The Michigan Conference is assembling a team to provide resources that will better equip local church leaders in responding to incidents of trauma.
JAMES DEATON
Content Editor
In September 2025, the Michigan Conference will formally announce a conference-guided team focused on developing and curating resources and trainings that will aid local church leaders in responding to incidents of trauma in their communities. Traumatic experiences include acts of terrorism, gun violence, natural disasters, hate crimes, harassment, misconduct of staff, among others.
This new Trauma Response Advisory Team, working closely with the Connectional Ministries Team, will be launching an 18-month plan in September with scheduled trainings and a web page of resources to better equip Michigan United Methodists in responding to trauma.
Traumatic incidents can happen at any time, and the Michigan Conference has realized it does not have a strategic, cohesive response when such events occur. The idea for the formation of an advisory team was introduced two years ago to conference leadership, and an initial team of lay and clergy members was brought together three months ago.
The recent incident of vandalism at the 2025 Michigan Annual Conference, where the prayer room was vandalized with a racial epithet written on a picture and symbols denigrating women, reinforces the need for trauma-informed ministry. Bishop David Bard sent an email message on June 11, 2025, explaining how this was found and the impact it has had on those who saw it.
It is not known who committed this hateful act. “The annual conference,” said the bishop, “has filed a report with the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Our goal in seeking to identify those responsible is to achieve restorative justice. We would like those who have engaged in such harmful behavior to understand the damage they have caused, the hurt and harm they have created, and to acknowledge their full responsibility for perpetuating such harm.”
In his June 2025 blog, Bishop Bard pointed to additional incidents of trauma that have surfaced recently in the Michigan Conference. “In one instance,” he said, “a man entered one of our churches before an Ash Wednesday service, gave multiple ‘Heil Hitler’ gestures, used other white supremacist language, and spewed other homophobic and misogynist language and slurs. Unfortunately, this is only one stark example of other instances of hatred or harassment.”
Traumatic incidents like these cause mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual harm to human beings created in the image of God, and conference leadership is working to better equip local church leaders as they respond pastorally when these damaging experiences occur.
Lisa Batten and Rev. Kathy Pittenger are the two staff members of the Michigan Conference’s Connectional Ministries Team who will be working closely with the Trauma Response Advisory Team in the development of resources. They believe the creation of this team fits in with our conference goals of equipping leaders and building beloved community and is long overdue. It’s also in line with our conference’s commitment to being an anti-bias, anti-racist church.
“The incident at annual conference,” said Batten and Pittenger, “and others we’ve seen targeting people of color and women only confirms the need for trauma-informed ministry. We know we live in a world filled with traumatic events. When we grow in understanding and skill, we develop leaders who are trauma informed. When we respond with trauma-informed care, we are sharing God’s love. When we see and hear from those who are being targeted and respond with trauma-informed ministry, we build God’s beloved community.”
The Trauma Response Advisory Team is one way the Michigan Conference is being proactive and helping everyone be better prepared. Through the advisory team’s ministry, local church, district, and conference leaders will have additional skills they need to be able to respond with compassion, clarity, and confidence when the next traumatic event happens.
For more information, or to send your questions, concerns, and reports of incidents, contact Lisa Batten at lbatten@michiganumc.org and Rev. Kathy Pittenger at kpittenger@michiganumc.org. Please know your personal stories will be held in confidence.
Last Updated on June 24, 2025