Chaplains are visible reminders of the holy in the most intense experiences. In a world that feels increasinglyimpacted by crises of all kinds, there is much to learn from their ministry of presence. Chaplain Steve West shares in a deeply personal way how to minister to people in crisis and the cost of such a ministry.
In Today’s Conversation podcast with NAE President Walter Kim, Steve talks about principles that guide chaplain ministry and shares about his diagnosis and experience with PTSD. They discuss:
The unique challenges and opportunities for ministry in pluralistic contexts;
How to care for people who are experiencing trauma;
Ways to minister while processing your own wounds; and
Words of encouragement for those impacted by PTSD.
Read a Portion of the Transcript
Walter: PTSD may look different for different people. How does it actually impact your daily life? How would we recognize it in someone?
Steve: Just like most things in life, I believe, people experience different symptoms and feelings just like we can see something or hear something and not hear it or see it the same way as the person even sitting next to us that’s in the same situation at the same time. On a daily basis, I can only say that for myself — and yet I know that this is true for most — one of the things about PTSD is that you constantly experience a level of anxiety, like right now I am feeling the anxiety. If I’m not focused on something I feel anxious.
I remember in my life before this, it wasn’t that way. Anxiety affects everything about your day. How much it is an effect on that day is how much it’s kicking up, how much it’s triggered because there are certain things that trigger, and everyone has different triggers. When we say trigger that just means something that brings it back, that brings the anxiety level higher. One of the things that I do — and I will say that this can be good in the short term but this is not a positive thing — is that I have learned more and more how to avoid things. I avoid putting myself into situations; I avoid conflict.
I would fall on my sword for everything in my life. I was ready to go at any time to defend what I thought or believed. If I can keep from having [conflict] even in my home, I’ll find a way to sneak off and go upstairs to my office just because I can’t deal with the stress in the moment. That’s what makes it the hardest for people; they don’t know what’s going to cause it.
I know things that trigger me but there are a lot of things that trigger me that I say, “Where did that come from?” or like yesterday just being out and all of the sudden feeling a higher level of anxiety and the shakiness inside and there is nothing happening. I’m not thinking about anything negative. That’s one of the sneaky things and that’s what I believe the devil uses so much is the fact that we question, “Is it us?”
The truth is people who suffer from significant anxiety-ridden and depressive disorders, many of those people will ask themselves in some way, “Am I crazy?” Of course, the answer is no. In the moment you’re saying, “I can’t control things. I can’t control how I react. I can’t control how I act. I can’t control how I feel in different situations.” It’s really disconcerting. It causes more anxiety. It’s the idea that things happening is a cycle and it doesn’t end. That’s not to say doom and gloom because there are a lot of things that help for sure.
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Listen to a podcast with Nicole Martin, executive director of Trauma Healing at the American Bible Society, on Equipping Churches in Trauma Healing.
Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company.
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Chaplain Steven E. West, NAE director of chaplaincy, served as an active duty chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. He served in the Air Force and Army for 41 years, retiring from his distinguished career as senior chaplain for Joint Base Langley/Eustis. West is the author of “The Bronze Scar: Understanding How PTSD Feels to Help Victims and Those Who Support Them.” He is a graduate of University of Mobile, New Orleans Theological Seminary, Alabama Theological Seminary and the Department of Defense Joint Staff College.
Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as a campus chaplain at Yale University. He preaches, writes and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day. He regularly teaches in conferences and classrooms; addresses faith concerns with elected officials and public institutions; and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief and consults with a wide range of organizations. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.
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