Churches with PTSD
Dear Pastors
A question that haunts me is this. Why are so many churches small in NZ, so small that they are only just surviving? A related question that keeps me awake at night is, why are so many churches that were big 20 years ago, or 30 years ago small in comparison to today? OR why do so many churches seem to have an invisible glass ceiling no matter who the Pastor is or how much prayer and fasting is going on?
There are no doubt many possible reasons but PTSD is not one we have talked about.
PTSD as you know is a term used about a persons emotional state of being. To be precise and according to the NZ Mental Health Foundation it is defined as:- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological reaction to experiencing or witnessing a significantly stressful, traumatic or shocking event. This might be a car crash, a rape or other sexual abuse, an earthquake, or other natural disaster, or an attack.
So what may this mean for a church? Many churches have experienced a traumatic event in their history or are currently experiencing it. The three most common are:
- Deep and long term conflict so much so that some people ‘hate’ each other.
- Pastors and other leaders behaving badly(unethically and even illegally) especially sexual misconduct.
- Factions, divisions and splits.
Sadly, stuff happens in the best of churches. But here is the thing. From my experience very few churches do a good ‘mop up’ job after a traumatic event. As a result I have come to believe that the ‘spirit of that church is wounded’. And a wounded church is unlikely to grow, it has PTSD. One reason is that it may not be a safe place any longer. God knows this and as a result with holds his blessing……maybe?
On the contrary I have seen a few examples where after a traumatic event(s) the pastor and his team have done a very thorough and prayerful process to address the root of the problem and have come out the other side healed, healthy and strong.
All this to say, a church with PTSD needs help, a therapeutic intervention if you wish. About 20 years ago there was a programme called ‘Setting Your Church Free’. It was a careful process of honesty, acknowledging past failures, apologies, restitution and repentance. It was never done on the fly but rather very carefully, thoroughly and prayerfully.
So Pastor if your church is ‘stuck or stalled’ and no amount of prayer and even fasting is helping then maybe just maybe there are deeper issues at work that are as a result of a bad case of PTSD? What do you think about that?
Blessings
Alan
The Final Choice, is the title of a new book by Caralise Trayes. It takes a deep dive into the Euthanasia debate. It’s brilliant! On Sunday night the 16th August in Tauranga and Monday night the 17th August in Hamilton I am convening two meetings where Caralise will speak followed by an interview. If you would like more information please get in touch with either myself or Liz Dobbs. At both meetings I will also bring a short update on the Marijuana issue and various resources will be available including Caralise’s book.
Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.
