to God and the more she wanted to serve God in the world.

Stewardship, Not Self-Indulgence

The biblical foundation for this theology centers on stewardship. 

“The parable of the talents teaches us that the Lord, our master, wants us, his servants, to steward the resources he grants us (Matt. 25:14­–30). God gifted us with life, and he wants us to take care of our life with excellence.” Virginia Monet

When Paul writes that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), he’s not just speaking metaphorically. Tim Challies observes that while we’re commanded to “love your neighbor as yourself,” this assumes some level of appropriate self-care. We’re not to love our neighbors instead of ourselves, but as ourselves.

The distinction matters. Biblical self-care isn’t about indulgence, but stewarding the life God has given us so we can fulfill the purposes we are called to. Monet explains: “When we take care of ourselves, we express gratitude to God… We don’t treat our bodies as worthless and useless, but we treat ourselves with kindness as an act of gratitude to God.”

Addressing the False Dichotomy

The same God who created our capacity for relationship and spiritual growth also created our brains with their complex neurochemistry. The same Spirit who brings comfort and peace can work through skilled therapists and evidence-based treatments.

When we refuse to seek help for mental health struggles, we’re not demonstrating great faith at all, but may be ignoring the very resources God has provided for our healing and growth. Instead, let’s grab hold of the truth that, as bearers of the Divine, we are as important as anyone else and deserve the same treatment. 

This may be hard to hear for those who grew up believing that a central theme in Christianity is that followers of Christ must give up their lives for others (John 3:16, NLT). This text has been used to bludgeon well-meaning people for centuries to believe that sacrifice, service and putting others first were marks of a good Christian and should be followed even at the cost of an individual’s physical or mental health. 

The Path Forward

We need leaders who model emotional health, not emotional martyrdom. We need churches that create space for both prayer and therapy, both spiritual direction and professional counseling. We need a faith community that sees wholeness (mental, physical, and spiritual) as the goal.

This doesn’t mean we diminish the role of faith in healing and growth. It means we expand our understanding of how God works in the world. It means we stop making people choose between their faith and their wellbeing.

The process of growth and healing is messy, requiring vulnerability, honesty, and often professional guidance. These aren’t signs of spiritual failure, but are signs of being human and brave enough to do the hard work of becoming whole.

As we continue this series, we’ll explore practical ways to integrate mental health awareness into ministry, how to support leaders in crisis, and what it looks like to create emotionally healthy faith communities. But it starts here, with naming the false choice we’ve been forcing on ourselves and our communities.

Your mental health matters. Seeking help is not a betrayal of your faith—it’s an act of stewardship for the life and ministry you’ve been given.

At the Center for Transforming Engagement, we wholeheartedly believe that leaders should care for their bodies and their souls. If you are in need of a safe space to begin your own practice of self care, we invite you to consider our Resilience Circles. 

Crisis Resources for Faith Leaders

If you’re in crisis or need immediate support, these resources can help:

24/7 Crisis Support:

• National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Faith-Informed Mental Health Resources:

• Christians In Crisis Hotline: A faith-based tele-service providing support for Christians and ministers experiencing spiritual, emotional, personal, and family crises
• Mental Health Hotline: Connect with spiritually informed counselors who can help locate Christian mental health professionals: 866-903-3787
• Mental Health Grace Alliance: Provides Christ-centered mental health resources, support groups, and training for faith leaders
• Anthem of Hope: Faith-centered organization helping find Christian counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists in your area

Professional Networks:

• American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC): Find licensed Christian mental health professionals
• Focus on the Family Counseling Referral Network: Professional Christian counselors across the USA

Specialized Support:

• LiveWell Counseling: Compassionate mental health counseling that integrates faith and spirituality
• Church and Mental Health: Resources and training for churches supporting mental wellness