On the podcast this week we have a pre-view or a mini trainer of 6 different talks that are going to be offered at the Church Mental Health Summit on October 10th.
Now there are over 50 talks so this is just a very small sample of what you will find and let me say this isn’t like the movie trailers that once you watch it you think, well that pretty much sums up the whole movie or the trailer shows all the best parts.
I chose these talks because they are so diverse. They showcase the broad range that you will get from every speaker.
THE CHURCH MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT
The Church Mental Health Summit is an online Summit that goes live on October 10th.
Our sponsors have made it possible to offer everyone free access for one day in honour of World Mental Health day and our goal is to equip the local church to support mental health in their leaders, congregants, and communities.
On October 10th from 7 am EST until 11:59 pm EST all talks will be open for free.
There is no scheduled there are no breaks. It’s like Netflix where you log in and have access to all talks the whole day. Just find a talk, click and enjoy.
This really reduces the barrier to accessing this incredible information no matter the timezone you can log-in and learn from these incredible speakers
CATEGORIES/ TALKS OF THE MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT
With over 50 talks it can be hard to figure out which one you want to watch so we organized the talks into 4 categories or tracks
- Global Health – Exploring what are cultural Influences and impacts on mental health and how to strengthen those in global missions
- Community Health – Addressing issues faced throughout the church and community for instance anxiety, depression, addictions, suicide, eating disorders among others.
- Church Health – Equipping the church to care for their community by breaking down stigma and offering creative ministries.
- Leadership Health – Learn strategies to help you thrive in your leadership role, strengthen your well-being and prevent ministry burnout and fatigue.
This really allows those who are ministry leaders, clinicians, peers and friends, and family to find value in the talk but please note that anyone can watch any of the talks. Nothing is held back or designated for specific people.
For those who are not able to watch on the 10th, or want more time to go through all the sessions, or even want to share with their team or use it for volunteer training, you can purchase an all-access pass for $79 and this allows you to have lifetime access to all the sessions.
SPEAKERS AND THEIR TOPICS AT THE MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT
The summit brings together speakers from all over the world. They are pastors, those with lived experience, clinicians, and organization leaders. These leaders are on the front lines and cutting edge of care and supporting mental health.
And I’m excited to be highlighting a few here in this episode.
The first speaker or I should speakers are from my co-presenting sponsors. And they did not get on this podcast because they are sponsors, but because they are offering incredible value.
Jaime Aten and Kent Annan are co-founders of Spiritual First Aid.
Which is an online course that teaches peer-to-peer spiritual and emotional care and trauma-informed best practices.
Jaime shares how people are made up of 5 core components and how supporting one area actually impacts the others.
Jaime and Kent go on to share how your church can train your volunteer teams with basic skills, that can cause transformational change within your church and community
Rich Villdas, Pastor at New Life Fellowship Church in New York City also shares insight into the topic of Sabbath and taking time off.
Pastor Rich is no stranger to the pressures on individuals, and for leaders to be all things to all people in his talk, he addresses Sabbath Keeping as a Mental health Practice.
So often our society celebrates exhaustion, or there is a hustle culture that we are trying to keep up with and there is no space for rest.
So the information and tools that Pastor Rich offers are perfectly timed for what we are facing today.
His share is a fantastic reminder of the importance of the Sabbath and not because of what it can do for the bottom line, but that our identity and value aren’t dependent on what we do.
The next talk I want to highlight is with Daniel Whitehead, CEO of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries.
Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries builds curriculums for small groups around the topic of mental health and so clearly they believe that the church plays a vital role in supporting mental health and wellbeing in every community.
Those who struggle with a disability be it mental health or physical are often ignored, silenced, belittled, or even cast out of churches. However, when you think of the endurance, fortitude, and faith that one must develop when they face struggle and yet carry on, I would consider those who carry on as the champions of faith, wise, and skilled. Someone to be listened to and someone to learn from.
But I think Daniel says it best in his talk about how the church can come alongside and be listeners to those who are seeking recovery.
So often we hear about mental health from just a biological perspective, or solely from a theological perspective but in Daniel’s talk he brings them together. He explores mental health from a biological, psychological, social, and spiritual perspective, offering tips on how you can care for the mental well-being of yourself and your community.
Have you ever been in a workshop and someone asks a question and you think “I was wondering the same thing!”
Well, Danny Cheah is a child psychologist and the champion behind that #dont’prayitaway movement. His talk is organized around this very thing.
Danny is located in Australia and frequently travels to different churches and organizations offering talks and training.
For the Summit, he took all the most frequently asked questions and answers them in his session. Danny’s talks are known to be packed with super practical strategies and this year is no different.
His talk is titled Frequently Asked Questions from church leaders and I love his response to the question “When and How should someone get help.”
A key theme that I’ve heard in many times as I have pre-viewed the talks is the theme of churches and ministry leaders are first responders.
Danny speaks about it in his talk, but many others also address it and a talk I want to point out is from Kobe Campbell.
Kobe is a powerhouse around faith in mental health. She has the ability to pair a challenge with such incredible grace. Its’ like she calls you out, but you thank her for it.
Her talk is surrounding the topic of suicidality and if we see the church as a first top for many people then it is important for ministry leaders to know how to approach the topic of suicidality.
I was hosting my church’s mental health small group and one of the first questions I received was about suicide. Do those who die by suicide miss out on heaven? Is having suicidal ideation, or thoughts of suicide a sin?
If I received this question in the first week of my first time in a small group then I can assume that you too have received this question or asked it yourself.
Kobe goes on in her talk to bring scripture context to the topic of suicidality and equips you as leaders to re-orient your view and offers encouragement if you as a leader struggle too
The next and final speaker I want to highlight is Dr. Diane Langberg.
She is globally recognized as a leader and trainer on trauma and abuses of power. It was incredible honor to interview her for the Summit.
Our conversation was focused on How leaders can lead healthy organizations and they can tend to and care for those in their community who may have experienced abuse of power in the church.
And at the outset of our talk, Dr. Langberg identified power in the context of a ministry leader because so often the language I hear used to describe those in ministry is that it’s a position of service to others, and yet they are leaders and in positions of authority so it can feel like a complex dynamic.
We carry on in our discussion on abuses in power and Dr. Langberg answers How can people use power to defend, protect and bless others? And What are signs of a health power dynamic within an organization?
Dr. Langberg offers such wisdom and it’s a session that you don’t want to miss.
Well, I hope that this little preview gave you a taste of the incredible sessions that are offered at the Church Mental Health Summit.
Each session is approximately 15-20 minutes long and is focused on offering you practical tools, strategies, and resources that will equip you to support the mental health of your team, congregation, and community.
You can register for free at ChurchMentalHealthSummit.com and watch all the sessions on October 10th, World mental health day.
If you want to access the talks after the 10th or if you want to use these sessions for staff or volunteer training you can purchase a church access pass for $79. This will give you ongoing access to all the talks.
Thank you so much I look forward to connecting with you at the Church mental health Summit!
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