SOCIAL
PRESCRIBING
The Church and Loneliness: A Call to Action
Connecting lonely people with the life-giving services and activities provided by local church communities.
THE
CONTEXT.
In neighbourhoods across our nation, people are longing to belong.
1 in 3 Australians aged 15 and over report feeling lonely. Loneliness isn’t just about feeling sad; it's one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. It fuels poor mental health, increases the risk of depression and anxiety, and even shortens lives.
But here’s the good news: the Church is uniquely placed to respond.
In 2024, NAYBA Australia undertook a pioneering piece of research on The Church & Mental Health in Australia. Among other things, it highlighted the powerful role that churches can play in providing care, connection, and community.
Whether through shared meals, social groups, chaplaincy services, or other acts of kindness, many local congregations and individuals are doing what they can to embody the tangible love of Jesus. The challenge is making the pathways for support visible and accessible to those who need them most.
That’s where 'social prescribing' comes in.
Social prescribing is a community-based approach to health and wellbeing that connects people in need with non-medical support like the groups, activities, and services offered by local churches. Instead of just treating symptoms, it seeks to address the underlying factors that impact mental ill-health – particularly loneliness and social isolation.
OUR BIBLICAL MANDATE.
Before sin entered the world, the very first thing God declared “not good” was for a person to be alone, and so He created a companion (Genesis 2:18).
Throughout Scripture, we see a relational God who draws near to humanity, pursues the lost, and ushers the lonely back into community. Jesus embodied this in His earthly ministry – walking with the broken, dining with the outcast, and welcoming the overlooked – thus bringing reconciliation not only with God but also with one another.
Today, as loneliness and disconnection reach crisis levels, the Church is uniquely positioned to be a Spirit-led community of loving presence where people are truly seen, known, and valued. Social prescribing offers a practical framework for us to live out this biblical mandate – not by seeking to fix people, but by walking alongside them in the ups and downs of life and opening pathways to belonging that reflect the heart of Christ.
THE
VISION.
NAYBA Australia is delighted to be coordinating a pilot of social prescribing in Tasmania to help demonstrate the role that churches can play alongside other key stakeholders in supporting the mental, emotional, and relational wellbeing of those in need.
Put simply, our vision is to see every neighbour loved in communities across the state – and the nation.
With that in mind, we are currently working to:
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Understand local context and lived experience by engaging with people, places, and partners in a range of locations throughout Tasmania.
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Strengthen collaboration between health services, chaplains, and faith-based organisations to enable the relational support networks needed to address loneliness and isolation.
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Pilot a scalable model for social prescribing that connects people in need with appropriate church-based community care and can be expanded nationally over the coming years.
You can be part of the change!
Whether you’re an individual wanting to walk more intentionally alongside people in your community, or a church ready to open your doors wider, there’s a way to participate in this movement.
Please register your interest by following the links below or, for more information, reach out to us here.