HOW SHOULD A CHURCH RESPOND TO TERROR?

THRIVING TOGETHER BLOG INTRO

For many years, I have shared both the pain and joys of those who work with churches. Like many of you, I have often wondered if there are better ways to thrive together and make a missional impact on our world. It’s not about trying harder; it’s about doing different things in new ways. This involves interrupting our routines and reflecting on our practices.

As a pastoral supervisor, trainer, lecturer, and consultant for churches and non-profits, I strive to provide valuable insights. I hope my posts serve as refreshing water for those planted in churches so we can thrive together.

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Or you can reach out to me through my website: www.ianduncum.com.au.

how should a church respond to terror?

Sadly I have journeyed alongside both churches and individuals as they have experienced and processed different traumas; sometimes as a pastor, other times as a consultant. It is a collective grief process with all of the associated emotions around that. Some will be impacted greatly, others little, so good triage is important.

A church should respond to a terror event in the wider community by combining clear pastoral care, wise public communication, trauma‑aware practices, and a sustained commitment to peacemaking and justice. The aim is to help people face horror without either minimising evil or being consumed by fear and hatred.

Immediate pastoral and worship response: acknowledge and care

• Offer a clear, simple public response: express solidarity with victims and their families, pray for them in gathered worship, and name the event as evil without equivocation.

• Create space in services and small groups for lament, silence, honest questions and fear, rather than rushing to explain or “fix” emotions; use psalms of lament and intercession. I have often used a message on 'Praying our Tears' from Psalm 6.

• Reassure people of God’s presence and Christ’s victory over evil without offering glib answers; frame the event within a biblical understanding of a fallen world and the hope of the resurrection.

Trauma‑informed care for the congregation and community

• Recognise that terror events can retraumatise those with any prior trauma; train leaders in basic trauma awareness and referral pathways to professional help.

• Provide practical, low‑pressure opportunities for people to talk (pastoral conversations, small groups, drop‑in times), and know when to refer to counsellors or specialist services. It is vital that pastoral care is shared with other leaders - I have seen too many pastors take on all the care in crises and burn out.

• Pay particular attention to children, youth, others who are vulnerable, and anyone directly affected (e.g. first responders, those who were nearby, have family in the affected area, or feel unsafe). Children and others who are vulnerable should be shielded from the 24/7 news coverage that will follow. Children will need appropriate explanations for their age that prevent trauma from the event ( I have a resource which you can request).

Public stance: condemn violence, resist hatred

• Publicly condemn the attack as an assault on human dignity and life, and explicitly reject any attempt to justify such violence.

• At the same time, warn against scapegoating or collective blame; encourage “a firm heart, without hatred,” and model moderated, non‑inflammatory language.

• Where appropriate, stand alongside other faith and community leaders to issue joint statements of solidarity, peace and mutual support.

Practical solidarity and presence

• Ask, “What concrete help is needed?” and respond with practical support: blood drives, meals, hosting vigils, giving to verified relief funds, and supporting chaplains or aid agencies on the ground.

• Be a steady, non‑anxious presence in the neighbourhood: keep buildings open for prayer, offer listening spaces, and be visibly available to the wider community, not only members. The wider community will also have grief without the support of faith in God or maybe supportive community, and may be asking spiritual questions at this time.

• Consider existing risk‑management and safety measures for gatherings (evacuation plans, liaison with police) so that hospitality is combined with prudent care, without turning the church into a fortress.

Teaching, discipleship and long‑term formation

• Use teaching moments to help the church think Christianly about terror, violence, justice and enemy‑love, drawing on Scripture’s call to reject vengeance and to “overcome evil with good.”

• Encourage practices that resist fear and polarisation: hospitality to strangers, engagement with people of other faiths, involvement in community‑building and justice initiatives that address underlying grievances and marginalisation.

• Integrate trauma‑aware habits into ongoing ministry (e.g. ways of praying, structuring gatherings, training lay leaders), recognising that recovery for some will be long‑term.

• There may be opportunities for advocacy around prevention in the longer term, but this should be after significant processing of trauma/grief and prayerful discernment from a non-anxious place.

Handled this way, a church becomes a place of lament and hope, truth‑telling and peacemaking—neither numbed by violence nor driven by rage, but bearing witness to Christ’s cross and resurrection.

© 2025 Ian Duncum. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission. Rev Dr Ian Duncum is a trained and accredited church consultant with over 20 years of experience with non-profit enterprises and churches across several denominations. This includes denominational leadership in church health, church planting, consultancy training, and adjunct lecturing & research in the tertiary education sector. An accredited minister with a track record of growing churches, Ian trains church consultants, facilitates training for ministers and leaders, and supervises pastors and other leaders. Ian can be contacted at ian@ianduncum.com.au.