By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC

Enjoy this 9-minute interview with Chris Haughee on the topic of Trauma-Informed Ministry. Chris brings his experience as a pastor and working with a residential program for children to help us raise our awareness of trauma in our communities. He shares how we can make a big impact through realization, recognition, response, and resisting re-traumatization. In this interview, you will find resources you can engage with right away personally and as a church. Chris is a Covenant pastor working for Intermountain Ministry in charge of Church Relations and serving as Pastor of Desert Springs Covenant Church. You can also find Chris’ written responses to my questions below.

Quick Links:

• Contact Chris at haughee@gmail.com or 406-465-9693
• Intermountain Ministries: http://www.intermountainministry.org
• What Does it Mean for a Ministry to be Trauma-Sensitive? http://www.intermountainministry.org/what-does-it-mean-for-a-ministry-to-be-trauma-informed/
• Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks: An 8-week Bible study for small groups.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733812318/
• Hope for Healing: A 30-day devotional for individuals. https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Healing-Gods-Work-Places/dp/1733812326

Written Responses:

1. Who are you and what is your work/ministry setting?

My name is Chris Haughee (pronounced “Hoy”), and I am a part-time minister in two settings. First, I work for Intermountain in Church Relations. Intermountain is a family and mental health ministry that has served the children of Montana for 113 years. I served as chaplain to the residential program for 8 years, and since 2012 have served them exclusively in my current role that involves writing, advocacy, training, and friend/fundraising within faith-based settings. Thankfully, I can do most of that work remotely, because the pandemic brought a move for our family to Prosser, Washington. Since that move, I have also served part-time as a pastor for Desert Springs Covenant Church, where we are seeking God’s direction for a ministry post-pandemic, and revitalizing the church’s impact and growth through missional outreach and intentional evangelism. I find that both part-time ministries inform each other, and while there are certainly aspects of ministering in two different states and in two distinct roles that challenge my skills and capacity, it humbles me and keeps me dependent on the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance.

2. Why is trauma-sensitive ministry so important?

Jesus’ ministry was trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive. I am convinced of that! In fact, as part of my doctoral work, I wrote a series of articles under the title, “Was Jesus’ ministry trauma-informed.” That original article has been viewed over 4,000 times on the website pacesconnection.com and my definition for a trauma-informed ministry has been included in countless trainings across the country and world since I first suggested it in 2016. A trauma-informed ministry is one that:

1. Realizes the widespread impact of trauma–those deeply distressing and emotional experiences that leave lasting effects–and provides practical ministry interventions as well as support for ongoing mental health interventions.
2. Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in the children, youth, men, and women it ministers to as well as the effects that living with a traumatized individual has on all relationships–marriage, family, work, and social.
3. Responds to the need within its worshipping community and the needs of its neighbors by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into church and ministry policies, procedures, and ministry practices. And,
4. Seeks to actively resist re-traumatization that can occur when appropriate recognition and intervention is not wed with compassion and commitment to relationship and supportive structures that destigmatize mental health issues.

Trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive ministry does not demand that we all become mental health experts or therapists! It really isn’t much more complicated than making a commitment to understanding the challenges that have faced the people in your congregation and community and how traumas from their past may affect their receptivity to the gospel and the ministry of the church. I believe that being trauma-sensitive will help us be more effective in ministry and outreach!

My hope and dream is that EVERY ministry in the Covenant could embrace the concepts of a trauma-sensitive approach. I am happy to help any congregation, minister, youth group, or mission outreach that wants to walk through these concepts and see how they would apply to the unique calling God has for them.

3. What can churches and leaders do to grow in trauma-sensitive ministry?

First, exhibit a willingness to learn and grow. Humility is a key first step to leaning into trauma-sensitive ministry. Second, make use of the materials mentioned below and what can be found online. Third, reach out to me or other leaders who have experience in trauma-sensitive ministry. Finally, understand that trauma-sensitive ministry isn’t a program or extension of your ministry… it is a way of viewing your ministry through the lens of trauma and its very real impact on the hearts, minds, and souls of those in your church and community. You may even find healing and restoration for areas of deep hurt and pain in your own life!

4. What resources do you offer and how can our leaders engage with you?

I would encourage everyone to check out the curriculum I wrote called “Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks.” It’s an 8-week Bible study for small groups in trauma-informed ministry and compassionate outreach to individuals with adversity in childhood, available through Amazon, and you can find it HERE: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733812318/

For the impact of mental health on the individual who longs to be a part of the church, I can think of no better resource than Amy Simpson’s book, Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission.

A great “how-to” manual for getting started in mental health ministry is Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr. Stephen Grcevich, is a trusted friend and colleague.

Those that would be interested in the work and ministry of Intermountain may be interested in the 30-day devotional I wrote called Hope for Healing. Our own Greg Yee endorsed the book, saying, “Chris does a great job standing at the intersection of the text and context; the timeless truths of Scripture and the realities of this time and space God places us. Intermountain provides a unique yet universal window into our human experience. Hope for Healing is engaging and practical, but most of all it invites us to walk closer to Jesus.” It can be found HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Healing-Gods-Work-Places/dp/1733812326

Finally, please reach out to me at haughee@gmail.com and 406-465-9693. On Facebook you can find me through the church @DesertSpringsCovenant or my personal account @chaplainchris.haughee. I would love to connect with others in the church that feel passionately about bringing healing and hope to those affected by trauma!

By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC

Unite West was important for many reasons. I am proud that it was the largest Unite event this summer with over 900 participants from over 80 churches representing 4 conferences, that we raised over $8,000 for the FREE Anti Sex Trafficking Initiative, and that over 100 students attended a seminar on discerning call to ministry. As great as these stats are I think the most important aspect of Unite West was our partnership with the Pacific Southwest and Alaska conferences. This is the first time a partnership like this took place and it was made possible through the trust that had been built up between our superintendents and youth ministry leaders. It was a joy to work alongside Matt Aalseth from PSWC and Marc Lanz from Alaska in a true partnership. In this way, we lived out the name of our event. 

Unite West was important to our individual churches as well. We had over 250 participants from the PacNWC from 25 of our churches. For most this was their first trip like this since the last CHIC. These types of events provide a unique opportunity for God to do fruitful work in students’ lives.  I call them ministry microwaves because we are able to accomplish so much movement toward Jesus, relational work, and healing in a short amount of time.

Thank you Pacific Northwest Conference for supporting this event so well. Your prayers made an impact as we prepared and during our week of ministry. Your financial support paved the way for an excellent experience. Your sending students, led by exceptional adults, made the event a success. I am so grateful for our local youth ministry leaders. They really made an impact. I have asked a few of them to share their reflections on Unite West below.

Amanda Moffat, Director of Youth Ministries, Newport Covenant Church

We were a small but mighty group who didn’t know what to expect at Unite West since this was the first big denominational event we had all gone to. The word I kept hearing prayed over our two youth before heading to the event was “healing”. To my surprise, on that first night God started in on that prayer of healing and I was able to see spiritual, emotional, and mental healing from the past couple of years in our students. Over the week, I saw God bring down barriers for our students who needed to be reminded that they were 100% truly loved by God no matter what. Unite West was able to provide a space for our youth to see that God loves them, that their leaders love them, and that they are not alone in their faith and journey with God.

Karen Olson, Associate Co-Pastor for Youth, McMinnville Covenant Church

Unite West gave us a chance to live out the theme of unity in Jesus. We had the joy of partnering with three Covenant churches from the Willamette Valley – McMinnville Covenant (McMinnville), Trinity Covenant (Salem), and The Well Covenant (Corvallis). It was a privilege to practice our shared faith together with 14 students and 4 leaders from across these communities. When we arrived at Unite, that impact was multiplied as we worshipped and had fun with students from across the entire West Coast. It was powerful to see students respond to God’s invitation to come home, grow in relationship with Jesus, and become Kingdom workers. As we return home, we are grateful for our deepened relationships with God, with one another, and with our Covenant family.

Christy Wilson, Youth Director, Lettered Streets Covenant Church

To best demonstrate the experience my youth had at Unite West, I will give you two snapshots:

Night 1: Our group showed up a bit late for the day, missing all the welcome wagon hype and festivities. We barely managed to get our rooms and a meal before joining the first session. Upon entering the gym, the sheer volume of sound, light, people, energy, and excitement hit my students in a single wave and turned them all into a pack of deer-in-the-headlights. I passed out earplugs, while my students looked at me as if I had betrayed them. That evening we processed how drastically different ‘rock church’ (as they called it) was from our normal folksy Sunday worship services.

Night 5: When the keyboardist hit the first chord for worship, my students sprinted for the gym floor, vying for the best places in the mosh pit!

Tim Anderson, Associate Pastor of Worship and Youth, Creekside Covenant Church

Unite West could be summed up as an, ‘answered prayer.’ The first night I remember the worship team going acapella singing, “Who the Son sets free/ oh us free indeed/ I’m a child of God, yes I am!” The whole gym was singing and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Whether we had been explicitly praying for this kind of moment or not, our prayers were collectively answered as we could finally lift our voices together in the presence of the Spirit of God. The week flowed on that way – ultimate frisbee with other churches, basketball, soccer, and the water park. Kids hanging with kids from other churches, youth pastors, and leaders reunited after months or even years apart. God’s Word was powerfully proclaimed by our speakers and it felt like a blessing to have such a diverse yet unified team speaking God’s truth over our students. What a gift. We even had a student come home and get baptized after experiencing such a powerful time at Unite West.

Click Here for a YouTube Playlist of Unite West daily recap and sermon videos

Click Here for an album of pictures from Unite West taken and curated by Kristi Smith

Click Here for a list of worship songs sung at Unite West

By Jelani Greenidge, Missional Storyteller, Covenant Companion

The following was written the morning of Thursday, July 21^st, the fourth day of our five-day west coast regional youth conference.

Hey everybody! I bring you greetings from UNITE West, typing from the cafeteria of Biola University in La Mirada, California.

Translated into English, the phrase “la mirada” means “the look,” which is appropriate because there is a distinct look to the participants here, one that transcends gender, ethnicity, age, or fashion choices. The students are mostly bright-eyed, energetic, and most of all, earnest. Even the ones trying to project an image of detached cool can’t sustain it for very long. Bravado gives way to laughing and joking. Crossed arms eventually open up for handshakes, and hugs, and some even eventually are lifted up in worship.

The leaders have a look, too, which if I had to sum it in one word, would be tired. After all, it’s Thursday and we’ve been up to all this madness since Monday. But it’s not a weary, cynical tired. It’s the best kind of tiredness, where you are constantly pouring yourself out, yet also being refreshed as you marvel at what God is doing. It’s like what Paul said in Philippians 2:17: “Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”

There was also a distinct look and feel to the worship music, which has been passionate, energetic, and LOUD. Tanya “TT” DeCuir and her multiethnic worship team have been playing and singing various worship hits from groups like Maverick City, Israel & New Breed, and Hillsong Young & Free. One of the big differences between now and when I was a high school student in the 90s is that social media and internet distribution has made it so that students can more easily be familiar with the most popular worship songs. Gone are the days of CHIC2K3, when we had to record an album of original music and distribute the CDs ahead of time so the students would all know the music. These young folks know the music.

And they’re not afraid to show it! During every session, hundreds of teens have been fired up, surging toward the front of the room at the beginning of every song, singing, waving, swaying, and jumping along with reckless abandon. The lights dazzle the room, the bass vibrates your chest, and the sound of hundreds of students singing in unison just hangs in the air. It’s a wonder to behold.

This morning before breakfast, a throng of over a hundred runners did a 5K-style “fun run” as a benefit for FREE, the anti-trafficking initiative of the ECC’s Love Mercy, Do Justice (LMDJ) mission priority. And there are volunteers positioned at various locations along the running path, ready to encourage and cheer these runners on. Honestly, it’s a striking metaphor for what we do as youth leaders. Even as we keep running our own race, we help, encourage, sometimes cajole, sometimes assist, and sometimes even correct these young folks, knowing that each of them exists in different stages of running their own race. We’re here to help them, but in truth, these high school students are the stars of the show. It’s our job to help them to see themselves as we see them – or better yet, as God sees them.

UNITE West is a collaboration between the three regional conferences (Alaska, PacNWC, and PSWC) and Christ In Youth (CIY), which specializes in creating life-changing programming for youth events, which they call MOVE conferences. The theme for this week’s MOVE conference is “BROADCAST,” leveraging our society’s predilection towards digital mass media. And each presentation has been focused on a different parable of Jesus, digging deep into the various layers of each story to reveal God’s heart for each person. Last night was especially moving for the students. During the session presenter Steve Carter brought onstage several volunteers from the crowd to act out the parable of the two lost sons and the Father who continues to lavish love and acceptance onto them.

As youth leaders, we continue to press onward, going deeper in spiritual depth, and battling various logistical and behavioral challenges along the way. We trust that God has gone before us to prepare the way, God is moving even now, and God will continue to sustain the work we endeavor to do.

And even though there hasn’t been a survey or any kind of official ranking on the matter, we believe in the axiom continually affirmed by UNITE West co-host Rici Skei, an axiom expressed through dope beats and stuntin’ dance moves. The west coast is indeed the best coast.

via GIPHY

By Dawn Taloyo, Associate Superintendent, PacNWC

In early June, Harbor Covenant Church in Gig Harbor, WA hosted a Church Chair Training.  This workshop has been under development for a couple of years and is the brainchild of Will Davidson, chair of the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSW) Executive Board. He has served multiple terms as the chair of his home church in Walnut Creek, CA as well as on the denominational Executive Board. He, along with management and church consultant Alan Forsman, Pastor Michael White from Harbor Covenant, and Mike Hagen, previous chair at Harbor Covenant, designed a full-day, intensive workshop to provide resourcing and connection among church leaders.  Topics covered included:

• Meeting Planning & Facilitation
• Team Building
• Lead Pastor Relationship
• Managing Conflict
• Managing Pastoral Transition
• Understanding Financial Statements & Budgets
• Church Insurance & Risk Management
• Constitution & By-Laws
• Digital Communication Strategies

The PacNWC partnered with the PSW to underwrite two Church Chair Trainings in 2022 – one in Pasadena, CA, and this one in Gig Harbor – at no cost to participants. In June, we had 23 leaders representing 8 of our PacNWC churches attend this new initiative and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One participant commented, “I had no idea there were so many resources available to us. This was eye-opening and needed.” Another said, “The conference was wonderful, the presenters were thoughtful and concise, and the topics that were covered were extremely useful.”

A particular benefit of this training is the introduction to the myriad of resources available to churches through the ECC.  Knowing that not all lay leaders have a history in the Covenant, it provides a big picture overview of how the ECC is structured (Mission Priorities) as well as the ancillary entities, such as National Covenant Properties and Covenant Trust Company.  Also, participants learned that churches can obtain a review of their insurance plans along with their risk management/prevention procedures from Brad Hedberg of Portico Group, LLC for free. We highly recommend churches take advantage of that opportunity.

The facilitation team is looking forward to bringing this workshop to other ECC Conferences in the near future and we will be sure to communicate the next PacNWC offering to church leaders.

By Grant E. Christensen

I have had the privilege of serving the congregation of Grace Covenant Church of Bremerton—for over 26 years.  After several years of pastoring the congregation, I commiserated with colleagues that I did not know very many people in our community outside the church. Serving a small church can be all-consuming, yet I have enjoyed my work very much! In 2011, I began a sermon series on Communion Sundays entitled “Prayer and Evangelism,” focusing on the vital role of prayer in reaching lost people. While conversing about the series with a friend and colleague, Rev. Doug Olson, pastor of Hope Covenant Church in Tacoma, he mentioned, “You need to look at the verses in 2 Corinthians 10 about spheres.” So, after finishing our call, I looked up the passage:

For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.  {13} But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.  {14} For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ;  {15} not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, {16} so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another.  {17} But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.[1]                         

2 Corinthians 10:12-17

Considering the context, Paul was writing to the Corinthian church against the so-called super-apostles who had brought in a false gospel. Paul recognized that to every person sent out to proclaim the gospel of Christ God had apportioned a measure of influence. But, unfortunately, the super-apostles had been invading Paul’s ministry with the Corinthians. He had planted the church, but now the Corinthians were being wooed away by a false message.  Paul’s argument spans several chapters—from ten through thirteen—in which he defends his authority as an apostle and the integrity of the gospel he preached and taught.

These verses, and Rev. Doug Olson’s recommendation of them, invited me to begin thinking about the sphere of my influence here within the city and county in which I live. Then one day, while standing in a line at my bank, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see that I do know many people outside the church. My wife and I had been banking at the same two branches for fifteen years. As I stood waiting, I realized I had never taken the time to learn the tellers’ and bankers’ names—much to my shame. Before, I would grumble to myself at having to wait in such a long line. Now, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see that the time spent waiting was an opportunity to pray for those who would soon be serving me. When I finally approached the counter, I quipped to the teller, “I am embarrassed to admit that I have been banking here for many years, but I have never learned your name. Will you forgive me?”  The teller told me her name—which was conspicuously printed on her name tag! Thankfully, she laughed good-heartedly!

Later, I contemplated what this realization meant for all the other spheres I have in the community. For example, while knowing a few of my neighbors’ names, I had not learned all of my neighbors’ names—excusing myself because of the highly transient nature of living in a Navy town. So I made a list of the various spheres in which I live. Instead of generally listing them as “grocers,” I listed them specifically, such as Fred Meyer, Safeway, Costco, and Walmart. Along with grocers, I added the accounting office where I get my taxes done, the barbershop where I get my hair cut, the various doctors’  offices where I have my appointments. To these, I added neighbors, restaurants, hardware stores, department stores, and the nursing homes I visited. I have concluded that I do indeed know a great many unchurched people!

 I made up a document to keep all these places and names straight (see at the end of the document). First, I printed the paper double-sided, which gave me a total of twelve spheres. Then, on the top line in each sphere, I wrote the establishment’s name and added the names of people as I introduced myself to them. Finally, I kept the list folded in my wallet for ready access. For example, before entering my bank, I would pull out the list and review the names for whom to pray while standing in line. Afterward, I would add any new names I had learned while in the bank. Also, I began greeting the tellers and bankers by name.

Over several months, I ran out of room on the sheet I had made, so I purchased a small, pocket-sized notebook, devoting each page to a different sphere. Since then, I have moved to using the Microsoft OneNote app on my smartphone to keep track of names.

 For my health, I have begun walking several times a week: either in the neighborhood, at a local park, or the Kitsap Mall when it is raining. I call it “Walking Evangelism.” My goal is to get to know more people in my neighborhood and the community of walkers at the park. When walking at the mall, the Holy Spirit has led me to pray for the various people I have met and pray for the businesses’ prosperity.

There is no “right way” to do this!  For instance, I pray for all the people in the bank branch I am visiting. Or, if I am standing in line at Walmart, I pray for the teller. However, my friend and colleague, Rev. Doug Olson, does this differently. First, he waits for the Lord to place one person from that sphere on his heart, and then he focuses his prayers on that person. What is essential is to continue to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

What would happen if all of us began praying for the people we encounter in our day? One teller at a bank branch might have four or five people praying for him! Praying for people in this way is not reaping the harvest; it is preparing the soil of their lives to receive the word sown. Rather than making this a burdensome program, weave this prayer strategy into your daily life. The lists I keep are only to help me remember people’s names. When I frequent one of the spheres in my life, I pray.

Within a few years of beginning ministry here at Grace, five or six families began attending our church from a mobile home park in Silverdale.  Sometime later, I discovered that a group of older women at a church near that mobile home park had dedicated themselves to praying for the people in this park. They had been praying for many years. As a result, our church reaped the blessing of their prayers in welcoming to our congregation several

new families, most of whom had been unchurched. We were deeply grateful for those women’s perseverance in prayer—even though they would not see the fruit of their prayers.

Similarly, we may never see the fruit of our prayers for the individuals in our spheres. Some prepare the soil through their prayers, while others then plant the seed of God’s word, while others reap the harvest in the proper season. Preparing the ground of a person’s life is a vital effort! Without this essential preparation, the seed of God’s word falls on untilled soil—hard and rocky, shallow, or full of thistles.

Many people with whom I have talked expressed reservations about sharing the gospel with other people. But all of us can pray! As we get to know the people in our many spheres, including their names, and then pray for them, God will open opportunities for conversation!

© 2021 by Grant Christensen. “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8b NIV) You are free to share—copy and redistribute in any medium or format—as long as you don’t change the content and don’t use commercially without permission of the author or author’s family.

Download the Prayer Spheres PDF Here

[1] The New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).

This is part six of an ongoing series on prayer and evangelism prompted by a meeting with the Grace Cov, Bremerton leadership team and Pastor Grant Christensen.  It was a very ordinary monthly meeting with ministry reports, budgets, and decisions made.  What I was not expecting was their monthly rhythm of individually checking in with each other about their evangelism “temperature,” a practice learned at the evangelism cohort.  It was refreshing to watch how they are choosing to keep sharing Christ front and center as a leadership.   As often stated, “you cannot lead where you have not gone yourself.”  After they shared, Pastor Grant then walked through evangelism related Bible studies that he created. I asked Grant if he would share his material and he graciously said that his only requirement is that it would never be sold.  So much for the conference fundraiser!  I include it below to encourage and to stir.  May we walk as those full of the Holy Spirit as we share Christ today.  Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Greg Yee