Three ways the church can help those suffering from trauma

For a long time, there was a stigma around PTSD, at least with those who had never seen it or experienced it, and that stigma put an umbrella over all forms of trauma. After the war in Iraq and newer medical services, that stigma was removed, and PTSD became a genuine issue for those in the military; I know because I am one of them. Trauma is becoming a significant issue, not that it hasn’t always been a major issue, but now more than ever, people are opening up about trauma in their lives; perhaps the umbrella was put away. No matter how you view trauma personally, trauma is a genuine danger lurking in the church, and it needs to be dealt with. First, I want to give a working definition of trauma. Then, identify three ways every local church, no matter how big or small, can help those dealing with trauma in any form.

          Trauma is any physical or emotional injury or experience that causes adverse psychological effects. While this can be taken advantage of, like most other things, we must take all claims seriously. But how can we help people in our churches? First, we can help through discipleship and making sure people follow Jesus in a healthy manner. Second, we can ensure that those suffering from trauma receive good Biblical counseling inside the church, and if the church is not equipped for that, there are resources available that I will list at the bottom of this post. Third and finally, we can help by ensuring we preach Christ every Sunday through quality expository preaching of the gospel. Let’s dig a little deeper into these three methods.  

Discipleship

          I believe the church today has been deceived into thinking that discipleship has to be program-based or group-oriented teaching that is very superficial so as not to go too deep and drive people away. J.T. English brings this up in his book Deep Discipleship, which states that the church has this discipleship disease, which has resulted in churches expecting less out of people and not more. I agree; I have never heard someone say, “We left that church because they were feeding us too much.” Listen, you don’t have to start teaching seminary-level systematic theology courses, but most people want to go deeper into the Bible, and teaching them basic hermeneutics so they can do that is ok.

          It is also essential to understand what discipleship is and is not. For this, Bonhoeffer gives some good insight. “What is said about the content of discipleship? Follow me, walk behind me! That is all. Going after him is something without specific content. It is truly not a program for one’s life which would be sensible to implement. It is neither a goal nor an ideal to be sought. It is not even a matter for which, according to human inclination, it would be worth investing anything at all, much less oneself.”

Discipleship is simply following Jesus and helping others follow Jesus. Look at each of the disciples’ calling in scripture. Jesus never said, “Learn more Scripture, then follow me!” Or, “Pray more, then you can follow me!” Or say, “Fix your life first, and then you can follow me!” Jesus simply said, “Follow me.”

The closer we follow Jesus, the more like Jesus we become. We must monitor our lives to see whom we follow: the world or Jesus, because we are who we follow. If we believe that Jesus is truly the only one who can heal them from their trauma, then we must ensure they follow Jesus as closely as they can. We must also follow Jesus and show them how to do the same. And yet, there is a deeper element to this, namely counseling.

Counseling

          Counseling has been made into something much more complicated than it needs to be. According to Heath Lambert in his book A Theology of Biblical Counseling, “Counseling is a conversation where one party with questions, problems, and trouble seeks assistance from someone they believe has answers, solutions, and help.” With this definition, counseling can be religious, secular, or any other form. Biblical counseling believes that the Bible speaks to the problems the person is facing and that God has something to say to that person. So, the person suffering from trauma who is also in your church can be helped by any member of that church with the Bible in hand and wisdom from above.

          Now, several organizations and ministries will help train and equip individuals, groups, and even entire churches for the one-on-one ministry of biblical counseling (some will be listed at the bottom). Training and equipping are good things, but we must also understand that they are not required for one-on-one ministry. 2 Timothy 3:10-17 is an excellent reminder that the scriptures and discipleship are what we need in order endure the suffering that is going to happen to us as we walk through this life as Christians. We need Jesus, we need each other, and we need the Scriptures.

          We do this in Biblical counseling: deeper discipleship with the Scriptures open before us. We love people, helping them with their trauma or other problems through the Scriptures and bringing them closer to Jesus. Whether formal or informal, counseling is just a deeper discipleship model rooted in the Scriptures. And there is yet another way the local church, whether big or small, can help those dealing with trauma grow closer to Jesus: preaching Christ crucified.    

Preaching Christ

Let’s just be honest here; preaching “3 steps to a better marriage” is not helping people who are suffering from trauma. But preaching the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ every Sunday will. Churches need good, faithful, expository preaching every Sunday. We need the gospel every Sunday because we forget the gospel every Monday. 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 Paul says that “we preach Christ crucified” because it is the power and wisdom of God almighty for the people of God.

          If our marriages are struggling, or our finances need to be healthier, then let us work those things out in the counseling room or through some one-on-one discipleship, not on Sunday mornings. Giving people Christ is the best thing we can do, especially when they are suffering from trauma or dealing with any other kind of suffering.

          In conclusion, trauma is going to happen, and it will become a bigger monster if we do not get a hold of it quickly. No matter how big or small your church is, you have the ability to help, and if you need resources, they are available. Discipleship, counseling, and preaching are all done within the church’s walls, and we would do well to learn how to organize and equip our people to handle these situations better. Below are some resources that might be helpful.

Resources (Just to name a few off the top of my head)

1. Deep Discipleship: How the Church Can Make Whole Disciples of Jesus by J.T. English

2. Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

3. Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

4. A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry by Heath Lambert

5. A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption by Jay E. Adams

6. Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC)

7. Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC)

8. Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF)

9. Burke Care Counseling

10. Anchored Hope Biblical Counseling

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Edited by Victoria J. Barnett, Translated by Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, Reader’s Edition, Fortress Press, 2015, p. 18.

Lambert, Heath. A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry, p. 13