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What if the Church is key to solving our mental health crisis?

The Church Cares

The Church Cares is building a community of lay helpers who can listen and walk alongside those in emotional distress. Adapting a technology already used by millions of people and organizations, the church can provide peer help within their congregation.

At no cost, we will help you do what you do best at a greater scale:

  • Care for and bring Christ-centered healing to those in distress
  • Mobilize your people to serve others
  • Build a healing community within the life of your church
  • Grow your church

Overview of The Church Cares Program

The Church Cares Program on 7 Cups

How does this work?

Through TCC you have two options to help the people in your church:

  1. At the most basic level, you can give your people 24/7 access to the many biblically-minded and Christ-centered lay helpers trained on this platform as lay listeners. (There are safeguards to ensure that significant issues and emergencies are funneled to the appropriate specialists.)
  2. You can have trained lay helpers in your church (both online and in person).
What does my church get?
  1. Free referrals to local people who are looking for a church home
  2. Free support for your members
  3. Address an immediate / felt need currently being met by under-resourced pastors on your staff.
  4. Those your church ministers to that are chronically distressed have an option to add free 24-7 help, allowing church leadership resources to target specific pastoral needs. This gives options for low-resources care beyond just pastoral vs. professional.
  5. Free training for interested lay helpers
Why would lay helpers be interested in being a part of this?
  1. Most people want to give back to your church, but they might not want to lead worship, join the chorus, teach Sunday School or Catechism. This provides a safe and structured option for them to give back.
  2. Many people have been deeply affected by painful experiences in life and they want to redeem themselves by giving back to people with the same issues.
  3. They become a helper (or lay counselor) through completing The Church Cares training program. This helps them grow personally and professionally.
  4. Helpers feel empowered, fulfilled and happy to be giving to the church in a way that is consistent with their gifts and interests.
When people seek help, how does it work?
  1. They get a code for your church.
  2. They visit your branded church page and enter the code. They then see your church’s listeners that have gone through The Church Cares Training program.
  3. They can then connect with a listener in person or through the private, secure, and confidential 7 Cups app.
  4. People seeking help can talk with more than one The Church Cares listener, access The Church Cares moderated group, and engage in The Church Cares forum in order to get more support. This way they can get unlimited help without overwhelming any one helper.
  5. Churches report this being an engine of church growth as people feel welcomed and supported. This increases member loyalty to the church and leads to people being helped inviting others to the church. The same process you have already seen organically happen occurs in a more deliberate manner.
I already offer pastoral counseling to my congregation; why should I be part of this program?

As much as you want to, you likely cannot meet every need in your congregation. Plus, you probably want your people to step up into ministry. Having trained lay helpers in your church addresses both of those issues. The Church Cares ministry greatly increases your options.

The OLD system Pastoral care or Professional care

The NEW system Pastoral care, Professional care, In-church lay helping, Online 7 Cups lay helping

How is this funded?

An anonymous philanthropist has funded the TCC program for 3 years. Our goal is to be fully sustainable by the time the funding ends in 3 years.