Church-based Suicide Prevention Plan that Most Congregations can effectively implement for the cause of Christ on behalf of their Communities
Church-based Suicide Prevention Plan that Most Congregations can effectively implement for the cause of Christ on behalf of their Communities
S.T.O.P. the Harm (Acts 16:28) is a Biblical Counseling Approach to Offering Hope to the Suicidal that is Gospel-driven and church-based, which is a practical enough plan that most Christian congregations can prayerfully implement with positive results as the following outlines:
Strategic placement of the church for frontline suicidal prevention ministries
The U.S. Surgeon General called upon the churches and clergy of this nation to more and more endeavor to intervene with the suicidal realizing that faith-based communities are often in the frontlines in terms of interacting with those who are struggling with suicidal ideations. According to the Hartford Institute there are approximately 350,000 churches in America; therefore, imagine if every church in America bolstered her efforts in preventing suicides what great good could ensue. The Apostle Paul in Titus 3:1 tells the Christian people to be ready for every good work to include when the government calls upon us to help in vital causes. Thus, the first thing a church must do is realize that they have a God-inspired mandate to make a Spirit-inspired difference for the glory of Christ to help the suicidal in our midst.
Train each church member to be a ministry referral brokers
Annually our church trains the members of the congregation in how to intervene in Christ’s name with the suicidal. This year we presented that The American Association of Suicidology explains that a group of suicidal intervention experts designed a mnemonic (IS PATH WARM) to help us better identify those struggling with suicidal thinking. In this mnemonic the PATH stands for the signs of: Purposelessness, Anxiety, Trapped, and Hopelessness (hopelessness is the most urgent of these signs that indicates that a person is susceptible to suicidal thoughts). Of course, once those signs are introduced to Christian people it is clear to them that the sufficiency of the Gospel of grace effectively addresses these deep-seated personal issues as described by the PATH: Purposelessness (John 15:16, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 3: 14), Anxiety (John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-9), Trapped (John 16:33, Ecclesiastes 8:6, 1 Corinthians 10:13), and Hopelessness (John 10:9, 14:1, Romans 15:4, 1 Peter 3:15). The bottom line is that the church, due to the Gospel of God in Christ (Romans 1:16), is able to offer abundant hope to those in need.
Orchestrating conversations of hope in Christ
After training our church members on how the Gospel of grace intervenes in the struggles of the suicidal, we provide them an Emergency Ministry Referral Sheet (an example available at the end of this post) that contains 24/7 crisis intervention phone numbers, Christian counselors contact information, financial advice (often money pressures tend to lead to suicidal thinking) and Biblical references that address those in exigent circumstances. We have found this to provide our members the wherewithal to offer tangible help and hope to those in need, but even more, it gives them information to coach their family or friends in how to help those they encounter who are in difficult straights.
Public Prevention Service Announcements initiated by the Local Church
Simply putting a public service announcement on the front page of a church’s website will make a difference in preventing suicide. The announcement might look like: NEED HELP NOW? National Crisis and IMMEDIATE HELP Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or If you are in crisis, then call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Why is this effective? Because often the suicidal person is not familiar with this avenue of assistance and once he or she is introduced to this national crisis prevention number they may call it to receive help due to the fact that the call is free, the caller remains anonymous, it is confidential, and it is readily available. Imagine if the well over 200,000 churches in America estimated to maintain church websites according to a LifeWay survey actually included such a Good Samaritan public service announcement that God providentially could use to intervene in the life of those struggling with suicidal thoughts.
In any event, such an approach is in line with the noble New Testament tradition of St. Paul’s urgent message in Acts 16:28 of Do not harm yourself! that he called out to the suicidal jailer, or as the King James Version puts it Do thyself no harm, which was an effective message of intervention then and it will be, by God’s grace, now as churches adopt the S.T.O.P. the Harm program or other like ministry plans to bring the hope of Christ to our neighbors in crisis.
Special Note: Why is enacting such a proactive suicidal prevention program in your church so important? Well, Gary Collins, the dean of Christian counseling and coaching, talks about a study of suicidal teenagers showing they often come from good homes—that should scare every parent and every church on the planet to make proactive changes. In fact, the study reports that 85 percent of these teenagers expressed that they saw no reason for living since their lives seemed without purpose. As one youth said, “I’m not afraid to die; I’m afraid of wasting my life.” Therefore, it is incumbent upon the church founded by the Lord Jesus and saved by His precious blood to be Good Samaritans offering the hope, purpose, and grace in Christ to those considering harming themselves. As Billy Graham urges, “Suicide is extremely serious and tragic in God’s eyes, and if someone who is reading this is contemplating suicide, I beg of you to reconsider and seek help for whatever your problem may be. God loves you—whether you believe it or not—and He does not want you to end your life. Put your faith and hope in Christ and His love for you. You are never alone if you know Him because nothing ‘will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:39). Turn to Him today, and by faith ask Christ to come into your life. When we know Christ we are never alone.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Emergency Ministry Referral Sheet
If You Are in Crisis and Need Immediate Help (Call 911):
Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE (639-5433)
If You Need Financial Counseling:
Crown Financial Ministries (www.crown.org)
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service (Atlanta, GA)
- 24 hour phone (1-800-251-CCCS) or internet counseling (www.onlinecounsel.cccsatl.org).
American Association of Christian Counselors Referrals: The Christian Care Network (CCN), is a national referral network of state licensed, certified, and/or properly credentialed Christian counselors offering care that is distinctively Christian and clinically excellent (http://www.aacc.net/resources/find-a-counselor/).
Resting in Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior (John 1:12, 3:16, 14:6, 17:3): If you sense that you need to receive and know the Savior who is our Lord Jesus Christ, then follow the Gospel Steps to Life at http://evangelismexplosion.org/resources/steps-to-life/ or you can call or email the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (1-877-247-2426 or help@bgea.org).
Helpful Bible Verses in Times of Crisis (compiled by H. Norman Wright):
Comfort: Psalm 73:23; John 6:37-40
Anxiety: Matthew 11:28
Fear: Hebrews 13:6; Psalm 23
Peace: Romans 5:1-8; John 3:16
When you feel weak: Isaiah 57:15; Ephesians 3:16
Despair: Psalm 46:1; Ephesians 1:18
Depressed: Psalm 40:1-3; John 10:10
Grief: Psalm 119:28; Revelation 21:3-5; John 11:25; John 14:1-2
Times of trouble: Psalm 50:15; John 16:33
No trackbacks yet.