In this episode of As in Heaven, Jim Davis is joined by two guests: his wife, Angela Davis (a mental health counselor), and Benjamin Kandt. They discuss the role mental health plays in dechurching, the relationship between worship and mental health, and how mental health intersects with the church’s ministry to the dechurched. They offer insight into the painful reality of loneliness and despair that marks many who have left the church. You’ll learn how we can engage the hurts of this group and how we can act to hear and offer healing through love and the gospel.
Episode time stamps:
Episode and guest introduction (0:00)
Correlation between church involvement and mental health (1:47)
The triune brain: the prefrontal cortex, the middle brain, and the lower brain (6:32)
Defining trauma and its relationship to deconstruction (11:00)
What does it mean to hold space? (16:27)
How the church can be a healing community (20:50)
The window of tolerance and physiology of anger (25:09)
What does it mean to be a good listener? (30:22)
Listening with the ears of God (33:49)
The damage not listening well can do (38:36)
The importance of listening and asking good questions in leadership (43:45)
Practical advice for pastors (48:35)
The importance of differentiation in pastoral relationships (52:59)
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