When Suicide Comes to Church: Pastoral care approaches in working with suicidal people and those bereaved by suicide - Ōtautahi-Christchurch (WCC2027/02)

Discover how faith and spirituality can enhance mental wellbeing and provide vital support to those you minister. Reflect on suicide from your faith perspective. Enhance your pastoral care skills by learning effective approaches to mental illness, trauma, and suicidality. This is a valuable chance to make a real difference. Empower your ministry with fresh insights. Learn valuable approaches that will help you connect and support your congregations and community more effectively. Understand the profound effects of funeral rites on both suicide contagion and the grief experienced by those left behind. Gain insights to contribute effectively. Churches are an under recognised setting for suicide prevention. Compassionate pastoral care responses to those in despair or bereaved by suicide, knowing about what are useful and not so useful messages in a funeral service can contribute to effective suicide prevention. Internationally suicide among clergy is on the increase. With early intervention we can ensure it is not the case here. Understanding why those who have experienced abuse by church personnel have higher rates of suicide should inform the pastoral care responses to the abuse. Don't miss this specialised workshop for those in pastoral ministry! Perfect for clergy, chaplains, lay preachers, youth ministers, and pastoral care workers to sharpen their skills and inspire change. Workshop Programme The training consists of a 1 day in-person workshop and two 3 hour online workshops. Training Rationale The impact of suicide on family and communities including faith communities can be devastating. So how do faith communities respond when suicide comes to church. This response is not only in providing pastoral care to those bereaved by suicide but also to those experiencing mental illness, psychological distress, trauma or suicidality. Studies reveal that while 85% of clergy understand their duty to support those in a suicide crisis, they often feel unprepared to provide effective help. Those in ministry who are equipped with deep insights into suicide and its impact, can offer enhanced pastoral care, prayer, and discernment to those affected. Pastoral counselling in ministry should include skills to identify and respond competently to suicide crises. From a suicide prevention standpoint, faith communities can foster compassion and support for people who are experiencing hardship, and can use theological reflection to help people make meaning, especially the understanding of suffering and despair. Both here in Aotearoa-New Zealand and internationally we are now seeing a rise in suicide among clergy and pastors. Learnings from such suicides indicate that the pastoral response to congregations requires a very sensitive and nuance postvention response. Faith leaders often serve as first responders in the aftermath of a suicide, influencing the family's healing process. Compassionate pastoral care can facilitate recovery, whereas insensitive handling can exacerbate feelings of shame and unresolved grief. The approach taken by faith leaders is pivotal in shaping the bereaved family's journey through grief. Who should attend: Clergy Chaplains Church workers Lay Preachers Pastoral care workers Youth ministers Theology students and lecturers