One question I get asked quite frequently is: “I struggle with my mental health – am I suitable for full time gospel work?” It’s not the only question we will want to ask before testing a call to full time ministry but it is an important question – and one that we will want to talk about wisely with people who know us well in the local church. 

Different people will have different responses. Some will say “unless things are really serious, come on in, the workers are few, we need everyone we can get”. Others suggest, “mental health really isn’t relevant – if you believe the gospel is true, get on with serving”. Still others would suggest, “ministry is not the place for those who cannot cope easily with pressure”.  So, how do we know what to do?  

We all limp

It’s worth remembering every Christian is a limping Christian. Ever since Genesis 3, we have been living in a fallen world. Our bodies, our desires, our relationships, and our churches are all broken and, whilst they are being remade, they are not yet perfect. That means everyone in the church – leaders and congregation members alike – all have their struggles. 

In Scripture, we see God choosing struggling people to serve in ministry roles. Elijah had at least one moment lying on the ground unable to go on.  David, Moses and Paul all spoke openly about their fears. Noah got drunk at least once. Today, too, it is not hard to think of some wonderfully godly men and women in full time ministry who struggle significantly with their mental health. 

Such a prevalence of broken people should not surprise us. After all, our painful experiences can actually be helpful in ministry. If we are to comfort those around us with the comfort we have received from the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:4), then knowing suffering and knowing God’s help in that suffering will be a helpful basis from which to minister to others. Our mental health struggles can also be something that keep us humble as they remind us of our need of the Lord. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was something that reminded him that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness – God does not need his children to be unendingly strong (2 Corinthians 12). 

All that means that mental health struggles do not necessarily stop anyone from entering ministry. On the contrary, many who struggle can flourish in ministry. 

We all need to be wise

However, we do still need to be wise. Ministry is tough and a certain level of Christ-centred resilience is essential. The precise nature of our struggle – and, even more importantly, the way we manage that struggle with the help of those around us – will have a significant bearing on how we cope in ministry, and how we impact those we are leading. It is not just what a gospel minister teaches that is important (though that is very important) – how they live, trust, pray, and relate to others matters too. 

There are some clear directives in Scripture. Recovered addicts are very welcome in ministry but those who are currently “given to drunkenness” are not yet ready for a church leadership role (1 Timothy 3:2-7). There is wisdom in the world too. For a few people, their mental health struggles might be so profound that they are a risk to others or to themselves and that is something that needs urgent attention. For them, safeguarding wisdom will pause entering ministry for now.  

For most of us, however, the answer to the question, “is my mental health struggle a barrier to ministry” will not be a simple “yes” or “no”. So, how might we go about discerning the answer? Here are some questions for personal reflection and discussion with a wise friend. 

Questions for reflection and discussion 

1. Do people know about your mental health struggles? Not everyone needs to know everything but, in the local church, is there a group of people who knows the full picture? Are you willing to be open and honest with them – avoiding hiding the truth? Does your GP know too? You can be supported through known struggles – hidden struggles cannot be helped and might well spiral out of control when the pressures of ministry hit. If people do not know, who can you begin to confide in? 
2. Do you have support structures in place? It’s one thing to inform people but it’s a completely different thing to accept their help. There is immense wisdom in asking for support whether that is prayer, medication, pastoral care or more formal counselling. Do you have those structures in place? If not, can you get those things in place before the pressures of ministry hit? A long-term group of prayer supporters, friends and a wise professional can make a huge difference to your flourishing.
3. Are you free from any safeguarding risks? Ministry is not the place to be if you are a risk to yourself or others. If you are at that kind of risk, can you book in to see a doctor today? Can you ring a helpline? Can you speak with a church leader or friend? You are precious in God’s sight – your life matters, so do the lives of those around you. God will be more honoured by you picking up the phone to someone who can support you than by you seeking to begin a ministry role. Please act now – it is so important you do. 
4. Are you alert to how your struggles impact your faith? Suffering can lead us towards God in humble dependence. Or it can harden our heart and nudge us towards “going through the motions”, teaching what is true but being cold and prayerless in our relationship with God. Whatever your tendency is now, that is likely to amplify once in ministry. Ministry does not make prayer and intimacy with God easier, in fact in some ways having quiet times can be significantly harder. Can you articulate your spiritual tendencies to a friend? Can you work out what turning to God would look like? Is there someone who can check in on you and encourage you in your spiritual life – and keep doing that in the years ahead? Are you willing to get all that in place before embarking on a ministry journey? 
5. Are you committed to growth? It is so easy to teach a gospel of hope, and yet see no hope for ourselves. So easy to pray that others will know joy, but settle for a joyless life ourselves. It is so simple to speak of a sovereign God and yet act as if the world is out of control. All Christians have a bit of a gap between what we believe and how we live. However, if you want to go into ministry, there needs to be a commitment to narrowing that gap. It is never wise to offer someone a gospel life we are not passionate about embracing ourselves. Can you spot the “gaps” in your life? Have you got a plan for growing in trust and wholeheartedness, even if your mental health struggles make that hard at times? 
6. Are you aware of how your struggles impact those around you? We all have bad days where we struggle to love others well – but if your mental health struggles mean that you are consistently snappy, defensive, insecure and needing the affirmation of others then there is a risk that you will tear down rather than build up those around you. This is something that can be helpfully addressed before going into ministry. Who is really, gently, honest with you? Who is able to alert you to any negative impacts you have on others? Will you welcome their feedback? What steps can you take to resolve some of the underlying struggles that lead to these styles of relating? Are you willing to start that now? 
7. Are you willing to step back from ministry if it all gets too much? Ministry is a privilege – it is a joy. There is nothing quite like having a front row seat, watching God at work in the lives of the people he has entrusted into your care. However, it’s not all there is to the Christian life. If your mental health struggles were to escalate, would you be willing to step back from full time ministry and, instead, enjoy being a congregation member again? A willingness to let go, when necessary, is a real sign of maturity. 

These are not full-proof questions, but if you work through them with a mentor or friend at church, there is much scope for discerning whether now is a good time to be considering ministry or whether there are good reasons to wait. If you answer “no” to a lot of the questions in bold, that may be a sign that pausing is a good idea. If you are consistently answering, “yes” – that’s a much more positive place to be. Along the way, we can be praying for God’s wisdom. After all, it is the Lord who ultimately chooses who his workers will be.