by Karen Mason (Author)
Suicide is a growing tragedy in the US and in the church. We can stop the climbing numbers of suicide deaths, but it is going to take everyone working together, including the church. Without the church, suicidal people may not hear the life-affirming messages they need to hear. Without an informed church, people who have lost loved ones to suicide may leave the church. Too often, the church watches from the sidelines not knowing what to do. Why is it that the wider (secular) culture is more engaged in suicide prevention than God's people, especially given that Christians care deeply about the sanctity of life? The apostle Paul modeled suicide prevention for the church when he stopped the suicide of the Philippian jailer. But pastors and congregants may not know how to follow his example. The result is that people who struggle with suicide or who have lost loved ones to suicide wonder if the Bible or their church have anything relevant to say about suicide. This book will provide the resources needed to help prevent suicide in a church, even when a church does not want to start one more program.
Author Biography
Karen Mason is professor of counseling and psychology and the director of the MA Counseling program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is the author of Preventing Suicide: A Handbook for Clergy, Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors (2014), and co-author with Scott Gibson of Preaching Hope in Darkness: Help for Pastors in Addressing Suicide from the Pulpit (2020).