Date

5-20-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Baylor Clark Whitney

Keywords

Mental Health, Discipleship, Evangelism, Christian Leadership, Leadership Development

Disciplines

Christianity

Abstract

Mental health services in the Appalachian region of the United States were lacking, both perennially and at the time of writing (Smith & Fisher, 2016). As the needs of this region and the nation continued to climb, the availability of trained, clinical counselors remained stagnant or worse. This lack of socially necessary services created a need that could be addressed in part by the local church. While professional counselors were in short supply and took a great deal of time to educate and train, the repercussions of the then-current mental health crisis needed to have immediate solutions and relief. The biblical church provided a means of addressing this crisis with the hope of Christ’s Gospel. There was ample research that demonstrated the efficacy of Christian mental health and substance use prevention programs and the beneficial emotional wellbeing fostered by support groups, with or without clinical support (Kerlin, 2020) Baker Heights Baptist Church near Martinsburg, West Virginia is placed in such an area that needs these supports. The church leadership sees mental health support as a need within their congregation (WV Department of Human Services, 2024). Therefore, the plan was to implement an education and discipleship process that focused on serving those affected by mental health diagnoses as well as providing an opportunity to interact and share burdens with one another. The intended outcome of this program was to develop a process that allowed a reprieve to the mental health crisis while simultaneously speaking into these needs the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

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