By Toyin Adeniyi
As mental health awareness continues to rise globally, Pastor Adeoye Oyewole, a consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at Ladoke Akintola University, has called on pastors to take an active role in promoting the mental well-being of their congregations while also noting that a disconnection from the spirit of God can lead to mental illness.
He made the call in an interview sighted by our correspondent online. The interview was part of the mental health webinar series hosted by Dr Wale Adeduro and School of Mentorship and Productivity via the YouTube Channel http://@waleadeduro.
Oyewole in the programme urged church leaders to prioritize the mental health of their members alongside spiritual growth.
He linked many mental health struggles among believers to their disconnection from the Spirit of God.
“Many of us are born again but live only in our minds,” Dr. Oyewole observed.
He pointed out that the natural mind, while able to accumulate knowledge, cannot reflect God’s glory without the influence of the Holy Spirit.
“The natural mind can only accumulate knowledge, but without the Spirit of God, that knowledge cannot be applied” he explained.
Mentally healthy person
He described mentally healthy persons as people who are productive and not a burden to themselves, their families, or society. “You must learn to cope with stress and not be a nuisance,” he asserted.
He stressed the importance of recognizing and unleashing one’s potential, stating that a lack of productivity could also be considered a form of mental illness.
He advised against recycling old messages. “You cannot carry the Spirit of God and preach the same sermon year after year,” he said.
The church according to him is like a lecture room where pastors are both to preach and to teach based on their personal experiences.
“You are not qualified to be a pastor if you don’t have a personal experience that can inspire and guide others”.
He chided pastors who grow their churches through financial inducements of members, warning that such methods are unsustainable.
“There is a limit to what inducement can do. If you grow your church through handouts, it will flatten out one day, and the members will become a liability,” he warned.
He acknowledged the church’s social responsibility but emphasized that the priority should be raising mentally and spiritually productive believers.
Addressing prosperity preaching, the consultant psychiatrist distinguished between grandiosity and true prosperity.
“What people often call prosperity is grandiosity. True prosperity is contentment,” he explained.
He emphasized that prosperity involves using available resources wisely and living according to the Spirit of God. “Prosperity is about resilience and problem-solving, not just accumulating wealth,” he stated.
He then urged pastors to grow their churches by practicing the Word of God and making it practical in their daily lives.
“A pastor can grow his church by living out the Word and allowing the Spirit of God to guide his ministry,” he said.
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