Overview
An epidemic of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues has reached a crisis point today. The vast majority of those looking for mental health help cannot get it. Among the 40 million American adults with clinically-significant anxiety alone, 25 million – more than the population of Florida – are not getting help for their pain.** In large part because they cannot find a mental health professional with capacity to see them or afford their services.
Thankfully, there are solutions! Two seem particularly important:
A big-picture solution: We believe the church can step into this gap and become the place that proclaims, “If you have a need, come here.”
An individual solution: We believe certain simple actions can be transformative (or even preventative!) for many suffering individuals – including while they are waiting for care.
Both solutions are likely to be “high leverage” – in other words, targeted efforts in these areas could have a truly large-scale impact. So we are researching and pursuing how to implement these solutions. Some of this will be done in partnership with other groups, ministries, and businesses. This is likely to be five year project – but it is worth it.
See below for more about us, about these research efforts (which all come under the heading of what we are calling The Hope Project), and about how you can get involved.
About Jeff & Shaunti
We are social researchers and best-selling authors, who came to this work via graduate degrees from Harvard and time in New York – Shaunti an analyst on Wall Street, Jeff as an attorney at a large corporate law firm. For twenty years, we and our research team have leveraged that analytical background to conduct rigorous, nationally representative studies and write books that uncover and share the crucial factors that help organizations be more effective, and help people thrive in their lives and relationships.
We have worked with multiple ministry and business partners over the years to advance these findings in the popular market and help people’s lives, marriages and families. Many of these partners are now part of the effort to address this mental health need.
In addition to our own The Hope Project research with churches and individuals, we are currently working in partnership with one wide-ranging project that includes multiple Christian universities, church leaders, businesses, foundations, and others. One key part of this group’s broad vision is implementing research, evaluation, and initiatives to eventually have mental health help (counselors, lay counselors, coaches, specialized peer groups, community initiatives, and so on) be a part of every local church.
As mentioned, we believe the church has a vital role to play, and can be a high-leverage solution to the mental health crisis. Indeed, many thousands of church leaders want to do something to help but aren’t sure what. Or they may feel unqualified to tackle the problem. Yet every day, they know the pain is there in their congregations. Consider my recent conversation with the associate pastor of a large church:
Me: “When someone in your church has an area of need or pain around depression, marriage problems, anxiety, or any other mental health issue, what is the process for them getting help or care?”
Him: “We have more needs than we can meet right now, so we are trying to figure out other programs. We triage the needs. Where we don’t have the bandwidth, we refer out. We have a great network, a large network of counselors to send them to.”
Me: “Do the counselors you are referring out to, have room to take new clients?”
Him: “No. Which is why we are trying to figure out other programs. We just don’t know what to do.”
So what can the church do? As noted earlier, there are multiple rapidly growing movements in the Christian community to “do something.” Many of these movements share a vision to help the church take back its historic mantle as one of the primary places people think of when they need mental and emotional healing, transformation, and wholeness. Yet because these efforts and models are scattered and isolated from one another, the churches aren’t aware of the options and what might work for them.
In 2023 and 2024 we conducted a major study of mental health and the church,* and have written a book for church leaders (pastors, counselors, ministry leaders, etc.). The book is tentatively titled, When Hurting People Come to Church: How People of Faith Can Help Solve the Mental Health Crisis, and will be published by Tyndale in September 2025. Our goal is to make all parties aware of the many options that are working in the church space, and help them evaluate and implement something that will work for them to meet these needs.
This is part of a larger project, sponsored by a major donor, to help the church raise up lay caregivers who can step in to support the church and community with basic emotional and mental health needs, thereby freeing up overburdened mental health professionals for the more complex cases. You can see the pilot site (a full launch will occur in mid-2025) at TheChurchCares.com.
As part of this project, we need to connect with leaders of church networks, denominations, dioceses, and others who can help draw in church leaders across all streams of the church, and begin conversations about how this model (and The Church Cares effort) can help them minister to those in need and draw their people further into discipleship and engagement.
In addition, we are conducting research on what individuals can do to improve their own mental health – including as a stopgap measure while waiting for help.
Too many people are in pain, and simply aren’t aware that there are some little things that might make a big difference in how they feel and in how they handle their situation. In addition, there may be other “little things that make a big difference” that haven’t been fully investigated/explored in the popular market, that might matter for the average person in need.
As part of this project, we need:
- To talk to individuals who have overcome common mental health issues and are willing to confidentially share their perspective on how and why they believe they made it out the other side.
- To talk to anyone who believes they have something important to confidentially share about what little things people can do that might make a big difference in their mental health – or that of a loved one.
Important note: If you yourself need mental health support, hope and help is available.
If you are in emotional crisis, text HOME to 741741, or call or text 988.
For Focus on the Family’s counseling referral program, call 855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 8am to 10pm ET.
How You Can Help
If you want to share your thoughts on any of the above research items, please contact us at the link below. As with all of our research, your individual input will be kept completely confidential.
We will in time also need influential partners (respected ministries, organizations, large churches) who want to join forces on this effort and are willing to put organizational resources behind it.
Finally, through our non-profit, we also need funding to support the research and the overall project.
If you want to participate in any way, please contact us [email protected]
Thank you for your interest in this important project, which we hope will help many people in need!
*NOTE: The Hope Project research is being conducted with the approval of the Human Subjects Review Committee at Regent University, co-chaired by Dr. James Sells.
** Dozens of studies have worked to quantify the scope of need, and most have concluded that the numbers are staggeringly high. This estimate is drawn from the 2024 book, “Beyond the Clinical Hour: How Counselors Can Partner with the Church to Address the Mental Health Crisis” co-authored by leading professor and researcher Dr. James Sells, who will also co-author the book for church leaders discussed below.