Trauma-Responsive Congregations: Equipping Thriving Urban Congregations to Respond to Collective Trauma

“Trauma-Responsive Congregations: Equipping Thriving Urban Congregations to Respond to Collective Trauma” is Boston University School of Theology’s 3-year-long research project funded by the Thriving Congregations Initiative of the Lilly Endowment Inc. The purpose of the program is to assist urban congregations in developing models of trauma-responsive care that are deeply integrated into the mission of their congregations and draw upon the organic resources of congregational life. Based on our community-engaged research with two participating congregations in downtown San Diego, the interdisciplinary research team composed of theologians and psychologists looks at how these urban churches respond to the communal trauma of their congregations, namely in the face of systemic poverty, housing crisis, and immigration. This co-presentation examines how these churches develop trauma-informed toolkits and incorporate these psychological and theological tools into various aspects of their ministries in partnership with theologians, mental health counselors, chaplains, and expressive arts therapists.