ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses preliminary consideration of some of the key issues impacting upon Australian Christian attitudes and responses to mental illness as a whole. It then considers the Australian Christian Churches (ACC) movement a growing Australian Pentecostal denomination that provides a fascinating case study of shifting theological dynamics that inevitably affect pastoral care practices. In exploring these dynamics and their potential implications for the mentally ill, the dynamics of the Pentecostal four-fold gospel will be analysed. In providing a well-rounded conclusion that brings together theological dynamics and pastoral care practice, the chapter suggests the ways in which the ACC may strengthen their care for the mentally ill. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in 2011-12 13.6 percent of Australians identified as having a long-term mental or behavioural condition a stark comparison to the 9.6 per cent recorded in 2001. More recently, Australian research institute Beyondblue highlighted that three million Australians are currently living with depression or anxiety.
