In this episode, Pastor Trent Kirkland, from Zion Church in Clarion, Pennsylvania, shares his experience hosting the first local Church Mental Health Summit in North America. Pastor Trent discusses his personal journey with mental health, how his daughter's eating disorder and his experience as a mobile crisis worker shaped his understanding of the mental health crisis, and the steps his church took to address it in their community. He highlights the importance of building collaborative relationships between the faith community and human services, and how hosting the summit fostered these connections. The conversation also covers how local churches can become safe spaces for mental health support through awareness, training, and partnerships.

Quotes

• "I was a pastor for a number of years who didn’t think about mental health issues because it wasn’t staring me in the face."
• "As a parent, an eating disorder gets your attention."
• "One of the things that made the event a success was the balance between local and national speakers, adding so much credibility to the whole event."
• "The ultimate solution for human flourishing is Jesus, but we also need to address mental health practically."
• "I wanted human service agencies to know that the faith community values what they do."

Resources

• https://www.churchmentalhealthsummit.com/host
• https://www.zionlife.com/

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