How do depressives hear preaching?

Have you ever considered the likely difficulties that listening to the preached word presents to someone who is suffering with, or recovering from depression?

Facing up to the social interaction of meeting people at church will be hard enough, but think about the sermon itself:

The ability to concentrate is very often lost - allowing an unwelcome opportunity for negative thoughts to run wild.

Then there is the tendency to view everything through dark glasses - challenges and rebukes hit home like fiery darts, while encouragements and reasons for rejoicing slip past unnoticed. The negative mindset selectively latches onto anything that can be seen as a failing, or a criticism, and uses it as a weapon for further self-flagellation.

Misinterpretation

People who are depressed tend to personalise things that they hear. A depressed lady once left a church after wrongly interpreting comments from the pulpit. The minister, speaking on the excesses of the consumer society mentioned the huge number of lipstick colours produced by Revlon, and the lady in question felt sure it was an attack on her make-up sense.

Lastly any mention of the subject of depression itself is likely to be problematic. The causes of depression are many and varied, and it is often unexplained. There is a danger that the person who is depressed interprets any mention of the issue in a sermon as a commentary on their particular situation, and the trigger factors in their particular case.

How to help

So what can be done? Depression needs to be addressed - as it is addressed in Scripture - yet it is important to avoid misunderstandings, particularly for those who are already struggling with large burdens.

Prayerful awareness has to be the starting point. Ministers need to be mindful of these issues as they prepare, and consider the timing of their ministry, given the needs of the congregation. The door needs to be open for discussion to counter misunderstandings at an early stage. Those on the slow road to recovery need to be gently shown the potential difficulties of the preached word as part of understanding their illness. Perhaps, most of all, the problems highlight the very important role of close friends in demonstrating practical love and care. This will require lots of listening, and perhaps, when the time is right, a weekly get-together to talk through the sermon and repeat again, and gently apply the warm encouragements from God's word that may have been lost.

The Lord's anointed will not break the bruised reed, or snuff out the smouldering wick; his church needs to demonstrate the same spirit of careful concern.

How do depressives hear preaching?

Misinterpretation

How to help

Dr. Klaus Green

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