Mental & Behavioral Health
Chris Meidl · The Dignity Imperative
Purpose
To convene clinical, pastoral, community, and lived-experience leaders to equip the Church to respond wisely to mental and behavioral health needs — within its congregations and throughout the communities it serves.
The problem
Mental and behavioral health needs touch every community, while stigma, spiritualization, isolation, and fragmented systems of care leave many people without meaningful support. Churches are uniquely present in communities and often encounter people before formal systems do, yet many are not equipped to recognize needs, respond appropriately, build trusted partnerships, or serve as effective bridges to care.
If this succeeds
Churches become trusted, informed, and compassionate community partners in mental and behavioral health — welcoming people without stigma, supporting individuals and families, collaborating with clinicians and community organizations, connecting people to appropriate care, and demonstrating a model of service grounded in dignity, wisdom, presence, and hope.