Mission Area

Wellbeing

1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. Of those with a common mental health problem, only 1 in 3 are currently getting treatment. Without getting the right support, these individuals are less able to live well, work, build relationships and play a role in their community.

The heart of the Church’s mission is to come alongside those who need support so that they can be empowered to live well. Cohesive communities, having a trusted friend to speak with and a place to belong are all key factors that positively impact our wellbeing and mental health. All of these things can be found in local churches.

So many of our 40,000 churches in the UK already offer excellent support to their community in the form of chaplaincy, mental health courses, socially prescribed activities or Warm Welcome Spaces. Our bold ambition is to increase the scale, impact and sustainability of church initiatives so that the Church can play an even more effective role in enabling our communities to live well.

We will do this through sharing stories of the difference churches are making in the lives of local people, connecting our expert partners with churches so they can be resourced and equipped, and exploring and developing opportunities for churches to effectively collaborate with the NHS and local authorities.

Find out more about our individual wellbeing projects below.

Our projects

"There is no other organisation that cares for the whole person, as well as the church. Its engagement with the statutory authorities, focussed on individuals’ well-being, provides an invaluable opportunity for a synchronised partnership to the benefit of all our communities"

Olivia Armartey

Executive Director (Elim International)

Wellbeing Report

Across the UK there are 38,500 buildings used for Christian worship, many of which are responding to the wellbeing needs of their communities.

ChurchWorks for Wellbeing seeks to encourage, equip and connect churches to better support the wellbeing of local people. To inform our future work, we have worked with our partner organisations to gather a snapshot of the current engagement of churches in wellbeing initiatives in the UK.

Read the report