ministering to families in crisis: the essential guide for nurturing mental and emotional health

A Guide for Ministry Leaders to Provide Mental Health First Aid

When people encounter a crisis, they often turn to ministry leaders, who may feel unprepared to guide them. Families face a multitude of challenges, from depression and anxiety to relational conflict to trauma and abuse. Providing the right resources and tools to help church members navigate their journeys is a solid starting place for every pastor and ministry leader.

Ministering to Families in Crisis provides leaders with an essential shelf reference for supporting your community’s mental and emotional health. In each chapter, Christian leaders with unique expertise address common ministry challenges, providing evidence-based insights and practical suggestions. The book covers a full range of topics affecting families, marriages, children, and teens--including mental illness, LGBTQ+ issues, divorce, disability, poverty, racial trauma, and technology use. Contributors guide leaders on how to provide care and when to offer referrals.

Whatever members’ background or experience, the church is a spiritual family that God designed to contribute to their formation and sense of belonging. This book gives ministers the tools and encouragement they need to help family members find hope amid the storms of life.

James N. Sells (PhD, University of Southern California) is professor of counseling, shares the Rosemary S. Hughes Professor of Christian Thought and Mental Health, and codirects the Charis Institute at Regent University. He is a licensed psychologist, and his books include Family Therapies and Beyond the Clinical Hour.

Jennifer S. Ripley (PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University) is professor of psychology, shares the Hughes Professor of Christian Thought and Mental Health, and codirects the Charis Institute at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and coauthor of Couple Therapy: A New Hope-Focused Approach.

Diane J. Chandler (PhD, Regent University) is associate professor of spiritual formation and leadership at the Regent University School of Divinity. She is the author of Christian Spiritual Formation: An Integrated Approach to Personal and Relational Wholeness.