The Mental Health Factor Question

Young people are experiencing a mental health crisis of unprecedented scale. Rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicidal ideation among adolescents and young adults have risen dramatically, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating pre-existing trends. This crisis intersects directly with church retention: young people who experience mental health challenges in environments that are unsupportive, dismissive, or harmful are more likely to disengage. Conversely, a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis in *BMC Psychiatry* found that religiosity and spirituality can play protective roles in the prevention and management of depression and anxiety in young people aged 10–24 — but only when the religious context is supportive. For the Adventist Church, this presents both risk and opportunity. The Adventist health message — when framed with grace rather than legalism — aligns remarkably well with evidence-based mental health promotion. But when church culture stigmatises mental illness or attributes it to spiritual failure, the church becomes a source of harm rather than healing.