This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on May 25, 2016, on our previous website. A community leader recently asked me this question: "How often does an average pastor encounter trauma? Or throughout their career, how many traumas might they come close to?"
How would you answer that question? Of course, there are several ways to answer it. First, personally. Chances of a faith leader having encountered trauma personally are high. Thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ACE Study, we know that nearly 60% of people in the US encounter adverse childhood experiences related to sudden deaths of loved ones, all forms of abuse, or a parent living outside the child's permanent home due to divorce or incarceration, before they turn 18 years old. This, of course, includes faith leaders. Second, among their congregation. The ACE study holds true for the faith leader's congregation, too. Third, their congregation may experience a collective trauma within the congregation. This may involve the sudden death of a staff member, the revelation of cases of sexual abuse of adults or children, the revelation of spiritual abuse, the revelation of severe leadership betrayal including financial embezzlement, an act of arson or violent terror, or the destruction of their facility or members' homes due to a natural storm, wildfire, or earthquake. Fourth, their congregation may experience a collective trauma within the community due to widely spread destruction from natural storms, a series of physical or sexual abuse, hate crimes or acts of terror, or violent outbreaks. In 2015, FEMA declared over 40 major disasters in nearly as many states. Then, there are the incidents not "big" or wide spread enough to make national headlines, but nevertheless terrorize and leave lasting impacts on individuals and families in the congregation and local community. In 2016, so far, 20,440 incidents related to gun violence have been reported. And we now know, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime. All of these forms of trauma impact the collective spirit of the congregation and strain faith leaders' compassion abilities. In many cases, when in distress, individuals and families turn to their faith communities for help and guidance. With so much trouble in the world – permeating every aspect of congregational life – how can faith leaders remain resilient? Thankfully, not all is lost. Traumatologists have found three keys to healing trauma.
When congregations practice these three behaviors – when they focus on creating safe spaces in communities to heal – their members are less likely to experience PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and are more likely to be healing agents in the world. These practices counter traumatic stress symptoms, and generate restoration for individuals, families, and communities. To learn more about how congregations incorporate these practices into their ministries, browse this website for an abundance of online training. Do you find the ICTG Blog helpful? To support this inspiring education, give a gift of $25 today.
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This post, written by Doug Ranck, originally was published August 3, 2016, on our previous website. “The American Psychological Association’s (APA) study on stress found that nearly half of America’s kids are stressed. This is bad news because it means unhealthy amounts of stress hormones are coursing through the developing brains of these children and that causes learning and behavior problems.” How is that for an opening few lines in a blog I recently read? According to this blog, the human brain does not fully develop until about age 25 so there is plenty of room for vulnerability in the adolescent years. The area of the brain most vulnerable to stress hormones is the prefrontal cortex. Here is where intelligence, learning and impulse control are located. When stress hormones enter the picture, struggle ensues. Further, the same blog cited a study that found “91 percent of kids say what stresses them most is how stressed their parents have become, and 69 percent of parents were oblivious to the impact their level of stress is having on the kids.” Ouch! This lines up with the findings from a study by the Families and Work Institute which found that what kids want most is “stress-free parents”. Kids are quite adept at picking up on a parent’s stress level. Kids look for non-verbal cues, like sad expressions, heavy footsteps and/or consistent fatigue. What shall we do then? I submit a few ideas as logical solutions, flowing from the findings above:
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This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on July 18, 2016, on our previous website. While the idea of compassion fatigue can conjure up an image of an empty tank, as though we can just 'run out' of compassion like a care might run out of gas, there's also an opportunity to think of compassion as a renewable resource, to borrow a phrase from Institute Advisor Jessica Carle. An individual caregiver might struggle with compassion fatigue, but when compassion is enacted in community, the loneliness of the caregiving burden can be addressed more effectively. Compassion literally means to suffer with mourners or survivors. As compassion-givers work alongside compassionate colleagues, rather than in isolation, they share burdens and multiply healthy impacts that counter debilitating effects of trauma. They create and expand relief and buoy spirits. Moreover, when compassion-givers honor mourners and survivors, they discover and witness to the expertise of those who are suffering rather than only the expertise of those offering care. By recognizing mourners and survivors as experts in their unique experience of trauma and healing, and sharing best practices with one another rather than doling out prescriptions, compassion-givers also receive nourishing kindness and compassion. Along with being part of a community of care, Carle has noted how practicing self-compassion while offering compassion to those who are mourning or surviving trauma acts like an antidote to fatigue. Self-compassion goes beyond self-care; it encourages us to show kindness to ourselves, rather than judgment, and to connect with the reality that all humans are limited and imperfect. These efforts can help us remain in the crucial relationships of support that will sustain us in our caregiving efforts. As more and more faith leaders today are practicing forms of compassion, including nonviolent protest of institutionalized harm, building community after violence, and creating new forms of community care, pacing and bolstering themselves with practices of self-compassion and community will increase resiliency and counter fatigue. Here are some examples of a few more best practices:
What else have you been finding to be helpful in and around your congregation? Share in the comments below. You can help sustain online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on May 9, 2016, on our previous website. Let me tell you the story about one graduate student who reached out to ICTG for help with researching ministry leaders' experiences with trauma.
Steven is a middle-aged pastor at a large, urban, mostly African-American church. He believes congregations play vital roles in disaster response and community care. So much so, he went back to school for an MBA at Fresno Pacific University to gain further skills in community development and management after disasters. For his final group project, he secured permission from his school to use ICTG surveys to sample leaders and measure how aware, prepared, and responsive congregations were to disasters and traumas they encountered. His group surveyed 31 congregations in Louisiana, Missouri, and New Jersey, where community-wide disasters occurred between 2004-2011. These congregations represented the following denominations: Adventist Baptist Catholic Episcopal Evangelic Free Lutheran Methodist Pentecostal Presbyterian Non-Denominational Unitarian Universalist They also included 3 rural churches, 9 small town churches, 6 suburban churches, and 13 urban churches. Membership included 19% multi-ethnic backgrounds, 4% Central or South American backgrounds, 15% African-American, and 62% Canadian- or European-American. The project revealed several key insights that more ministers should know about. For example: Many congregations experience more than one trauma or disaster within a few years. 54% of the congregations surveyed experience two or more collective traumatic events within just 5 years of the hurricane or shooting they first reported. High turnover rates exist among ministry staff following traumatic incidents. Within only 3 years of the first incident, 62% of the ministry staff among these congregations changed, including one pastor dying of a heart attack. Membership and stewardship radically change following traumatic incidents. Nearly 80% of the congregations surveyed had between 100-2100 members the year before the first disaster occurred. 56% of them decreased in membership as much as 20% in the first 3 years after, even as financial giving increased 70%. We need more projects like Steven's to provide congregations with the information they need to face what's ahead. Surveys like this one significantly help clergy and lay leaders better assess their congregation's current practices and increase resiliency to withstand the pressures of collective traumas. Want to support more innovative students like Steven and create more projects that get congregations information and tools they need?
The boards, staff, and volunteers at ICTG heartily agree with Steven – congregations can play vital roles in disaster response and community care. Especially when they are informed and have access to tools they need to promote safety and growth. This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on March 22, 2016, on our previous website. As our hearts ache, again, following another terrorist attack, many of us feel that restlessness that forms in the aftermath of atrocity. What can we do? How can we help? Many of us are far away and feel so much sorrow. We are challenged, again, to know how best to encourage, support, and enact care. Here's a few practices that ICTG staff, directors, advisors, and colleagues have found most useful following human-caused disasters that occur far away:
With these acts you get involved in countering terror locally and globally. These acts make a difference. Be a blessing this week. Sustain online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by guest-blogger Rev. Shaun Lee, originally was published on March 3, 2016, on our previous website. It was two days after Thanksgiving and a regular Saturday morning until I received a call from one of the deacons asking me if I heard about the fire. He then began to tell me about a fire one of the families of our church experienced that morning. He first saw it on the news and recognized the house. Once he confirmed it he quickly called me. One of our ushers, Olivia*, and her husband died in the fire. Her grandson, Jeremy, a member of our technology team and a sophomore in college, was rushed to the hospital severely burned. His mother Cynthia, who had just joined the church thee weeks prior, was taken to the hospital also, but she had no physical injuries. The next 48 hours were probably the most difficult of my pastorate thus far. There were multiple issues of trauma that needed to be dealt with and I had to prioritize how to deal with them. I cannot sit here and honestly say that I mapped out how I was going to deal with the different facets of this pastorally. I will say that God providentially lead the way as we grappled with such a traumatic blow. I will very briefly discuss how I responded to the church and family during the trauma and the recovery effort post trauma. I first went to the church. We had our soup kitchen that day and the ushers were already meeting upstairs. The news surprisingly did not get out since it just happened and it was still relatively early in the day. I was able to sit with them and tell them the horrible news. We prayed together with tears and disbelief. It was the death of their friend that hurt, but what hurt even more was that Jeremy’s life now stood in the balance and no one knew what the future would hold. What we knew was hard enough, but what we did not know frightened us even more. We prayed for comfort and we prayed for his healing. After dealing with the church family I found out what hospital they were taken to and immediately made my way there. They were not allowing anyone to see them because apparently the media had been trying to get to their room for an interview and to get pictures of them. Fortunately Cynthia was coherent enough that when she heard I was trying to see them she gave her permission. When I first saw her I could see in her face all she had gone through within the last 8 hours. Losing both of her parents in the fire and now having her son 3 rooms down from her severely burned took a toll on her spirit, and it showed on her face. We talked for a while and then I prayed with her. I then prepared myself to go see her Jeremy. He’s a young man that so many people admire and love. He’s a joy and pleasure to be around. I walked in and he was bandaged up but coherent. We talked, cried, and even laughed. He was fully aware of what happened and was still able to find a semblance of peace. His strength during this moment astounded me. Yes, he was sad and even with the medicine was in severe pain, but he looked beyond the moment and talked about hope for the future. I was trying to see how I was going to encourage him and he encouraged me. He later would have several painful skin grafts and would be in the hospital for over a month. I am glad to report that he is recovering well. After he was discharged from the hospital we were finally able to have a memorial for Olivia and Charles. Cynthia did not want to have any ceremony with Jeremy in the hospital so we respected her wishes and the congregation waited. The memorial gave some since of closure to the family and the church for at least one chapter in this tragic story. Safe to say that dealing with the trauma of the moment was only half of the battle. We are now dealing with their displacement, financial issues, and mental therapy. To neglect post trauma recovery is really another trauma all in itself. While we continue to pray with and for them we also took special donations of money and clothing. We were also able to connect them with a therapist that would be able to help them deal with the after affects of the fire. Jeremy stated that it’s hard for him to sleep now, because the fire happened while he was sleep. Given the circumstances they went through Jeremy and Cynthia are in a good place. It has been almost 3 months since the fire and both are attending worship services regularly and getting involved in various aspects of ministry again. We continue to pull together as a church family to aid them through the rest of this recovery. It was encouraging to see as a pastor how God moved and continues to help us minister to one of our families in the the midst of such a tragic circumstance. *The names in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved. Sustain online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on January 29, 2016, on our previous website. For far too long, popular culture throughout the United States imagined ourselves mostly unaffected by trauma. Perhaps this denial is a hang over from World War experiences. Certainly, as my grandmother liked to say about her experiences in the 1950s, "all we wanted was normal." At some point though, wanting normal seemed to merge into pretending or lying about the fact that things were not normal at all. In his recent book, The Body Keeps the Score (2014), traumatologist Bessel van der Kolk makes clear that even if we want to imagine we are not traumatized our bodies cannot tell a lie. Even at the cost of our own lives, in fact, our bodies relentlessly strive to communicate how wounding has occurred. Our bodies are constant truth-tellers. "Traumatic events," van der Kolk explains, "such as family and social violence, rapes and assaults, disasters, wars, accidents and predatory violence confront people with such horror and threat" that they temporarily or permanently alter capacities to cope, biological functioning, and self-image. If ministers want to foster organizations marked by senses of belonging, hopefulness, and joy, they must recognize the ways trauma impedes this progress. Van der Kolk notes trauma does not only affect psychological functioning; it significantly decreases our inhibitions. It damages our abilities to manage addiction, practice safe sex, feed ourselves well, sleep well, and exercise. "A study of almost 10,000 patients in a medical setting reported that persons with histories of being severely maltreated as a child showed a 4 12 times greater risk of developing alcoholism, depression, and drug abuse, attempting suicide, a 2 to 4 times greater risk of smoking, having at least 50 sex partners, acquiring sexually transmitted disease, a 1.4 to 1.6 times greater risk of physical inactivity and obesity, and a 1.6 to 2.9 times greater risk for ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, hepatitis, stroke, diabetes, and liver disease." Often, in religious settings, these practices are seen as taboos or sinful practices. Some groups believe they come about from demonic pressures, even. But, viewing trauma response in these ways severely misunderstands normative human reaction to trauma, including inherent impulses to fight, flee, or freeze, and is unable to see how these responses are critical forms of self-preservation. What if, instead, faith leaders viewed these many behaviors as ways the body of a person was trying to communicate a story or an account of what's happened? What if more congregations became known for being sanctuaries amid life's storms – places where people belong, can be honest about what's happened, experience care, and find practical steps for moving through the chaos of grief and loss? Interestingly, simply acknowledging the wounding can set healing processes motion. Whether we journal, participate in talk therapies, dance, sing, create art, exercise, cry on a loved one's shoulder, or role play, these many forms of acknowledging instigate our healing hormones and counteract any trauma-related hormones that may have gotten stuck in the courses of denial. Another unique way that congregations can acknowledge what's happened, provide care, and offer practical steps for moving through chaos is by blessing trauma responses. Singing in worship, preaching, liturgical practices of sacrament and ritual, and through individual, collective and responsive prayers, are four ways through word and action faith leaders model understandings of how trauma responses serve as protective practices in times of threat. In your own congregation, following crises, you may:
These are just a few of many examples. What are practices of blessing trauma responses that have been meaningful in your congregation? Share them in the comments below. Sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on January 20, 2016, on our previous website. Throughout 2015, more often than not it seems congregations gathered for worship in the aftermath of trauma. Whether due to tornado damage, severe flooding, domestic violence, university upheaval, or mass shootings, with glaring headlines we were reminded weekly of the ongoing pain and suffering around our country. And each week, people showed up among congregations seeking hope and renewal. Yet, in some cases, the congregations themselves were traumatized. Collective trauma threatens core sense of identity and belonging. In his book A New Species of Trouble (1994), sociologist Kai Erikson (son of renowned psychologist Erik Erikson) describes collective trauma as a "blow to the basic tissues of social life that damages the bonds attaching people together and impairs the prevailing sense of community" (p 233). It's hard to think of a congregation being traumatized – especially when the congregation is the very place you are going to seek healing. How can a congregation meet the harsh demands of today when its own sense of continuity and bonding are impaired? Incredibly, healing does not only come from strength. Rather, healing emerges when caring people gather together to acknowledge what's happened, observe what is needed now, and begin to meet those needs. There are many ways to accomplish these steps – through words, rituals, body language, and presence. Here's an example of one: In December 2014, faith leaders around Ferguson, MO, implemented "Lay It on the Table" services. Professor of Religion at Muskingum University, Rick Nutt says: "The ideas was that, in the presence of the Lord's Table and in the wake of the events that followed the announcement that no indictment would be brought against Officer Wilson, members of the churches would have the opportunity to say whatever was on their minds and hearts." During one of these services, Nutt observed: "People in the congregation . . . spoke honestly about their fears, their frustrations, and their hopes. It was a time of speaking and listening that conveyed that trust that people placed in one another. Once everyone who wished to do so had shared – 'laying down their lives' on the sacrament table – the congregation celebrated the sacrament at this table." Nutt recommends that more communities seeking reconciliation consider crafting services like these ones. "In a time rampant with ubiquitous laments for the loss of civil discourse, worshipping communities encourage honest speaking." Hosting opportunities for faithful people to lament, mourn, seek forgiveness, share gratitude, and express relief, provides relational catalysts for healing by building practical steps through the chaos of loss and grief. Sadly, we are acutely aware how responding to and leading congregations through the aftermath of local and national tragedies is a vital and inherent part of the minister's vocation today. Perhaps you practiced, experienced, or observed meaningful ways your own congregation responded to crises in 2015. We invite you to share about these best practices in the comments below. Encourage free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Joseph Kim Paxton, originally was published on December 15, 2015, on our previous website. Weekends can be tough for ministers. Think back on your past week, whether you were preaching, teaching, or assisting in the organization for weekend service. Every weekend requires a lot of effort and carries a lot of responsibilities. After the sermon or teaching a religious lesson, the minister often will need to meet with the congregants, and some may be in crisis. In these situations, a minister can feel “stuck” between her or his expectation to meet with other congregants and her or his perception that this individual requires personal attention and care. Solution-focused brief therapy offers two tools that can help a minister offer efficient and empathic care and avoid getting stuck in time-consuming “problem talk” or “venting” and transition the struggling congregant from being problem-focused to solution-oriented. Consider this as a “mini-session” of pastoral care. Problem talk is venting. When a person is engaged in problem talk, they are not concerned with solutions or insights that might help them to cope with their struggle. Instead, they are more concerned with expressing their frustrations and talking about “how bad” the problem is. Empathy and concern should be used to show concern and care for the difficulty or crisis the congregant may be experiencing. However, it is very easy to “feel stuck” listening to a congregant vent. A solution-focused approach, taken from solution-focused brief therapy, offers two solutions that can help a minister efficiently and empathically provide time-sensitive care: empathy and scaling. First, the minister or care-provider should offer empathy. An example of this might be a statement like, “Wow, it sounds like you are really struggling; that must be so hard!” Empathy facilitates the expression of care, concern, and compassion. Next, a scaling question helps the care-seeker avoid or escape problem talk and transition to a solution-focused approach. A scaling question asks the care-seeker to determine their wellness on a scale of 1-10. For example, a care-provider may ask, “On a scale of 1-10, 1 being terrible and 10 being excellent, how are you doing today?” Next, the care-provider will ask the congregant what they would need to do to move 1 number up from their current location. For example, a care-provider might ask, “If you were to move from a 4 to a 5 this week, how would you know? What are some things that would need to change, or what would you be doing differently?” A scaling question helps the care-seeker shift from a problem-oriented outlook to a solution-focused position. This can be a very efficient process that does not lack empathy or compassion. These solution-focused tools equip the minister to be efficient and empathic in the practice of care, enable the care-seeker to schedule an additional meeting for pastoral care, and empower the congregant to efficiently transition from being “stuck” in problem talk and move towards a solution-focused orientation. Encourage free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Doug Ranck, originally was published on December 4, 2015, on our previous website. The notifications came like a tsunami to my cell phone: “Active shooter situation in San Bernardino” “Unknown number wounded and killed.” My first reaction: “Not again. I’m weary of this, I’m discouraged. How long will it be until this happens in my neighborhood . . . again?” Perhaps you experienced those feelings too. I had to stop and wonder why I think so many other countries are dangerous to visit when my own is impacted weekly by active shooters in schools, churches, universities, malls and community centers. Sadly, it has become a new normal. This weekend, in the context of the church, I will be debriefing with our gathered youth the events of the last week. In former days this would have happened rarely and only following an event I subjectively measured as “big.” Or, it might have happened if one of our youth brought it up as a prayer request or if the national news was covering it for consecutive days. It might have been perceived as an “option” but not likely a necessity. I propose we are in a season where debriefing is now a necessity. With the frequency of terrorist acts and mass shootings now a regular occurrence – more than five have happened in the last two weeks alone – and how social media creates incessant communication, it is important for us as youth leaders to recognize that the trauma of these many episodes no longer lies below the surface for our youth and children. The smiles on the faces of our youth may be hiding anxiety they are feeling. And it is important for us, as leaders, to be honest with our youth in age appropriate ways when we are the ones feeling anxious. Join me this Sunday or the next time you meet with your youth to reflect and talk as a “family.” Here is a simple game plan you could adapt in your debrief time to fit your own context:
Make this plan your own. What other ideas would you add? What's worked well for your groups in the past? Help sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
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CONGREGATIONAL BLOG
From 2012-2020, this blog space explored expanding understanding and best practices for leadership and congregational care.
This website serves as a historical mark of work the Institute conducted prior to 2022. This website is no longer updated. Archives
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