Whether it’s a new team, a church transition, or some other circumstance, care teams are often left to piece together how to create a sustainable and helpful system for creating cultures of care. Today, Janelle and Katie share their experience entering into the Care Ministry Cohort, where the community, helpful resources, and coaching made all the difference. You can apply for the 2025 Care Ministry Cohort, beginning in January, and begin a guided journey toward cultivating a culture of care at your church!

Quotes

• The cohort came at the perfect time.
• It is ok to be patient and wait.
• We’re not trying to start from the ground up. But we’re trying to renovate.
• The cohort did a great job of starting at the basics.
• We don’t want cookie-cutter care ministries. We want care ministries that look and feel like your congregation.

Resources

• CareMinistryCohort.com

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

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/

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode, Laura and Rebecca discuss how to maximize the benefits of the upcoming Church Mental Health Summit, offering practical tips for attendees, including registering early to avoid last-minute technical issues and organizing watch parties for community engagement.

They also highlight the advantages of the all-access and ultimate passes, which provide ongoing value through access to summit content for volunteer and staff development. Rebecca shares ideas for involving church communities and sponsors in making the most of the summit, while Laura emphasizes the importance of intentional participation to fully absorb the content.

Quotes

• “I love our summit. You get the packet that you can download, and you can go through and highlight all the things you want and get super excited about." - Rebecca Bailey
• “If you have the capacity to get the all-access pass, please know it’s our heart’s desire that you use that over and over in your church—for volunteer training, staff discussions, and watch parties.” - Laura Howe
• “We don’t want people to feel left hanging. This could be a great opportunity to kick off a think tank in your community or start a cohort for ongoing discussions.” - Rebecca Bailey
• “Set your intention, be present, schedule your time, and engage with the online community to fully participate.” - Laura Howe

Resources

• Church Mental Health Summit
• All-access Pass
• Ultimate Pass
• Care Ministry Cohorts

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe sits down with Daniel Whitehead, CEO of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, for an insightful conversation. Daniel shares his journey from leading a church in England to facing emotional burnout, which led him to pursue studies in theology and mental health. Together, they talk about the pressures of leadership, the power of vulnerability, and how meaningful friendships can make a difference in mental health. Don’t miss Daniel at our upcoming Church Mental Health Summit, and tune in for a special course his organization offers! It’s all in today’s episode!

Quotes

• "Mental health is something we all have, and there are seasons of flourishing and languishing for all people. We're just going to help churches begin conversations." – Daniel Whitehead
• "God isn't scared of us bringing our stories into His story. That's actually what we're meant to do." – Daniel Whitehead
• "The church should be famous as the safest place for someone to recover, wherever Christ is Lord." – Daniel Whitehead
• "The pain of isolation is more than the pain of the diagnosis itself. If only there was a community in every town that just knew how to love people really well." – Daniel Whitehead
• "You can turn up on a Sunday, you can preach, you can do the things, but actually be really languishing and struggling internally." – Daniel Whitehead
• "It's hard to admit that you're fallible... but it's the only way to stay healthy." – Laura Howe

Resources

• Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries
• Key Ministry
• Church Mental Health Summit

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode, Laura Howe speaks with Pastor Chris and Samantha from Grace Family Church in Tampa, Florida. They discuss the unique dynamics of their multi-campus church, the challenges of growing a culture of care, and their plans to utilize the Church Mental Health Summit as a tool for staff training.

Pastor Chris shares his 13 years of experience in care ministry and how Grace Family Church has expanded from one to eight campuses. The conversation dives into the importance of resourcing their care teams and the exciting potential of integrating mental health training for their staff.

Samantha, a care ministry coordinator, highlights the significance of building a culture of care that resonates with their diverse congregation. Together, they reflect on the church’s mission to grow disciples and equip leaders, emphasizing that care is a central part of their strategy.

Quotes

• “Care is one of those foxholes... when the real difficult stuff shows up, people can’t wait to find the care pastor.”
• “Care is not just one size fits all... we really want to create strong and healthy disciples to carry out the mission of care.”
• “The local church becoming a safe space for people to feel like they belong is the hope of our community.”
• “We're not building roads anymore; we're building signs to help people find the care they need.”

Resources

• Grace Family Church Care page
• Grace Family Church (CPR)
• Church Mental Health Summit Guide

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In a new segment of this podcast with guest, Rebecca Bailey, we’re exploring the benefits of creating a Community of Practice within your church. Listen in for tips on how shared experiences, knowledge, and support lead to stronger, more effective care ministries. Laura and Rebecca also share about the best way to put the new Hope Made Strong Online Community into practice–during the Church Mental Health Summit!

Plus, learn about the new Coaching with Care segment and how you can get involved!

Quotes

• People are craving community.
• When we’re in harmony, we’re actually noticing what’s happening in our body–that’s in the body of Christ too.

Resources

• Hope Made Strong Online Community
• Care Ministry Cohort
• Community of Practice Guidebook

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

Melinda Moore shares her personal journey from aspiring to be a medical doctor to finding her passion in suicidology and suicide prevention. Her experience with loss and her work in clinical psychology have driven her to integrate lived experience with clinical practice, emphasizing the importance of empathy and personal insight in mental health support. Melinda highlights the role faith communities can play in suicide prevention by providing spiritual and peer support, advocating for open conversations about mental health, and addressing stigma. She also discusses her upcoming conference, "Addressing Mental Health and Suicide in Communities and Congregations," which aims to educate clergy and faith leaders on these issues, with the goal of bridging the gap between clinical knowledge and faith-based support.

Quotes

• As I grew stronger, I was then able to make choices that were based upon not just my own personal preferences, but also what I thought God had in mind for me.
• This experience of loss…got me curious about why we weren’t talking about suicide.
• Churches are full of people who have gone through suffering and have wisdom to share.
• Suicidal people are ambivalent. It’s not that they want to die. It’s that they don’t want to live in the pain that they’re in.

Resources

• Conference: Addressing Mental Health and Suicide in Communities and Congregations: A Faith-based Approach
• melinda.moore@eku.edu
• EKU Psychology Clinic
• After the Suicide Funeral, by Melinda Moore
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

This is our first live coaching call on the podcast! Pastor Andy and Roxann join us for a helpful conversation on proactively taking steps toward a sustainable intake of care needs. How do we make sure people’s needs don’t fall through the cracks? What systems will be sustainable? What specific programs and forms are the best way to triage incoming requests? Listen in for this free coaching advice!

Quotes

• How do you find volunteers? You ask them.
• We want to be an incarnational church, not an attractional church.
• Care and discipleship run parallel to each other.
• When you realize you’re in a community of people who are there to walk alongside you…it gives you a sense of safety.

Resources

• Sample Care Protocol
• Trello
• Planning Center Online
• Cornerstone

Connect with Hope Made Strong

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube