Our Vision: Reduce suicidal despair. Zero suicides
"We who lean on God's love to live are called to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2) — ELCA Message on Suicide Prevention, page 1
Reducing suicidal despair is a crucial goal in helping one another through faith and action.
Zero suicides is a commitment to suicide prevention in the health and behavioral care systems and is also a set of specific skills and tools.
The Lutheran Suicide Prevention Ministry is based on the ELCA "Message on Suicide Prevention" — approved November 14th, 1999 by the Church Council. It urges synods to
- support members, congregations and affiliated institutions in their efforts to prevent suicide
- and calls upon this church's educational and advocacy programs to make suicide prevention an important concern in their ministries.
Our Mission: Awareness. Education. Collaboration. Advocacy.
The goals and objectives of the Lutheran Suicide Prevention Ministry are to:
- Give voice to those who have lost family members or loved ones to suicide, as well as those who have acted on suicidal ideation and those who are helping someone stay alive.
- Increase suicide prevention awareness within Lutheran churches/faith-based communities in order to reduce stigma and shame.
- Educate congregations and church leaders on appropriate actions to take to prevent suicide and to recover from a suicide death.
- Build suicide prevention collaboration among Lutheran, full communion partners, and other faith-based communities.
- Develop advocacy efforts on a micro and macro level in faith based communities for programs, research, and financial support for suicide prevention.
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