50,000 Suicides in One Year: Christian Counselors Blast Churches for Deadly Silence on Mental Health
Christian leaders and counselors called on churches to confront a deepening mental health crisis at the NRB convention
Why Christian Leaders Are Demanding Churches Stop Ignoring the Mental Health Crisis
At the 2026 National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, a panel of Christian leaders, physicians, and licensed counselors issued an urgent call for churches to confront what they described as a deepening mental health emergency across America.
The forum, titled "A Bible Response to the Mental Health Crisis: Human Flourishing and Better Wellbeing in the Digital Age," was moderated by CBN News host Billy Hallowell and featured Dr. Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors; Carrie Sheffield, founder and program manager of Healthy Faith; Reina Olmeda, director of the Mental Health Initiative at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; and Dr. Pamela Pyle, an internal medicine physician specializing in patients with suicidal ideation.
The panelists cited devastating statistics: nearly 50,000 suicide deaths were recorded in 2024, marking the highest annual total in United States history. Suicide now ranks among the leading causes of death for teenagers and young adults, with rising rates also documented among middle aged and elderly populations.
The church without the broken is a broken church.
Dr. Tim Clinton stressed that congregations must embrace vulnerable members rather than isolate them, arguing that silence within the church has only deepened the crisis.
Carrie Sheffield pointed to research linking heavy social media use to anxiety, eating disorders, and depression, particularly among teenage girls. She warned that digital platforms encourage users to frame emotional pain as identity through public sharing. Sheffield also drew on her own personal experience with childhood trauma and hospitalization to emphasize the importance of Adverse Childhood Experiences frameworks in ministry.
Reina Olmeda made a critical distinction between guilt and shame, stating that guilt says "I did something wrong" while shame says "I am wrong." She argued that naming trauma reduces shame's power, referencing the prophet Elijah's biblical collapse as evidence that God's response involved both biological rest and spiritual restoration.
Churches Called to Break the Silence on Anxiety, Trauma, and Suicide
Dr. Pamela Pyle highlighted the medical realities of suicidal ideation, urging churches to integrate clinical care with spiritual support rather than treating them as opposing forces. The panelists unanimously rejected false dichotomies between faith and professional mental health treatment.
Dr. Clinton attributed much of the current emotional strain to pandemic aftereffects, geopolitical tensions, school shootings, and relentless smartphone news cycles that create information overload and isolation despite digital connectivity. The discussion also addressed the unrealistic expectations placed on church leaders, leaving pastors vulnerable without accountability structures or access to counseling themselves.
The panel concluded with a united call for churches to move from silence to engagement, from stigma to compassion, and from fragmented responses to integrated, Scripture grounded community care that addresses mind, body, and spirit.
The Crusader's Opinion
The fact that nearly 50,000 Americans took their own lives in a single year while many churches stayed silent should shake every believer to the core. We are called to bear one another's burdens, not pretend they do not exist. For too long, too many congregations have treated mental health as a taboo subject, as if acknowledging anxiety or depression somehow represents a failure of faith. That is not theology. That is cowardice. The Church was built to be a hospital for the broken, not a museum for the perfect. If we cannot offer both the Gospel and genuine compassion to those drowning in despair, then we have failed our most basic mission as the Body of Christ.
Take Action
- Contact your church leadership and ask them to host a mental health awareness workshop or invite a licensed Christian counselor to speak to your congregation.
- Visit the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) at aacc.net to find training resources, certified counselors, and church mental health toolkits.
- If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 for immediate help.
- Support The Shepherd's Shield at www.TheShepherdsShield.org to help fund care for persecuted and suffering Christians worldwide.
- Explore Mental Health Grace Alliance for free, faith based mental health resources and support group curriculum for your church.
- Start a conversation this week with someone in your life who may be struggling silently. Sometimes a single act of genuine concern can save a life.
