Question, does anyone here believe that a minister who suffers from depression be able to minister? If not, should he turn in his license?
I only ask, because if a preacher is going through major depression, maybe he shouldn't be preaching to a bunch of happy people. Does his depression negate the "call of God"? Should he sit and seek council if he is mentally ill?
I know this might be a dumb thread, but in light of some ex pentecostals who obviously had issues, I was wondering if this was Gods way of sitting a minister down.
Should a man who has cancer minister to a bunch of healthy folks?
I'm not sure why you think church is full of happy people, but that's far from the truth, I don't care where one lives or attends church.
And depression isn't a mental illness. Just a mental condition and easily treatable in most cases.
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I've gone and done it now! I'm on Facebook!!!
Did this minister get away from the church setting for awhile?
Well this man did not go crazy, but became so weak he could not do anything which is not altogether different that going crazy at times. This man did not leave the church. He actually stayed and helped in the business portion as much as he could, which basically all that meant was that he went into the office and made phone calls. When he did go to the church he actually was not a big help cause the others in the church stepped up and helped in all the everyday running of the church. This man did later take back over the church and was the GS of the ALJC for a while.
I may have some of the details mixed up, but this was about what happened. He was there the day his son drowned and it almost destroyed him. His name is Steve Willson. He is a great man of God from Mississippi. He would be a great person to talk to, if this thread is a real case that is close to you. He will be able to help guide people in this type of thing.
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"If we don't learn to live together we're gonna die alone"
Jack Shephard.
Personally know G.C. quality evangelists who preached great revivals while in the grip of suicidal depression.
For some reason depression is equated to SAD.
In most cases even clinical depression the person has a flat affect. More often than not its symptoms include LACK of emotion.
Can an experienced evangelist preach through it? Yes
SHOULD they? Totally different question.
However, until Evangelicals as a whole get better educated on the issue. It will continue to be masked, and hidden.
Yes, it is wrong for a Christian to remain in a mental state of sadness. But more often than not clinical depression involves a treatable chemical imbalance.
If your faith allows you to take heart medicine, or insulin for diabetes then you should not hesitate to seek professional medical help.
Should one continue to minister? Impossible to answer, must be evaluated on a case by case basis.
I think the biggest problem with that statement is that people who suffer from medical conditions aren't seen as someone unstable, but mention a mental problem and you might as well admit you are like Sybil or demon possessed.
It's a sad day in our society when the church views a brain illness with the mindset of 1960's and beyond. Gone are the days when we locked up people for brain illnesses. Gone are the days when we exorcised those people, believing their problems to be demonic.
The church needs to let go of those stigmas.
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I've gone and done it now! I'm on Facebook!!!
But what if a minister suffered lots of abuse as a child, and thinks he is called because he heard ''a voice"? There are people who are in psyche wards that hear voices all the time.
We will know them by their fruits.
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I've gone and done it now! I'm on Facebook!!!
I think the biggest problem with that statement is that people who suffer from medical conditions aren't seen as someone unstable, but mention a mental problem and you might as well admit you are like Sybil or demon possessed.
It's a sad day in our society when the church views a brain illness with the mindset of 1960's and beyond. Gone are the days when we locked up people for brain illnesses. Gone are the days when we exorcised those people, believing their problems to be demonic.
The church needs to let go of those stigmas.
HeavenlyOne,
You have made many good comments on this thread. This is an excellent post
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