Welcome to The Church Cares!

@HopieRemi I'm pretty much in the dark about this community too, but I found this link which mentions 7cups - https://www.thechurchcares.com/

Seems like the 2 sites are different groups as far as I can see.

@vowedmama

Hi, thanks for clarifying what this community is!

Honestly, I think the "The Church Cares" community is currently at a disadvantage compared to many other communities on this site in terms of being able to make an impact and help people, for a few reasons.

1) Most communities on this site are self-explanatory

If I go to the "Depression" community, I know beforehand that the primary/target audience is "people experiencing depression" and the value proposition that the community is offering is "emotional support and resources/information related to depression". If there's any confusion, most active communities also have "About" and "Resource" sections where people can quickly understand the purpose of the community and quickly find self-help for problems they're experiencing.

When I come to this community, I don't immediately know what "The Church Cares" is, who its target audience is, or what value it has to offer me or other people. The "About" section is blank. It takes some digging to find the post within this thread explaining what the community is. It takes several more clicks, navigating to an *external website*, and *opening up a video* to find actual information/support that substantially furthers the purpose of this community.

2) Most communities on this site are secular/non-religious

95% of communities on this site are non-religious. The only exception I can readily think of is Religion & Spirituality. When I first saw this community, my initial reaction was confusion/distrust simply because I'm not used to seeing a religious community. Other users have had a similar reaction.

This sort of goes back to the 1st point. This community is so unusual that the stakes are even higher in terms of needing to clearly explain the purpose of this community, who it's designed to help, and immediately offering something valuable that people can use.

3) Most communities on this site are organic

Communities tend to be run by users who have been active on 7 Cups (and specifically active in the 7 Cups forums or group chatrooms) for a while and are familiar with the site's culture, norms, and terminology.

4) Most communities on this site have a broad user base

If I'm understanding, the targeted audience for this community is people who are:
a) Christian
b) AND regularly attending church
c) AND seeking to minister to others within their local church
d) AND seeking to minister to others *specifically* by offering mental health support/resources

That feels like a pretty niche audience. Do people who fall outside this audience still have an opportunity to participate or benefit in some way?

Example #1: I don't self-identify as a Christian (I fail the very first checkbox lol), but I'm interested in many religions including Christianity, and I'm curious about the connections between Christian spirituality and mental health. I also regularly offer support to people who are Christian, which makes it important for me to understand how to operate within a Christian worldview and respect its assumptions.

I'd love to learn more about things like pastoral care, mental health ministry, and the unique opportunities and challenges that come with offering psychological support within a Christian context. Maybe there are things that would be especially helpful for listeners to keep in mind if they're supporting someone who is Christian? Are there any universal themes that apply across all sects/denominations of Christianity? Differences between sects/denominations in best practices for applying mental health support? I'd love to learn about stuff like this.

Example #2: I do not have a personality disorder, but I'm currently a leader for the Personality Disorders community and have been able to do a lot of good because of the flexible/inclusive philosophy of that community. Many of the people who post in the Personality Disorders community do not have diagnosed personality disorders, but they feel an affinity with themes of certain disorders and are still able to receive support. Many of the resources within the Personality Disorders community are designed to be helpful or informative even if someone doesn't have a personality disorder. Often people will come to the community asking for help in understanding or supporting loved ones with personality disorders. The community has a target audience, but people outside of that target audience are still able to participate and benefit.

***

Some ideas for growing this community and making an impact:

1) Be clear/communicative about what your purpose is, who you're aiming to help, and what you have to offer that will help people and give them a reason to visit and participate in this community.

2) Consider expanding your target audience, or if not then clarify what your relationship is to the many users on this site who will fall outside of your target audience.

3) Observe other active communities on this site and replicate some of what they're doing (e.g. discussion threads, resource threads, icebreaker threads, dedicated leaders).

4) Leverage your special connection to 7 Cups site leadership to ask for guidance/assistance.

@jamensells

I really appreciate these questions. 💜

For me, it feels like a key thing here is... if I feel hurt/scared/angry, being *allowed* to feel that way. It makes things more complicated if there's a voice that pops up and is judging that woundedness (or the defensive structures around it):

1) Self-judgment: "What's wrong with me? I'm supposed to be grateful, but here I am feeling miserable, pessimistic, etc. I'm a bad Christian."

2) External judgment: "Why are you so gloomy? Be glad that Jesus has risen. Be full of praise at all times. All things that God has created are full of His goodness and love. You dishonor God's love and gift of grace by not feeling gratitude."

#2 might be correct on an abstract/theological level, but the manner in which it's expressed here has some of that "triteness" where... it's a one-size-fits-all perspective that isn't engaging sincerely with the lived reality of the unique/specific person that's right here, connecting with their personal situation and all of its complexities, and working from within their experiences to find spontaneous/intuitive connections back to a doctrinal perspective.

***

Some ways I might personally try to operationalize gratitude (i.e. finding goodness) that feel compatible with the existence of suffering:

1) "I don't like this situation or the way I feel, but if this is how things are then I have to figure out what to do with that. Let me work realistically/pragmatically with what's here, consider what resources I have, and figure out what's the best that I'm able to do with what I've been given."

[The "goodness" is the beneficial resources, strategy, or cognitive framing that I'm still able to find within an imperfect situation--without denying/erasing the fact that it's an imperfect situation or forcing myself to feel happier or think more positively than I naturally would.]

2) "There's a reason that I feel the way that I do. Let me trust that this feeling has something worthwhile that it needs me to hear. Let me talk with it, connect with its energy, and see if it points in the direction of something that wants/needs to change."

[The "goodness" is the wisdom or logic embedded within my own 'bad' feelings that gives those feelings a redemptive, constructive, meaningful purpose and a valid reason for existing. The suffering is real and my reactions to that suffering are understandable, but everything has a reason for being there and it all makes sense.]

3) "There's a vulnerability here that won't stop crying/screaming for help. I can't explain it away or reason with it without it feeling ignored or rejected. Let me just let that feeling be what it is. It wants me to let it exist without trying to coercively change it and turn it into something 'better'. You're allowed to be what you are. I accept you. Let me just hug that feeling, accept it, love it, see it, and be gentle with it until it feels cared for."

[The "goodness" is my own non-violent, kind, caring, accepting, yielding stance toward whatever I am. Things that are hurting get hugs. <3]

***

I imagine there might a 4th type of gratitude that would be along the lines of "no matter what is happening, there is an eternal, unchanging, living presence of God at all times in the background that offers a kind of peace amidst all circumstances", but I don't personally have direct experience with that.