Disciple: ‘Do You Want to be Made Well?’

[Image: Holy Hikes offer an opportunity for contemplation, fresh air and fellowship. The Rev. Connor Gwin is at the center of the group. Photos throughout courtesy of Christ Church, Charlotte]

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” – John 5:2-6

During the month of November, a parishioner at Christ Church, Charlotte, could have worshipped on Sunday mornings; learned about having challenging conversations, navigating grief during the holidays, and contemplative prayer during Soul Care after church; and attended Workaholics Anonymous meetings in the evening. Alternately, they might have used the formation hour to learn about community wellbeing or healthy sleep for children and teens. On Mondays, they could have spent their entire morning on self-care, starting with 9 a.m. mindfulness Zoom calls, followed by neighborhood walks with contemplative discussions and time in the labyrinth, and ending with Centering Prayer at 11 a.m. Wednesdays might have brought morning slow-flow yoga classes in person or on Zoom, worship at The Well contemplative service in the evenings, and a luncheon and conversation about hospice and palliative care hosted by the Sages ministry for adults 65 and older. On Thursdays, they might have attended one-on-one therapy sessions with a master’s-level, state-licensed therapist in an office near the sanctuary. These offerings were led by experts in their fields—pediatricians for healthy sleep, hospice and palliative care workers for the Sages luncheon, clergy for prayer and worship, and representatives from local nonprofits for community wellbeing—and hosted through The Center for Wellbeing & Care at Christ Church.

The center, which celebrated its grand opening October 18-20, is the home of Christ Church’s holistic wellbeing ministry, which has grown since the church hired Mollee Reitz as its first wellness director in 2019. The ministry focuses on six areas of wellbeing: spiritual, emotional and mental, physical, relational, financial and vocational. While the center’s opening was a moment of celebration and a reflection of how the church’s commitment to holistic wellbeing has grown during the past six years, the ministry’s core question remains the same: Do you want to be made well?

“The world tells us a lot about wellbeing and wellness culture, and generally what I hear when the culture talks about wellness is you should try harder, you should do more,” the Rev. Connor Gwin, Christ Church’s associate rector for spiritual wellbeing and care, explains. “But we’re looking at that question Jesus asks when he’s asking that man, ‘Do you want to be well?’ There are so many layers to that question. It’s more than just a blind man who would like to see. There’s something deeper going on.”

Programming through The Center for Wellbeing & Care (and the church as a whole) focuses on balance among the areas of life that constitute holistic wellbeing because, as Gwin explains, “it’s kind of like a mobile. When one of these is out of whack, the whole thing shifts.” And at the center rests the spiritual.

[Image: Holistic wellbeing takes many forms at Christ Church, Charlotte, including accessing resources through the newly dedicated Center for Wellbeing & Care.]

STARTING WITH THE SPIRIT

Tending to a congregation’s spiritual needs through worship, formation and pastoral counseling is at the heart of every church’s ministry. In this sense, every church is already engaged in a wellbeing ministry, whether they name it or not.

“Wellbeing is not a destination. You never really arrive at wellbeing,” Gwin said. “Wellbeing is a journey that starts when you’re born and goes until the end of your life and really looks different in every season and every stage. We think if you focus first on spiritual wellbeing, and your groundedness in your identity in Christ, if you start from the place of being a beloved child of God, then suddenly you can actually start to work on these other areas of wellbeing.”

For Christ Church, the next area of wellbeing to address was the mental and emotional. When the church hired Reitz, a licensed therapist, to lead the wellness ministry in 2019, the idea was to offer every member of the congregation an opportunity to receive up to four free one-on-one counseling sessions at the church with referral services for ongoing or specialized mental health care. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived six months later, the number of sessions increased to 16 in order to accommodate the greater need. In 2021, the church hired Alex Bacon, and Amy Styers Bissette came on board as a second therapist after Reitz moved out of state last year.

The two master’s-level, state-licensed therapists continue to offer up to 16 free sessions of stabilizing care to any of the church’s 6,000 parishioners, as well as to the 40 or so teachers and staff members employed by the Christ Church Preschool and Kindergarten, some of whom face time and financial barriers to accessing therapy. In 2023, they provided 657 individual therapy sessions, averaging about 12-15 sessions per week. About 60% of those clients had never received counseling before. Bacon sees this as evidence that Christ Church is meeting the need the church identified five years ago: People need mental health care, and they are more likely to seek it out from a trusted, non-intimidating source.

“It is a privilege to be on the receiving end of church members who come and say, ‘It feels so good to be able to reach out to you through the church.’” Bacon said. “‘It feels so good to be able to come to my spiritual home and receive confidential therapy. It feels so good to know that the ministers here endorse, support and advocate me and my family members accessing this type of support.’”

Support from the clergy through preaching, teaching and sharing their own experiences has been vital to destigmatizing mental health care and encouraging parishioners, especially men, to access therapy. In 2022, only 20% of the church’s therapy clients were men. Today, that number is closer to 45%.

Bacon and Styers Bissette see a wide range of clients ranging from young teenagers to people in their eighth or ninth decade. They refer out for children’s therapy, which is a specialized field, and can help parents with questions about their children. They also offer referrals for specialized care in substance abuse, eating disorders and domestic violence. Their referral assistance extends to former parishioners who have chosen to worship at other churches, moved out of Charlotte or left for college.

In addition to external referrals, the two therapists help clients find resources within the church. Questions of faith may or may not come up during therapy sessions, but if they do, Bacon explains, she might refer the client to one of her clergy colleagues to provide a perspective she cannot. She might tell a client experiencing anxiety about the weekly opportunities to meditate at Christ Church or recommend outreach opportunities to
someone experiencing depression so they can see how others need them.

A SPACE FOR COLLABORATION

This type of collaboration is central to how The Center for Wellbeing & Care operates. While Bacon and Styers Bissette help screen anyone who wants to teach a class or offer a service to make sure they have appropriate credentials and are LGBTQ+-affirming, among other considerations, the staff embraces the gifts parishioners and community partners have to offer. For example, the children and youth sleep health workshop came about because two pediatricians in the parish attended a similar offering about adult sleep health during a Sunday formation hour and knew the parents of their patients needed advice about their children’s sleep habits.

The Center for Wellbeing & Care provides space for people to offer these gifts to the community. The renovated area is located right next to the sanctuary, both literally and symbolically at the heart of the church. In addition to the two therapists’ offices and Gwin’s office, the center houses the office of program coordinator Elizabeth Angerson, a meditation room, a space with a private entrance for family consultations and pastoral conversations, and a flex space. Gwin hopes to fill the latter with different providers, like spiritual directors, the lay chaplains he has trained to provide pastoral care, addiction counselors to perform initial screenings in a safe space or perhaps a parish nurse from among the retired medical practitioners in the congregation.

“Our mission is to offer a resource that meets people exactly where they are and invites them to explore what wellbeing means to them in the context of their own lives,” said the Rev. Chip Edens, rector of Christ Church. “Wellbeing looks different for everyone, depending on the challenges they face. We believe caring for the whole person—spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically—is our way of bearing witness to Jesus’s ministry of care and healing.”

[Image: A Soul Care art session]

Christ Church will continue to do so by expanding its wellbeing programming while remaining curious about what the community needs and meeting people where they are. Education and outreach remain a huge part of what the center offers because not everyone needs, wants or is willing to seek out therapy. In 2025, the church plans to offer a marriage retreat, a pre-retirement retreat to help those approaching retirement navigate the transition, workshops on maintaining healthy, meaningful relationships, and expanded vocational discernment offerings, among other opportunities.

While The Center for Wellbeing & Care is both an excellent resource and a symbol of Christ Church’s commitment to holistic wellbeing, the space itself is not what matters most. For years, Bacon points out, she and Reitz provided care out of two 8’x10’ offices off the church’s main hallway with sound machine outside of the door.

“It’s not the bells and whistles of the center that make a difference,” she explained. “It’s the endorsement of church leadership and the tenor of the church that says this matters that welcomes people in.”

Starting a Wellbeing Ministry

While not every church has the capacity to hire staff and dedicate a wellbeing center, as trusted providers of spiritual care, churches of all sizes are well-positioned to engage in wellbeing and mental health care ministries. Alex Bacon offered a few tips to get started.

Look at the work the church is already doing. Whether through pastoral care, worship, encouraging the practice of sabbath, or directing church and community members toward external resources, churches have been providing wellbeing care since their inception. Instead of minimizing the importance of the work that is already happening in the congregation, name it. Don’t be afraid to talk explicitly about wellbeing and mental health care.

Recognize that the church’s support for mental wellness can give people permission to take care of themselves in this way. People need to know that what they are going through emotionally matters enough—they matter enough—to receive care.

Encourage clergy and lay leaders to advocate for wellbeing and mental health care. Their bold support and conviction that this work matters will help end stigmas and encourage others to seek the support they need.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Acknowledge what you know and what you don’t know, and seek out those from whom you can learn.

Partner with a master’s-level, licensed therapist, especially if your church wants to offer a therapy ministry. Their expertise provides accountability and an understanding of ethical practices in mental health care.

Summerlee Walter is the communications coordinator for the Diocese of North Carolina.

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• Category: North Carolina Disciple