No church is untouched by mental health struggles.
Across Australia, around one in five people experience a mental health condition each year. In every one of our churches and communities there are people living with depression, anxiety or other mental health challenges. Many of these people struggle with isolation, hopelessness or barriers to accessing professional support.
For Linda Rowland, a psychologist from the Hunter Region, she sees people facing these realities every week.
” I see people all the time in my work who are sad, depressed and anxious,” says Linda, “a lot of what they need is to connect with other people and sense that they’re not alone in this struggle.”
And Linda believes churches are uniquely placed to meet that need.
“In churches we have a lot of people who genuinely care,” she explains, “but sometimes they don’t know how to go about effectively helping people who are struggling with their mental health.”
That conviction lies at the heart of Hopeworks.
The ministry began in 2017 when Jeff Forbes from New Vine Lakes Baptist Church started a support group called Depression and Hope. Jeff believed that while God can heal miraculously, recovery from depression often comes through compassionate relationships, practical care and learning healthy ways to cope. His vision was to see churches become places where people experiencing depression could find connection, support and hope.
Although Jeff passed away in 2018, the vision continued. Under Linda’s leadership, the ministry has grown from a single support group to several groups operating across the Hunter Region. Now, through Hopeworks, that vision is expanding even further by equipping churches across Australia to establish their own groups.
The impact of these groups is perhaps best seen through the people who attend them.
After living with anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges for around forty years, Sandra* was understandably nervous about joining a Hopeworks group. Gradually, however, she found the confidence to share her story. “I’ve found it to be a welcoming, non-judgemental space where people can be real,” says Sandra, “mental health issues can be incredibly isolating, but this group has helped me expand my social connections in a way that feels natural and supportive.”
For Dave*, the group became a stepping stone back into church life after depression and anxiety made even attending a service feel overwhelming. “With encouragement from the group and knowing that it is a safe place they have helped me come a long way on my journey,” reflects Dave, “through the group I’ve been able to start going to activities at my church and talking to people more confidently.”
For Sharon*, the support extended well beyond the weekly meetings. She remembers one meeting where she was so overwhelmed with emotion that she could barely speak. “One day when I was crying in the group so much that I couldn’t really talk, four people from the group called me afterwards. I felt so supported and not so alone.”
Stories like these have shaped the development of Hopeworks’ new national resource package.
The comprehensive package has been designed to make it easier for churches to establish safe, sustainable support groups in their own communities. It includes a facilitator manual, session runsheets, participant handouts, PowerPoint presentations, games and icebreakers, a set up guide and practical advice covering everything from choosing a suitable venue to advertising the group and supporting participants well.
And churches don’t need to have psychologists on staff to begin. While professional training is an advantage, the resources have been developed so that ordinary Christians with good interpersonal skills, a heart for people and appropriate support from their church can facilitate a group.
The groups can also be run as an outreach where anyone is welcome, regardless of their faith or lack of faith. Christian hope is woven gently throughout the program, with prayer offered appropriately and two optional sessions at the end of the course that explore faith for those who want to continue the conversation.
Linda encourages every church to get in touch and request the information pack.
“Every church has people around them, and probably within them, who are struggling with mental health,” Linda explains, “you don’t make a commitment by requesting the pack. It’s just an opportunity to think and pray about whether this is something God might be calling your church to offer.”
For churches looking for a practical way to love their community, Hopeworks offers a simple invitation: create a place where people experiencing mental health struggles can find connection, compassion and hope.
Find out more by contacting Linda at contact@hopeworks.com.au
*names have been changed for privacy purposes
