Mental health is not often a public topic of
conversation—or even a private one. That avoidance appears to be just as
prevalent, if not more so, in church settings. In recent years,
however, a plethora of research has shown that mental health issues are
more common than one might think, cutting across gender, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, it’s estimated that almost one in five Americans suffer from some form of mental illness each year.
As churches become increasingly aware of the widespread
and serious nature of mental illness, church leaders may wonder how they
should engage mental health ministry in the church—and what legal risks
they may face in doing so.
The most important mental health case to date
Lisa Runquist, an attorney specializing in nonprofit
law, has researched the issue of liability for churches that have chosen
to counsel individuals with mental health issues.
For Runquist, the most important court case regarding churches and counseling came in 1988 when a lawsuit—Nally v. Grace Community Church of the Valley—was
ultimately decided by the Supreme Court of California. An individual,
Kenneth Nally, had sought help from counseling through Grace Community
Church of the Valley and later committed suicide. Nally’s parents then
brought a wrongful death action lawsuit against the church and four
church pastors, alleging “clergyman malpractice” (negligence in failing
to prevent the suicide).
Runquist explains the verdict and its importance:
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