1 in 3 Protestant Churchgoers Personally Affected by Suicide

Survey also finds one-third of victims were attending church before their death, but few pastors knew of their struggle.

Suicide remains a taboo subject in many Protestant churches, despite the best efforts of pastors, according to a new study from LifeWay Research.

Eight in 10 Protestant senior pastors believe their church is equipped to intervene with someone who is threatening suicide.

Yet few people turn to the church for help before taking their own lives, according to their churchgoing friends and family. Only 4 percent of churchgoers who have lost a close friend or family member to suicide say church leaders were aware of their loved one’s struggles.

“Despite their best intentions, churches don’t always know how to help those facing mental health struggles,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. Read More

I am one of the one in three Protestant churchgoers who knew someone who took their own life. In high school and after college I knew a young women who had made several unsuccessful suicide attempts. She would go to a party where the other party goers upon learning of her history of attempted suicide encouraged her to kill herself. She was in treatment at the time for depression and suicidal impulses and appeared to be responding to treatment. She went home after the party and took an overdose of medication. When this attempt failed, she shot herself in the chest. What was so sad about her death was that she had a lot going for her. She, however, had made the decision in her own mind not to live. It did not take much encouragement for her to act on that decision.