Last week, I saw this article across my newsfeed on social media. As someone who trains worship leaders, this headline certainly grabbed my attention. Having only worship leaders report their mental health as only in the single digits is concerning, and having the general public be 8.5 times more likely to report excellent mental health is as well. This is something that we, as a group of worship leaders, should pay attention to. I will not recap the article in its entirety, but here are a few observations.
There were some encouraging signs as well. The data shows we are much less likely than the general public to experience “severe or acute distress symptoms.” The authors note: “Worship Leaders are, as a group, not in crisis. But they are certainly not thriving.”
The section on “Purpose Paradox” was very interesting. 78% of respondents found purpose in their work, compared with only 18% of the general population. However, only 44% reported “frequent joy or contentment” in their role.
While millennials and Gen Z as a whole are more likely to seek help and counseling, the authors conclude that “..it seems younger Worship Leaders are, at once, less likely to seek outside help and less likely to feel supported from within the walls of the church.” We should make sure to support and encourage the next generation.
I thought the article was very interesting! It’s sad to hear that it’s common among worship leaders to struggle with mental health. I also thought it was interesting that the author of the article thinks that maybe having more comprehensive mental health support within the church may be beneficial. I certainly think that would help in many ways.
I think this is something that we should really pay attention to as we seek to serve in churches. In my experience, it always seems like such a shocker when someone admits to having genuine mental health struggles. It’s such a hidden struggle. It seems like it is a battle that is very closely woven together with the lie from the devil that no one else feels the same way that you do. A mentor told me once that it is important to always have someone to minister to, someone to be your peer, and someone to minister to you. I think a potential cause for this issue is that it may be difficult for worship leaders to find that person who ministers to them. They may feel that it is their responsibility to always be willing to minister to others and it can be very challenging when they don’t have someone wiser and more experienced than them to go to when questions arise. I could be totally off with that thought, but it’s just the first thing that came to mind and I think it could be something to consider that could be related to this issue.