All congregations respond to trauma. Responding well can lead to thriving—in the life of our congregations, our neighborhoods, and our cities.
We foster mutual learning among a network of educators and congregational leaders to generate theologically robust, interdisciplinary, and innovative responses to collective trauma that are deeply integrated into the mission of thriving urban congregations.
Our Mission
Many congregations, regardless of faith tradition, operate as first-responders and safety-nets in the face of various forms of trauma. Incidents of gun violence, ongoing conditions of homelessness, changing policies on immigration, and the rise of violence against Black, brown, and Asian communities in the U.S., all impact the life of faith.
Our work is grounded in the conviction that:
Congregations have organic resources for trauma response and are often already equipped for and engaged in trauma-responsive ministry.
Responding to trauma is exhausting. We are aware of the heavy load that many congregational leaders and members are carrying.
Trauma is a way of naming experiences impacting our lives on many levels. But the quest to interpret and respond to human suffering is a longstanding and faith-filled task.
We need each other. We benefit from collaborative conversations, creative partnerships, and building capacities for joy, embodied care, and spiritual nourishment.
What makes this initiative unique?
It approaches trauma from a theological perspective.
It features a team of educators and church leaders who are working at the intersection of trauma research and congregational practice.
It presents ideas for how to integrate trauma learning and healing within the congregational context.
Our Story
The Trauma-Responsive Congregations initiative is rooted in the ongoing work of Boston University School of Theology in collaboration with the BU School of Medicine.
In the initial program offered from 2020-2024, we partnered with congregations in Boston and San Diego responding to significant issues facing their congregations and communities. The congregations developed vital initiatives to address the issues of housing instability, addictions, mental-health challenges, queer youth, and neighborhood violence. We continue to be inspired by their ministries, forged through the additional challenges of the COVID pandemic.
In 2025, the Trauma-Responsive Congregations initiative received a second grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand the project to include 30 new congregations from multiple denominations in five new learning cohorts, beginning in January 2026. These cohorts will focus on shared contexts, such as multicultural churches, Black churches, immigrant churches, congregations ministering to LGBTQ+ members who have been affected by religious trauma, and congregations in communities facing significant numbers of individuals and families experience homelessness. Each cohort of clergy and lay leaders will take part in in a program that includes an educational series, an in-person retreat, and group mentoring. Participating congregations will also develop concrete action plans tailored to their missions and aimed at addressing the trauma affecting their communities.
BUSTH Awarded Lilly Endowment Grant for Thriving Congregations Initiative (Nov 2020)
BUSTH Selects Participating Congregations for Trauma-Responsive Congregations Project (Nov 2021)
BUSTH Welcomes New Congregations for Trauma-Responsive Congregations Project (Nov 2022)
First Responders: STH Launches New Program (Aug 2023)
What makes this initiative possible?
This program is a collaborative effort of Boston University’s School of Theology and Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment Inc.
