Anxiety & Depression gathers Christian Standard articles that address worry, fear, sadness, and emotional heaviness with biblical hope and compassionate realism. Here you’ll find Scripture-shaped encouragement, practical spiritual wisdom, and guidance for seeking help—along with resources for churches and loved ones who want to support those who are struggling. These articles aim to point readers to Christ’s steady presence, wise community, and pathways toward healing, resilience, and peace.
March 13, 2026
David Faust explores loneliness across Scripture and in modern life, reminding readers that loneliness isn’t the same as being alone. He offers four practical ways the church can respond with connection, presence, and healing community.
October 7, 2025
By Rick Cherok Scott Swan, the anchor for WTHR 13News in Indianapolis, has been recognized with many awards and distinctions throughout his broadcasting career, but his career journey has not always been marked by accolades. For many years, Swan struggled with anxiety issues that threatened both his work and his relationship with God. Swan grew up in southern California and became a Christian at the age of twelve while attending summer camp. At fourteen, Swan was convinced he wanted to go into television news broadcasting, leading to his enrolled in Pepperdine University’s broadcast journalism program. At Pepperdine, Swan became the
September 3, 2025
If you’re growing weary in welldoing, I encourage you to adopt a positive “sabbattitude” and find a healthier, more sustainable pace for your life and ministry.
August 11, 2025
In the last two chapters of Philippians the apostle Paul uses panta three times to drive home important points about the Christ-centered life.
July 3, 2025
This article examines how spiritual warfare influences mental health and how believers can confront these challenges through biblical wisdom, insight, and compassionate care.
June 17, 2025
The sooner we embrace our God-given identity, the sooner we will feel comfortable and confident in adulthood. However, the longer we look anywhere else for identity, the longer we will feel anxious and uncertain about life.
March 2, 2025
The fear of the Lord leads to a life of holiness and obedience, while the comfort of the Holy Spirit brings peace and strength amid trials. These two spiritual qualities enable us to be all God wants us to be as we seek to live out Jesus' mission.
March 2, 2025
The debilitating stress that causes so many casualties in ministry can be avoided. Moreover, the stress we feel has more to do with an internal brokenness than external circumstances.
March 2, 2025
A recent Barna report observed that 43 percent of the pastors in the study who had considered quitting the ministry felt lonely and isolated. There’s no shame in being lonely, but it would be a shame if you didn’t do something about it.
January 7, 2025
Anxiety and depression are increasing in America, particularly among the younger generation. It’s time to revisit what the Bible says about worry.
October 31, 2024
When the holiday blahs settle in, it’s time to do some self-talk and use the second half of the psalmist’s blues song to tell your soul, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5, 11).
January 1, 2024
HOW A SERMON SERIES ON MENTAL HEALTH BROUGHT HEALING TO A CHURCH A perceived need among church leaders and church members led to a survey on mental health, which led to a dynamic and transformative sermon series. By Clayton Hentzel During the pandemic, I regularly participated in Zoom calls with pastors from across the country. One of those calls was with The Solomon Foundation. Early in the pandemic, Doug Crozier, the CEO of TSF, put counselor Dr. Wes Beavis on retainer. Dr. Beavis briefly shared some mental health tips on each weekly call. He provided everyone with a little help
January 1, 2024
By David Faust Remember the song “Winter Wonderland”? It contains a line about a talking snowman that a cheery couple imagines to be an ordained minister. They nickname him Parson Brown. “Are you married?” he asks, and they respond, “No man, but you can do the job when you’re in town.” Parson comes from the Latin persona. In the past, some ministers were called “parsons” and their homes were known as “parsonages.” In his Commentaries on the Laws of England, the 18th-century legal expert Sir William Blackstone wrote that a parson’s job is to “carry out the business of the
January 1, 2024
By Jim Dennis “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). What comes to mind when you hear the word recovery? Perhaps your first thought takes you to people with addiction issues. The alcoholic who can’t get his act together who rides a motorized bike around town because of his multiple DUI convictions. Or the emaciated drug addict with sunken eyes. These are just two of the stereotypes recovering people and recovery groups have dealt with for years. Perhaps you envision groups
January 1, 2024
By Jim Estep Upon seeing a familiar person in the church lobby and asking them, “How are you doing?” we all know the answer that is expected: “Fine!” . . . even if it is not true. I have often wondered what would happen if someone were open and honest about their struggles. “How’s it going?” “Well, do you really want to know?” I remember a church member calling to share about a family member who had suffered a heart attack. They asked for prayer and whether someone from the church could visit with their loved one and the family.
January 1, 2024
By Kent E. Fillinger “Hurting people hurt people” is a familiar and true phrase. But on the flip side, “healthy people help people.” A minister’s spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health will directly affect his ability to lead, serve, and help others. The healthier the leader, the more fruitful he can and will be. A recent Gallup survey found that workers are more stressed this year than last year. This coincides with a 2022 survey by ValuePenguin (a research and analysis company) that reported 84 percent of Americans feel stressed at least once in a typical week. A U.S. Surgeon
January 1, 2024
By Chris Philbeck Having served as a pastor for more than 43 years, I know how challenging ministry can be to a person’s mental and emotional health. I also know how difficult it is for pastors to be honest about this challenge. A tension often exists between despair we feel over certain realities of life and our commitment to faithfulness. Tension can also be found in the pages of the Bible. LEARNING FROM DAVID In studying David’s life, we see he experienced times of great despair even though he’s described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14;
January 1, 2024
Part of the problem people suffer lies in the fact that we tend to compare “our insides” to everybody else’s “outsides.” Compiled by Justin Horey, Jim Nieman, and Shawn McMullen There’s nothing the unbelieving world loves more than to see church leaders succumb to temptation and experience a moral failing. But it’s not just the unbelieving world. The church has been known to eat its own. Christianity Today, for example, produced a popular multipart series of podcasts called “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” that focused on the spectacular collapse of a Seattle-based megachurch and its founder/leader Mark Driscoll.
January 1, 2024
By Dr. Wes Beavis The church has shown a growing openness to conversations about mental health. I have been privileged to speak on the subject “Faith and Mental Health” at many Restoration Movement churches across the United States. Recently, Clayton Hentzel of The Crossing in Quincy, Illinois, developed a teaching series called “Weeds in My Garden” that has become a tremendous resource to Restoration Movement churches across the nation. It is encouraging to see churches tackle the subject of mental health. But I am aware of an underlying concern among believers that Christian theology and doctrine are being replaced by
November 1, 2022
By Wes Beavis The incarnation of Jesus Christ, God’s rescue plan for humanity, contributes to the mental health of the believer more than anything else. At Christmas we celebrate the advent of salvation through Christ our Lord. But people who celebrate Christ’s birth also typically experience three additional factors that have positive impacts on mental health. Collective Effervescence In 1912, French sociologist Émile Durkheim coined the term “collective effervescence,” which describes the euphoric self-transcendence that individuals feel when they are unified in focusing on a single subject or effort. Take a competitive rowing team, for example. Eight individuals climb into
March 27, 2026
Rick Cherok
March 27, 2026
David Empson
March 27, 2026
David Faust