Meet an innoFaither: Sherry Molock
Meet Dr. Sherry Molock, creator of HAVEN-Connect, an initiative to engage Black churches to help prevent suicide among Black youth. As a pastor and a psychologist, Dr. Molock understands both the challenges and potential of the church as a player in the mental health arena. She decided to help churches overcome stigma around mental health to become part of the solution to the crisis. Dr. Molock lives in the Washington, DC, area where she teaches at George Washington University, and her pilot initiative, which has been featured in Vox and NPR, is currently running with twelve churches in the state of New York.
What faith(s), if any, do you practice? How does your tradition and/or spiritual practice inspire or influence you as an innovator?
I am a Christian with a pretty progressive/liberal theology. My ministry focuses on social justice, particularly around issues of mental health, race, gender, and sexual identity. For example, I see mental health as a social justice issue, and I think we are all called to not only provide access to mental health care but to create communities that support the mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing of its citizens so that we can prevent mental health challenges. Thus, my research focuses on partnering with faith communities to develop suicide prevention programs for youth from communities of color in churches. How do we do this? By creating communities where "heaven and earth' are indistinguishable; that is how I understand the Lord's prayer when it says: "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
What are you currently working on?
I’m piloting a suicide prevention program called HAVEN-Connect that is for Black youth in predominantly Black churches. One of the nice things about this program is that it encourages churches to do outreach to youth in the local community who are not members or do not attend their church. Also, I am writing a book with two colleagues on the Black Church and sexuality to help predominantly Black churches explore becoming open and affirming churches.
What can we find you doing when you’re not working?
I make sure I find time to "play" every day. I love to spend time with my family and read romance novels and psychological thrillers. I also love listening to all types of music (I drive my family crazy because I am always singing) and play solitaire and word games on my phone or computer. I also love needlepoint, crochet, and cross-stitch.
What is piquing your curiosity these days?
I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can change the current Christian narrative to shift from divisive theology to more inclusive, loving theology. There is a lot of emphasis on evil, hell, and sin. We don't focus much on building beloved communities because it's harder to do. Focusing on divisiveness works because it’s easy.
What is something you’d like help on?
Scaling up our HAVEN-Connect program.
What is something you can offer others in the innoFaith network?
How to develop partnerships with faith communities, particularly in communities of color, to be a resource in addressing mental health challenges in faith communities.
You can find Dr. Molock via email.
Meet an innoFaither is our series to introduce the inspiring optimists in the innoFaith world and what they’re working on and thinking about. We hope it helps you find and engage with each other across the network to advance faith-rooted social innovation and interfaith collaboration for social impact. Or just meet some cool people. Find the full series at innofaith.org/meet-an-innofaither.
Photo by Nate Palmer