How should a leader respond, when a member of a church community takes their own life? And what can leaders do to prevent such tragedies? 

Dr Karen Mason teaches counselling and psychology at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston. Karen will discuss suicide in the church from the perspective of senior pastors on The Pastor's Heart.

Dominic and Karen discuss the right and wrong reactions that pastors and churches make when faced with this situation.

They explore the vital role of the pastor in these situations both as a leader and as someone to care for the family long term, as well as detailing practically how to put the funeral together. They also outline how to approach the theology of suicide. Lastly, they discussed hard hitting issues that come along with suicide such as guilt and what to say when someone is struggling with thoughts of suicide.

Dr Karen Mason will be joining ADM’s School of Theology, Culture & Public Engagement 2020 to conduct two masterclasses on suicide prevention in the church. Dr Mason is the author of Preventing Suicide and has another book coming out later this year.

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