ABSTRACT
The potential influence of religion on positive mental health and psychosocial functioning is considerable. Caplan (1972) states that next to families, religious institutions are the most universal of all groups that provide support. Reynolds (1982) not es that there is a religious group in nearly every community in the United States, with a total membership in excess of 127,000,000. There are at least 250,000 clergy who can servc as resource persons. Clinebell (1970) describes religious institutions as "a sleeping giant, a huge potential of barely tapped resources for fostering positive mental health."
