Zooming Out: From Church Distress to the Broader Disaster

When we’re in distress, either personally or as a church, it can be hard to see a way forward.

Twelve years ago a doctor told me I had cancer. And my world turned upside down.

I was 31 years old, happily married, and the father of three girls under the age of five.

Cancer was not on my agenda.

In the ensuing days I learned things I already knew: that I was hardly the first to go through cancer, that plenty of people (including my sister) suffered with cancer at far younger ages and in far more debilitating ways, that chemotherapy would be a life-saving, life-altering ordeal.

My understanding, though, reached new depths. The perspective of doctors, other cancer patients, and even Dr. Google set my specific situation into a much broader context—and that bigger picture helped me navigate the storm God had brought into my life.

No doubt God has good intentions for you personally as you lead your church in this exceptional season. And there are steps you can take right now to recognize his sanctifying work in your life.

Last week we looked within. This week let’s step back with a wide-angle lens and locate our congregation’s distress within the broader landscape.

In 1990 Diane Myers (an RN), Hilary Stanton Zunin (an educator), and Leonard M. Zunin (an MD) wrote an article entitled “Grief: The Art of Coping with Tragedy.” Their research gave serious attention to how communities process a disaster, such as a hurricane.

Myers went on to coauthor a book with David F. Wee entitled Disaster Mental Health Services: A Primer for Practitioners (2003), that helps victims and disaster relief workers effectively cope with the extreme stresses they face in the aftermath of a disaster.

That’s you, pastor friend.

You are a disaster relief worker.

And the distress you are experiencing at church is part of a much bigger disaster.

Myers, Zunin, and Zunin summarized what they discovered about a community’s response in the simple chart below. (This version is courtesy of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.)

They outline five phases that communities go through in response to a disaster:

Warning of threat
Rescue
Honeymoon
Disillusionment
Recovery and reconstruction

Remember, this was initially created for a natural disaster like a hurricane. In that scenario Phase 1 (warning of threat) might last for three to seven days, and the first anniversary of that disaster might coincide with Phase 5 (recovery and reconstruction).

The disaster we are experiencing, on the other hand, stretches the timeline considerably. The first reports of COVID-19 (Phase 1) occurred in late 2019 (thus the 19). For most of us the event (Phase 2) didn’t occur until March 2020, and in some parts of the country it was much later. The end of Phase 2 and the onset of Phase 3 might be typified by John Krasinski’s short-lived YouTube series, “Some Good News.”

That means both Phases 1 and 2 of this disaster lasted months, not days or a couple of weeks. The timeline is stretched out in such a way that, by the time we hit the first anniversary of the event, we might still be in Phase 4 (disillusionment).

Meanwhile the groundswell of protests related to George Floyd’s death (among others) occurred in May 2020—a new trigger event, and a new Phase 2. So in some ways we’re experiencing two different disaster timelines at once.

Not really, though. We cannot compartmentalize our lives so easily.

This chart is a helpful lens through which to evaluate the distress you’re in.

Here are four sets of questions you should ask yourself to better understand how the broader disasters—a health crisis, an economy collapse, persistent racial injustice, heightened social unrest—are affecting the people around you.

Where do you find yourself on this chart?
- What phase are you in right now? And what description of that phase best matches where you are right now?
- Is it right or wrong for you to feel that way? Why?
- What can you expect next? How can you prepare yourself for what’s next?
- If you showed this chart to a close friend or your spouse, where would they say you are right now? (Go ahead and try it!)
Where do you find your three closest friends and family members on this chart?
- What best describes each one based on your most recent interaction with them?
- What can you learn from the way they are experiencing this disaster?
- Think of one specific way you can serve each one this week.
Where do you find your church leaders on this chart?
- As a group, what has their experience been?
- How are they handling this exceptional season?
- What might the next three months look like for your team? How can you prepare them spiritually, emotionally, and relationally to weather that scenario?
Where do you find your church on this chart?
- Can you isolate one or two common themes that describe the vast majority of your church? If so, what are they?
- Do you see very different responses in two or more groups within your church? What are they? What factors have brought them to different places?
- How is their response to the global disaster coming out within the church?
- In the next three months are things likely to get better or worse? easier or more challenging? Do you agree? Why or why not?
- How can you prepare your church for what’s next, with increased dependence on God, greater sense of its unity in Christ, and Spirit-empowered missional impact in your community?

I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment with one takeaway you have from this exercise.

Peace.