Former AL Pastor Who Wrote About Mental Health Issues Dead At 38

ACROSS ALABAMA — A former Alabama pastor who spoke openly about his struggles with mental health problems has died.

Hoover police confirmed that the body of 38-year-old Glenn Stephen “Steve” Austin was found in the city Monday. His death is being investigated as a suicide, Religion News Service reported.

In addition to having once served as a youth pastor and worship leader, Austin was a writer, coach, podcaster and motivational speaker.

"He was a ray of light in dark places, never afraid to have the conversations that many of us might’ve shied away from," said Robert Vore, an Atlanta-area therapist who once co-hosted a podcast with Austin on Christianity and mental health called CXMH.

Holly K. Oxhandler, an associate dean at the Diana Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, wrote on her website that Austin was a gift to the world.

"He was a gift in my life and he was a gift to so many who knew him," she posted. "Steve carried a larger-than-life heart and spirit within him in a way that drew others to him with his deep laughs, his tender heart to help others, and his quick-wit that I often couldn’t keep up with. He mattered so much in our world. He mattered to me."

A victim of childhood sexual abuse, the trauma it caused haunted Austin, according to his 2016 book titled "From Pastor to Psych Ward." He attempted suicide before by overdosing on pills at age 29.

VIDEO OF STEVE AUSTIN: Advice for Pastors from a Pastor Who Nearly Died by Suicide

"The police and paramedics opened the hotel room door and found my body," he previously blogged. "I was lying on my back, covered in vomit. The scene was gruesome."

Austin survived and went on to write several books that centered on faith and mental health as well as consulted with church leaders from around the country on how to make their faith communities a safe place for those who are suffering, according to his Amazon author profile.

"Steve impacted countless lives with his infectious laugh, warm smile, and fierce commitment to removing the stigmas associated with mental health within the church," said Kristie Lawley Burch, a friend who recently launched a GoFundMe page for Austin's family.

Two weeks before his death, Austin revealed on his website in a statement titled "Embracing the truth of my sexuality" that he was "queer."

"If you want to get specific, I check the boxes for bicurious, pansexual, questioning, and demisexual. So, I’m pretty sure that makes me the Q in LGBTQIA+," he wrote.

Austin's announcement came just as he was getting ready to release two new books over the next few months.

"Each one focuses a great deal on vulnerability. So, this is one more way I am mustering all of my courage and grace to come out of the shadows and allow God’s light to shine even more brightly on my whole self - my true self," he wrote.

One of those new books, "Hiding in the Pews: Shining Light on Mental Illness in the Church," is scheduled to come out next month. In the book, he challenges church leaders to transform their congregations into places of healing, where it is safe for people to be vulnerable about their suffering.

Austin leaves behind a wife and two children. Donations from his GoFundMe account will help provide some financial support for his family.

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If you are having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK). You are not alone. Confidential help is available for free, 24 hours every day.