Description
Is your church ready to talk about mental health? Is it ready to help those who need support? Mental health issues can affect anyone—in fact, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over one in five Americans has an identified mental health issue. In this book, Cedrick Von Jackson lays out the groundwork for an effective mental health ministry—one led from the pulpit. He details historic injustices that exacerbate reluctance to seek professional help and provides actionable steps for supporting mental well-being. He illustrates how to use the sermonic moment to encourage people to seek help, while identifying scriptural support for pastoral messages. This practical and relevant resource can help your church build an effective mental health ministry today.
Reviews
“In a time when our nation and churches are weathering a storm of silent suffering, Cedrick Von Jackson offers a lifeline born of his own profound journey through anxiety and depression. With the wisdom of a seasoned pastor, the scholarly craft of a lifelong educator, and the vulnerability of a survivor, Jackson masterfully weaves personal testimony with historical insight to equip clergy for the work of mental wellness. Every ministry leader who cares about the whole person needs this compassionate and thoroughly researched guide.”—Rev. Dr. Jamie Eaddy, Grief Scholar and Thanatologist
“This book speaks a necessary truth the Church has avoided for far too long: mental health, often viewed as a sidebar to faith, is central to discipleship, stewardship, and liberation. With fearless pastoral honesty and theological depth, Dr. Cedrick Von Jackson dismantles the false divide between trusting God and seeking mental health care. This work names how churches have too often reinforced stigma, silence, and spiritualized harm, while offering a redemptive vision for what faithful care can look like.
“Grounded in Scripture, Black preaching traditions, and lived experience, this book equips preachers and congregations to proclaim a gospel that is trauma-aware, gender-affirming, and unapologetically life-giving. More than simply inviting the Church to care, this book demands transformation. For pastors, chaplains, and faith leaders committed to becoming true sanctuaries of healing, this written labor of love is required.”—Danie J. Buhuro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, Gammon Theological Seminary, Atlanta, GA
“It is an honor to be asked for an endorsement of The Healing Pulpit: Sermons and Strategies for Mental Wellness by Cedrick Von Jackson. He is the distinguished Senior Pastor of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church of Atlanta, GA. Dr. Jackson addresses subject matter that has in the past been a silent subject. While the preaching on mental health has often been cautiously considered, Dr. Jackson asks the Black church to face it as sermon material as well as an educational tool for helping our people understand that the churches to which they belong stand with them as a support system, thereby making mental health as important as the other healings we say the LORD cares about.
“Dr. Jackson lays bare the need for Black church involvement by telling his own battle with mental health issues and the gracious support he received, and by assisting pastors in sharing their stories with his reading audience. This is not a book for just the Black church or for the faint-hearted. It is a book for all other faith groups because many ethnic minorities and those in the dominant race both face and avoid the same struggles. Chapter two is worth its weight in gold for the subject assessment of how silence and suffering have been the bane of the congregation, if only we understood that mental health preaching and teaching and positive engagement can be a blessing.
“If we don’t know what to preach on mental health, here’s the how-to version filled with scholarship and practicality, setting the tone for a theological framework for faith, therapy, and medicine to come together in the healing process. In the Apostle Paul’s teachings on spiritual gifts, the list includes the word “healings.” Certainly, mental health is included.
Author Bio
Rev. Dr. Cedrick Von Jackson is a respected preacher, poet, speaker, writer, and educator. He serves as the Senior Pastor of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Affectionately known as "Pastor J," he previously led congregations in Sardis and Sarah, Mississippi, and was the longtime Minister of Music at his home church, Second Baptist Church of Coldwater, MS. For over a decade, he served as musical director for Tate County Mississippi's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration. Dr. Jackson is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Memphis Theological Seminary, where he also earned his Doctor of Ministry degree with a dissertation titled "Rethinking Mental Health in the African American Church Through Preaching, Teaching, and Hospitality." He holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Mississippi and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. With over 27 years in education, Dr. Jackson has served as a teacher, principal, chaplain, dean of students, and district administrator. He was honored as "Outstanding Administrator of the Year" by Kappa Delta Pi at the University of Mississippi.