Beth M. Broom, LPC-S, CCTP-II
When Jesus created the Church, he designed it to be a place where hurting people could heal and receive care. He commanded us to bear the burdens of others and restore those who are broken in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1-2). The call to draw near to the brokenhearted is folded into the call to make disciples.
We recognize that churches cannot (and should not) cater to the needs of one specific population, but the need for compassion and wisdom is universal. Some survivors of trauma have reported that their churches don’t provide spaces where they can grieve their losses and receive support. Is your church an inviting and caring space for those who are suffering?
In order to gauge your church’s readiness to meet the needs of trauma survivors, we encourage you to assess three main components of ministry: the leadership of your church, the specific ministries of your church, and the physical space of your church.
Leadership
Start at the highest leadership level. Do your pastors, elders, and/or deacons have a good theology of suffering? Do they understand the types of struggles faced by people who have suffered trauma? Are they able to engage compassionately with sufferers? No one should expect a ministry leader to know everything about trauma, but he should know enough to be able to communicate with kindness and wisdom. If your highest-level leaders have not learned about trauma, this is a good place to start. Once they have learned some important things, they can (and should) equip volunteer leaders in how to care for sufferers. This can be folded into already-existing training and coaching meetings.
Specific Ministries
Think about your Sunday gatherings, your children’s ministry, and your small group ministries. What happens if someone experiences distress in your gathering? Where do they go, and who should they talk with? What avenues allow people to receive prayer and encouragement? Do the people in your church regularly hear about these options? Do you incorporate lament into your services and groups? Are there groups people can join if they want to receive care for a specific struggle? And even if your church offers specific groups and ministry to trauma survivors, your leaders will still need a strong list of professional counselors and community resources that they can partner with.
Physical Space
Ask someone who has been visiting for just a few weeks: “What is it like for you to enter this space? What do you notice? What seems confusing or chaotic?” People who have experienced trauma sometimes become overwhelmed or overstimulated without notice. They may need a quiet place to take some deep breaths, or they may need a room where they can go to receive prayer. If your church has groups that meet in people’s homes, it’s important to remember that some people feel unsafe in an unfamiliar home due to terrifying past experiences. Perhaps you can determine whether it’s possible to offer an additional group that happens in a public space.
Finally, the Church is the Body of Christ. All members of the Body are called to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). Do the members of your church know how to do this? May we equip every member to fulfill the calling of Ephesians 4:15-16: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
We have created a 30-question ministry assessment that can be used to explore the specific ministries of your church, which is available to all CTHN members. Click HERE to view this assessment. For church leaders who want to learn more about how to care for survivors of trauma, please click HERE and watch our FREE one-hour webinar, Ministering to Survivors of Trauma.
