You did what? The story of inviting a psychiatrist to speak at my church.

In this guest blog, Brandy Baumann, True Vine Associate Director at Pathway Community Church, talks about the process of inviting a mental health professional into their congregation to connect with and educate the community about this crucial aspect of every community. Pathway Community Church, supported by a resource grant from the Center for Congregations (read about those here), is a member of the Missionary Church USA denomination.

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I have the privilege to lead the adoption, foster care and family preservation ministry of Pathway Community Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One of my favorite parts of my job is to bring a speaker to our church each year. In 2023, that speaker was psychiatrist and author, Dr. Curt Thompson. Dr. Thompson spoke to both our church body and community. He gave the message during our services and spoke at three other times that weekend. One of which was an event for those in caring professions.

We invited local counselors, social workers, teachers, school administrators, police officers, firefighters, and medical professionals to hear Dr. Thompson speak about trauma, attachment, shame and hope in suffering from both a clinical and Christian perspective.

My senior pastor, Ron Williams, reflected recently, “The weekend with Dr. Curt Thompson played a critical role in revealing the need for mental health training of both our lay and professional counselors. In addition, it was refreshing to see clergy learning from a presenter who addressed topics from both a theological and psychological perspective.”

Having Dr. Thompson at Pathway helped us to lean deeper into serving our congregants in the space of mental health. In both preaching about mental health and supporting our church members in that space with both classes and support groups.

Our church body and community responded very positively to our church talking about mental health. Many people sought me out and thanked me both that weekend and after. I have also had the privilege of seeing some ripple effects of the weekend in our community.

We constantly hear statistics about how Americans are struggling in this space. People are looking for help. The first place they often look is the church. Every person has the fundamental need to feel seen, known, and loved. Those connected to a church desire to feel seen, known, and loved by their church. They want to feel accepted by their church. They want to believe their church is a place of hope and healing. When we as churches acknowledge the struggles, people are going through and move towards them, they feel loved and cared for. What a privilege, we the church, have to welcome our congregants into safe spaces where they can begin their journey of healing.

I would encourage other churches to consider engaging with and offering mental health resources and support to your congregation. I would also like to thank the Center for Congregations for their grant program. The grant funds helped to make the weekend with Dr. Curt Thompson possible.