{"id":4947,"date":"2024-05-23T11:51:45","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T15:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=4947"},"modified":"2024-05-23T11:51:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T15:51:45","slug":"dallas-based-pastor-shares-depression-journey-urges-others-to-seek-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2024\/05\/dallas-based-pastor-shares-depression-journey-urges-others-to-seek-help.html","title":{"rendered":"Dallas-Based Pastor Shares Depression Journey, Urges Others to Seek Help"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Midwestern Seminary\/YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pastors and other clergy members typically serve as pillars of support in times of crisis, but what happens when they\u2019re the ones who need to be encouraged? Mark Dance, a former pastor who lives in Dallas, knows firsthand that mental health challenges can impact those in church leadership. During his 30 years of leading various churches, Dance experienced a three-year battle with clinical depression, and now, as a pastor advocate for GuideStone, he helps support other struggling pastors.<\/p>\n

Dance\u2019s mental health challenge began about 15 years ago when he was in his third pastoral position, he said.\u00a0He and his wife, Janet Dance, were busy navigating\u00a0life in ministry\u00a0while raising teenagers \u2014 and they were also in the middle of a major move from one church campus to another. He told Fox News Digital, \u201cI noticed that I had become different. I was avoiding people when I used to love being with people. And it became difficult to sleep, eat and make decisions.\u201d Dance also noticed that he\u2019d lost a significant amount of weight. It was a period that he now refers to as a \u201cthree-year fog.\u201d He said, \u201cI was working way too much and using \u2018the God card\u2019 as an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although it was \u201cout of character\u201d for him to ask for help, Dance reached out to his family physician \u2014 who diagnosed him with clinical depression, prescribed medication and told him to \u201cthrottle down.\u201d By slowing down and focusing on his own needs, Dance was eventually able to \u201cget healthy again.\u201d\u00a0 A few years later, he transitioned into a new role of helping other pastors overcome their\u00a0mental health struggles. While it might seem that those in church leadership are perpetually strong, they are just as vulnerable to mental health struggles as the people they serve, Dance said.<\/p>\n