June 29, 2021

Conference Mental Health Campaign

The Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church launched a mental health campaign geared toward clergy. Through video testimonials, pastors share their mental health journey and the ways counseling is contributing to their discipleship and leadership in the Church.   “We want all of our leaders to experience abundant life,” said Bishop Bob Farr. “That means we consider mental health to be a vital part of a person’s physical and spiritual health and wellness.”   The campaign’s goal is to normalize counseling and therapeutic services for pastors and to encourage clergy to add counseling to their tools for health and wellness. A webpage hosts simple next steps to take.   “There is something about having that ability to talk with someone professionally about what you are experiencing, how you are receiving things and how you are feeling about all of that that lightens your relationships with others,” said Rev. Ron Watts. Watts shares that he has utilized counseling services monthly for the past ten years and that it has been a major part of his health and wellbeing.   View other mental health resources →

Upcoming Events

We invite you to recharge and reconnect this summer. See our full event calendar — including district office hours and save-the-dates for fall events — at www.moumethodist.org/events

 

Featured Resource

A Biblical Reflection of Emotional Health Discussion Guides

The Pixar movie Inside Out (2015) follows the emotions and experiences of 11-year-old Riley as her family goes through the transition of moving from Minnesota to San Francisco. The film provides a framework to have important discussions with families or other social connections about faith and emotions.This discussion guide can be used as you see fit in your context.You do not have to follow the questions exactly or engage in every section. Rather, it is a tool available for you to encourage natural conversations about emotional health and faith. See the guides →

More Resources

Boundaries in Anxious Congregational Settings
A two-part session on Boundaries in Anxious Congregational Settings (scroll down page to Live from Eden Seminary Part 1 and Part 2) walks through questions like, “Is your congregation having trouble playing nice?” “Is there a tendency to scapegoat?” “Does triangulation or parking lot processing happen a lot in your church?” “How do we learn as clergy and lay leaders to recognize anxiety in our congregational systems and keep communication above ground?”