Suicide remains a taboo subject in many Protestant churches, despite the best efforts of pastors, according to a new study from LifeWay Research.
Eight in 10 Protestant senior pastors believe their church is equipped to intervene with someone who is threatening suicide.
Yet few people turn to the church for help before taking their own lives, according to their churchgoing friends and family. Only 4 percent of churchgoers who have lost a close friend or family member to suicide say church leaders were aware of their loved one’s struggles.
“Despite their best intentions, churches don’t always know how to help those facing mental health struggles,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.
A common tragedy
Suicide remains a commonplace tragedy, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 44,000 Americans took their own lives in 2015, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 15 to 34, and the fourth leading cause of death for those 35 to 44.
LifeWay Research found suicide often affects churches. Researchers surveyed 1,000 Protestant senior pastors and 1,000 Protestant and nondenominational churchgoers who attend services at least once a month, in a study sponsored by the American Association of Christian Counselors, Liberty University Graduate Counseling program, the Liberty University School of Medicine, and the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.
LifeWay’s study found three-quarters (76 percent) of churchgoers say suicide is a problem that needs to be addressed in their community. About a third (32 percent) say a close acquaintance or family member has died by suicide.
Those churchgoers personally affected by suicide were asked questions about the most recent person they know who has died by suicide. Researchers found that 42 percent said they lost a family member, and 37 percent lost a friend. Others lost a coworker (6%), social acquaintance (5%), fellow church member (2%) or other loved one (8%).
About a third of these suicide victims (35%) attended church at least monthly during the months prior to death, according to their friends and family. Yet few of those friends and family say church members (4%) or church leaders (4%) knew of their loved one’s struggles.
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