It appears there are more hurting people in America than ever before. In May, Pew Research reported depression rates reached an all-time high, with 17.8% of Americans saying they are currently being treated for depression. Another 29% said they have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime. Our children are impacted, as well. The Annie Cassie Foundation released a report in September 2022 indicating major increases in the prevalence of children with anxiety and depression. For example, North Carolina experienced a 48.7% increase from 2016 to 2020. Another example is Ohio, which saw a 42.4% increase during the same period.
Substance abuse problems have also resulted in higher death rates. In November 2022, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported one in eight deaths among adults 20 to 64 were attributable to alcohol abuse. Across the nation, 300 people die of drug overdoses every day. Further, suicide has become a major problem, the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S., with an average of 132 a day.
Does the church have a role in helping these people? In May 2022, George Barna released a study where non-Christians indicated they would like to see churches provide practical help for people in the community. Interestingly, pastors did not share this opinion. Is it possible they felt unprepared? One study revealed 74% of pastors were reluctant to get involved with mental health issues because they did not know what to do.
Sometimes, people who have never thought of attending church or expressed any interest in Christianity become interested when they are hurting. In one study of parents who had lost a child to homicide or suicide, their top coping response was prayer, followed by going to church. People turn to God and His people when they struggle with emotional hurts.
We know our church communities are hurting. Results from Know Your Community reports for the areas around Free Will Baptist churches indicate an average of 8,411 widows in their communities. Further, the top demographic group for 24% of our church communities is females ages 60-64.
One component of The Hope Initiative is simply to spend time walking or driving through our communities, becoming aware of the needs. But are we ready to minister to them?
We have many tools to help the hurting: prayer, the Word, our own words, the church, and our relationships. We also find specific techniques throughout the Scriptures that enable us to be the hands and feet of Christ. We must be ready with these tools and techniques when we encounter someone hurting.
Recently, the Executive Office has begun working with churches to help them become “First Aid Ready.” We use a format like The Hope Initiative to help churches easily equip small groups of members to help others. We believe this approach will create a new culture of helping, not only within the church but also within the surrounding community.
Does this sound like something of interest to you and your church? Please contact us through the form at nafwb.org/firstaid, and together we will become ready to help a hurting world.
