Gary Wilkerson is the president of World Challenge, a global ministry that aims to transform lives through the message and mission of Jesus Christ. Wilkerson is also the founding pastor of The Springs Church, which he launched in 2009. He has traveled nationally and internationally to speak at conferences and conducted mission ventures such as church planting, starting orphanages, clinics and feeding programs among the poorest of the poor and the most unreached people of the earth.
According to a study by Lifeway Research, 23% of pastors acknowledge they have personally struggled with a mental illness. That is almost one-in-four pastors. Why are pastors uniquely positioned towards depression and anxiety?
I believe we can have clarity amid chaos by knowing who we are, what we were made for and what has been given to us by God. We do this not by looking at ourselves but by looking at who God is.
Our family has experienced the agony of a prodigal son. In early 2000s we hit a season of great despair when our son, Evan—who was in his late teens—was addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Did you know that approximately 50% of pastors have struggled with depression themselves at some point?
