We’re delighted to welcome Catherine Boyle to our ministry team! Catherine will be assuming a key leadership role in overseeing our efforts to support churches in mental health outreach and inclusion. Her primary responsibilities will include…
- Increasing awareness and implementation of mental health ministry in churches across the U.S. and beyond.
- Developing strategies to connect families affected by mental illness with churches prepared to welcome and support them.
- Developing funding streams to support Key Ministry-sponsored mental health ministry initiatives and operations.
Some specific projects Catherine will be working on will include…
a. Developing relationships between Key Ministry and individual churches, denominations and like-minded organizations with interest in mental health ministry.
b. Launching and facilitating a Mental Health Ministry Video Roundtable – similar to the Disability Ministry Video Roundtable we host on a monthly basis for the special needs ministry community.
c. Providing consultation services to churches seeking to implement and/or improve mental health ministry. Catherine will serve as the initial point of contact for churches seeking training, consultation or resources from Key Ministry related to mental health ministry.
d. Developing resources for individuals called to serve as mental health liaisons in their local churches, along with resources for churches seeking to establish ministry positions for mental health liaisons.
Catherine has been impacted by mental health issues her entire life, having experienced her own struggles with anorexia, bulimia,anxiety and depression. She authored Hungry Souls: What the Bible Says About Eating Disorder, and helped launch a ministry home for women with eating disorders. In 2015, Catherine founded Outside In Ministries, focusing on how the church can minister to and with people with mental health issues.
Professionally, Catherine served as an executive at a large U.S. bank. She has led various church and community ministries, and has been interviewed for her ministry work on radio, television and in online magazines. She has a BBA in Accounting and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Catherine lives in Richmond, Virginia and has been married to Barney since 1994. They have two children (Jack, 21 and Natalie, 18). Catherine spends free time sewing or doing needlework and working out at the local YMCA. Her family attends Ironbridge Church in Midlothian VA.
Please join me in welcoming Catherine to our ministry team. She may be reached at catherine@keyministry.org.
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Are you a pastor or ministry leader searching for resources to better understand how to support children, adults or families affected by mental illness in your church or in your community? Check out Key Ministry’s Mental Health Resources page, containing links to video, articles and topical blog series designed to help you minister with persons with common mental health conditions. Also available through the website are a free, downloadable mental health ministry planning tool designed to accompany Mental Health and the Church, along with links to recommended books, like-minded mental health ministry organizations, relevant research, sermons addressing mental illness, social media resources and a compilation of stories from families affected by mental illness.
