FRANKLIN — Mental health challenges touch every congregation, yet many churches remain ill-equipped to respond. But Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union is working to change that.
Through its Project HELP initiative, Tennessee WMU is partnering with churches, associations, and other ministries across the state in 2026 to offer Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid training events. The effort reflects a growing recognition that caring for the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — is central to the church’s mission.
“Mental health challenges often cause individuals to feel isolated, alone, less than, and broken beyond repair,” said Stephanie Evans, a licensed professional counselor and mental health service provider who serves as an MHFA instructor and is married to Springfield Baptist Church pastor David Evans in Robertson County.
“When the church ignores mental health challenges, we are leaving people in that state of brokenness without pointing them in the direction of the ultimate Healer.”
Evans, who has been a certified MHFA instructor since October 2021, draws a direct parallel between mental and physical healthcare.
Just as CPR equips individuals to respond to physical emergencies, Mental Health First Aid teaches people to recognize the signs and connect that person with appropriate help.
“Our brain is no different than any other part of our physical self,” Evans said. “It too is prone to deterioration and requires us to be intentional in maintaining our mental wellness.”
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training that teaches participants to identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance use challenges.
The Adult MHFA course is an eight-hour training covering anxiety, depression, psychosis, and addiction in adults 18 and older. The Youth MHFA course is a seven-hour training designed for adults who regularly interact with young people ages 12-18, including youth ministers, parents, and teachers.
Evans noted that stigma and a lack of awareness — not a lack of care — are often at the root of the church’s silence on mental health.
“When someone is experiencing a mental health challenge, the church often fails to recognize and/or respond in a way that is helpful,” she said, adding that MHFA can help bridge that gap.
Her prescription for how churches can support someone in a mental health crisis mirrors what they would do for someone facing a physical health challenge: pray, reach out persistently, meet practical needs, provide community resources, and remind that person they are loved and missed.
“Being a Christian does not mean we will be without struggles in this life,” Evans said, citing John 16:33. “Just that we will not be alone in our struggles.”
Tennessee WMU’s momentum on this issue is building, according to Vickie Anderson, executive director-treasurer for Tennessee WMU. In 2024, the organization hosted five events and trained 72 people. In 2025, that grew to nine events training 89 people. In 2026, the goal is 10 to 15 training events statewide.
Three upcoming Adult MHFA sessions are scheduled at the Church Support Center, 4017 Rural Plains Circle, Franklin. Sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 25; Saturday, June 27; and Thursday, July 9. Registration is $10 per person and covers lunch. Each training requires a minimum of five and a maximum of 30 participants.
Evans said the church is uniquely positioned to respond — addressing physical needs, encouraging mental and emotional care, and pointing people to the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ.
“Surviving life’s storms is more manageable when we have hope in Jesus Christ and a faith family that understands the storms we are attempting to navigate,” Evans said, “and how to help.”
For more on MHFA, visit mentalhealthfirstaid.org. To register for a training event, go to tnbaptist.org/events. B&R