By Chris Eckl

Forty two percent of people overwhelmed with anxiety turn first to their ministers for help, but only 4 percent bother to return for additional counseling.

This statistic provides the challenge for the Department of Pastoral Education at the Georgia Mental Health Institute and its director, the Rev. Jasper N. (Jap) Keith, Jr.

“We are trying to reach clergyman who haven’t had training, but are in the front line of counseling deeply troubled people in their parishes,” the director said.

“The Church does not need ‘junior psychiatrists’ nor ‘amateur psychotherapists’ as her pastors,” Keith said. “She needs clinically trained pastors who can relate theology to life and who can be pastoral shepherds.”

The department tries to help ministers recognize and appreciate the other disciplines—psychiatry, psychology, etc.—and to know when to refer the disturbed person for treatment.

“Sometimes people who come to their ministers are too deeply troubled to function. If the pastor knows the symptoms of pathology an recognizes his own limitations, then he will know when and where to refer the person.”

Keith said about 5 percent of the nation’s clergymen have had some clinical training and it is increasing.

“Every seminary today if it is anywhere near relevant will have courses in psychology and personality development.”

But more is needed and the department is designed to assist pastors already serving churches and pastors-to-be.

“We are closely affiliated with the Candler School of Theology, the Columbia Presbyterian Seminary and the Interdenominational Theological Seminary and offer quarter credit courses for seminarians.

“The courses give them contact with patients and are held at Georgia Baptist Hospital, Grady and several other centers,” Keith said.

Another course for seminarians in their last year and for pastors already serving churches lasts 12 weeks. “They are assigned to a treatment team with the status of chaplain and minister to patients in the colleges. Their training is supervised and they are involved in evaluation and treatment conferences.”

How can chaplains help the patients?

Keith replied, “Most of the patients who come to us have a history of involvement with the Church. It may be a sad history because the religion they encountered may have been destructive. They may be overly burdened with guilt, bound by the law, in bondage to tradition.

“We hope that an encounter with one of our chaplains would be a freeing experience.

“To those who have had a good experience with their Church, they find a chaplain a comrade, a fellow communicant. They remember a kind minister.”

Keith said another program is for men who have developed an interest for this type of work. “These chaplains-interns come to us from the state system and have a stipend. They work for a year under supervision. Later, he will appear before the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education for certification.”

Asked why most of the 42 percent never return to their minister for counseling, Keith replied, “The average minister today has become a pastoral director of an organization. He doesn’t have time to listen to people because he feels the pressure that his ‘church’ must be a success numerically and financially.

“Ministers spend a lot of time and money on buildings and equipment and less and less time on the anguish of people.”

Keith became interested in pastoral education after graduation from Mercer University and Southern Baptist Seminary at Louisville.

“Douglas Turley, chief chaplain at the institute, was my supervisor when I spent 12 weeks at Longview Hospital in Cincinnati.

“After training, I became pastor of a Baptist church in Sandersville for three years. As a pastor, I did so much counseling that I knew I needed more training. So I went to Milledgeville for a year’s training and have been in this type of work since then.”

At Milledgeville, he worked with Msgr. Joseph Cassidy. “We use to hold services every Wednesday night on three wards. I sang and he preached.”