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Mission, Vision, Values
What is our Mission?
The United Church of Christ Mental Health Network proclaims and celebrates the basic sacred right each individual has to their own mental health. Therefore, our mission is to reduce stigma, and promote the inclusion of people and families with self-reported emotional/neurodiverse symptoms, experiences, and diagnoses, in the life and leadership of congregations, synagogues, and organizations.
We recognize the despair prevalent in today’s world and respond in joyful embrace of the individual’s divinity and dignity. Our programs normalize the conversation around mental health, and seek to prevent isolation and suicide by centering on education, belonging, and safety.
What is our Vision?
We envision a future in which:
- People with self-reported emotional and neurodiverse symptoms, experiences, and diagnoses, along with their families/caretakers feel welcomed, included, supported, and engaged in the life, leadership, and justice/advocacy work of their congregations/synagogues/organizations.
- UCC congregations have eliminated stigma, and their members offer true compassion and support, creating a just world for all people.
- All settings of the UCC are collaborating with other faith-based and community organizations to widen their welcome to all people.
- Our UCC communities nationwide acknowledge the unique aspect of the divine that exists in those living a different mental health experience than our own, and in gratitude enter into a loving communion with all.
What are our Values?
- Jesus has shown us the way to embrace those who are marginalized by society and advocate with and for them.
- Every person has value and worth and deserves love, dignity and respect.
- All people, regardless of mental health or disability status, have something to contribute to the life, leadership and work of their congregations/synagogues/organizations.
- Community matters. A sense of belonging is important to us all, whether we face mental health challenges ourselves or not.
- True compassion in ministry and relationships is based on equality.
Our History
In 1992 the Mental Health Network (formerly the Mental Illness Network) began with a grant from the American Missionary Association of the United Church of Christ. We began as a response to the need for families and others to communicate among themselves about their experiences as families, and in congregations/synagogues/organizations. We are, therefore, a network and not a committee.
Historically, the Mental Health Network (MHN) of the United Church of Christ has worked diligently to journey with those congregations and other ministry settings who have realized the call of the Church to be inclusive of those living with mental health experiences and neurodiversity in all ministry settings, including congregational, campus, etc.
Prior to the inception of what is now known as the MHN, a resolution was adopted at the 15th General Synod (1985) titled: “Helping Those Who Suffer From Chronic Mental Illness.” Later, in 1992, Nanette Roberts of the UCC United Church Board for Homeland Ministry championed the founding of the UCC Mental Illness Network (MIN), and it quickly became clear that the “network” aspect of the MIN was of vital importance, as there was a need for people and their families to communicate with and support one another as they journeyed through mental health experiences. Another resolution was adopted at the 22nd General Synod (1999) titled: “Calling the People of God to Justice for Persons with Serious Mental Illnesses (Brain Disorders).”
The MIN continued its work into the 21st century, partnering deeply with organizations such as Pathways to Promise and the UCC Disabilities Ministries, advocating for disability and mental health justice. In 2013, the MIN was revamped and became the Mental Health Network (MHN), the charge led by Rev. Alan Johnson, who had served as the MIN’s chairperson since 2009. In 2015, the MHN officially “established itself as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and became an affiliated ministry in ecclesiastical covenant with the national setting of the UCC.”citation
Also in 2015, the 30th General Synod adopted a resolution titled “Developing Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged Congregations for Mental Health.” This resolution officially launched a designation called “WISE,” which is an acronym for “welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and engaged.” The WISE program has encouraged many churches, synagogues, nonprofits, and even educational institutions to consider what it means to embrace people living with mental health experiences and their families. As of October 2024, nearly 75 organizations have been certified as “WISE” for mental health, and with the MHN celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2025—of both its status as an official nonprofit and a decade of certifying ministry settings as WISE—we hope to reach 100 certified organizations!
Today, the MHN—which was designated as a Historically Underrepresented Group (HUG) by a Prudential Resolution submitted by the UCC Disabilities Ministries at the 32nd General Synod (2019)—continues to follow its mission to reduce stigma, promote the inclusion of people and families with self-reported emotional/neurodiverse symptoms, experiences, and diagnoses in their faith spaces. The MHN believes it is imperative to respect the humanity of individuals in our faith communities and in the world, and to embrace the dignity and divinity of all of God’s creation.
Widening the Welcome
Who are we striving to include?
We are your sibling, the person across the street, the person next to you in the pew.
In a given year, one in every four people (26.2%, according to the National Institute on Mental Health) is dealing with a mental illness, also known as a brain disorder.
Here’s what Rosalynn Carter says:
People with mental problems are our neighbors. They are members of our congregations, members of our families; they are everywhere in this country. If we ignore their cries for help, we will be continuing to participate in the anguish from which those cries for help come. A problem of this magnitude will not go away. Because it will not go away, and because of our spiritual commitments, we are compelled to take action.
What is your congregation, synagogue, organization doing to widen the welcome and support those with mental health related challenges in your midst? What are you doing as an individual? How is your congregation/organization/synagogue supporting those with mental health challenges or stressors related to neurodiversity?
Why widen the welcome to all?
Jesus reached out to people who were marginalized, to those who were ostracized, and to those who were the outcasts in the eyes of society. Jesus’ compassion and embrace exemplified what His followers ought to do: reach out to the least, the lost and the lonely. The way of Jesus was comfort, not ridicule; it was love, not indifference; it was empathy, not hostility. The way of Jesus is our spiritual calling. It is the way we are to acknowledge and affirm the worth of everyone, especially those who are deemed less than, not enough, and not deserving of respect. Jesus’ way is to overturn the customs that put the lowly down and to lift up those who have been shut out. It is our spiritual calling to follow Jesus that leads us to widen our welcome.
Do you have a brochure about the MHN?
We do! Download it here.
How does the Network Function?
The Mental Health Network consists of a volunteer board of directors who apply to be on the board and serve 3-year terms.