Build a Sanctuary
According to the World Health Organization, 70% of people have experienced trauma. Researchers also suggest that 1 in 4 Americans have lived through a traumatic experience. What this means, is that churches are made up of people who have very likely experienced some form of trauma. In this four part blog series, we’re going to look at the various ways trauma impacts the life of the church. Each blog will provide practical tools and wisdom for pastors and church leaders who are seeking to lead individuals and churches towards healing.
To begin, my invitation to you is simply to build a sanctuary.
The statistics around trauma and suffering can be staggering. Often we can feel at a loss for how to make a difference when the tragedies are so great, the stories so horrific. However, trauma therapist, author, and researcher Judith Herman reminds us all that the first step to healing from trauma is experiencing safety. Herman writes in her book Trauma and Recovery that in order for trauma victims to heal they must find safety in a community. As a pastor, I read these words and I rejoiced that we call our gathering spaces “sanctuaries.” The word sanctuary awakens imagery of a refuge, a place of comfort and protection, a place where the darkness cannot reach us for we are held in the light. I will pause here to recognize that for some, the trauma they have experienced has taken place inside the church walls, marring the word sanctuary. I will address caring for victims of religious trauma directly in Part 3 of this blog series, but for now, know that if that is your story, I am so sorry that the place that was meant to be a refuge for you was instead a place of great pain. For those of us who lead churches, may we cling to the imagery and language of sanctuary and may we do all we can to ensure that our faith communities can be places of safety for those seeking to heal. Here are three practical steps you can take today to help build a sanctuary for trauma victims in your congregation:
Provide Space for Suffering: Think through your worship services and other corporate gatherings. Do you create space for suffering? Our first hymnal, the book of Psalms, is full of songs expressing joy and gratitude, as well as songs expressing deep sadness and pain. Do your song choices have the same depth of emotional expression? Are opportunities given for people to weep and mourn or are they expected to put on their “Sunday Smile?” Do your sermons recognize the amount of suffering within the pages of scripture and do you use those texts to provide space for those hurting in your pews to know they are seen and heard by God? (If you’re wondering how to do this well, our Becoming a Trauma Informed Church course will specifically address preaching trauma-informed sermons. Registration closes September 8th so register today!)
Reimagine Testimony: When I was growing up, testimony services were times when people shared the goodness on the other side of suffering. During these services, the people who spoke had been healed or set free from suffering. No one ever spoke from the middle place where the hurt was still real and the healing had yet to come. For many trauma victims what they need is a safe place to share their story before they can describe the healing on the other side. They need others to help bear the burden of the pain by bearing witness to their testimony. How can you create space in your communities for this middle place testimony? One suggestion: make use of Holy Saturday, the often forgotten moment during Holy Week where God reveals he is the God of that difficult middle place where the pain of the trauma is still heavy and resurrection has yet to break through.
Know Yourself: To lead a community of safety, you must be a safe leader. We all have blind spots, we all have ways in which we can grow. If you want to build a sanctuary take time to recognize any leadership tendencies you may have that could prevent that. Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer’s book A Church Called Tov is an excellent resource for identifying cultures within ourselves as leaders and the churches we lead that may be preventing sanctuaries from being built. I will also be providing specific ways to care for your own wounds as a leader in next week’s blog, so stay tuned for more!
May you be encouraged today to know that responding to trauma simply means being exactly what God designed his church to be from the beginning. May you be reminded of this call every time you enter your sanctuary, and may our world be filled with more and more sanctuaries for those seeking healing.
