diff --git a/src/Server/Helper.php b/src/Server/Helper.php
index 3754ae7..1957fec 100644
--- a/src/Server/Helper.php
+++ b/src/Server/Helper.php
@@ -401,8 +401,17 @@ class Helper
     private function doSendResponse($result, $exitWhenDone)
     {
         $httpStatus = $this->resolveHttpStatus($result);
-        $body = json_encode($result);
+        $this->emitResponse($result, $httpStatus, $exitWhenDone);
+    }
 
+    /**
+     * @param array|\JsonSerializable $jsonSerializable
+     * @param int $httpStatus
+     * @param bool $exitWhenDone
+     */
+    public function emitResponse($jsonSerializable, $httpStatus, $exitWhenDone)
+    {
+        $body = json_encode($jsonSerializable);
         header('Content-Type: application/json', true, $httpStatus);
         echo $body;
 
diff --git a/src/Server/StandardServer.php b/src/Server/StandardServer.php
index 80b1be3..1dcf424 100644
--- a/src/Server/StandardServer.php
+++ b/src/Server/StandardServer.php
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 namespace GraphQL\Server;
 
+use GraphQL\Error\FormattedError;
 use GraphQL\Error\InvariantViolation;
 use GraphQL\Executor\ExecutionResult;
 use GraphQL\Executor\Promise\Promise;
@@ -43,6 +44,27 @@ class StandardServer
      */
     private $helper;
 
+    /**
+     * Converts and exception to error and sends spec-compliant HTTP 500 error.
+     * Useful when an exception is thrown somewhere outside of server execution context
+     * (e.g. during schema instantiation).
+     *
+     * @api
+     * @param \Throwable $error
+     * @param bool $debug
+     * @param bool $exitWhenDone
+     */
+    public static function send500Error($error, $debug = false, $exitWhenDone = false)
+    {
+        $response = [
+            'errors' => [
+                FormattedError::createFromException($error, $debug)
+            ]
+        ];
+        $helper = new Helper();
+        $helper->emitResponse($response, 500, $exitWhenDone);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Creates new instance of a standard GraphQL HTTP server
      *