Episode 21 - Interview with Pastor Kayleigh Clark - Restoring the Flock: God’s Blueprint for Healing After Collective Trauma

Send us Fan MailIn this podcast episode with our guest, Pastor & scholar Kayleigh Clark we  explore how collective trauma reshapes churches, why language and listening matter, how sometimes the first step of finding healing a church is about asking the right questions, and how new shepherds can gather what harm scattered. She shares a path from lament to restoration with trauma-informed ministry, empathetic witness, and patient trust-building. Additional topics, references, website & terms mentioned below.• Defining collective trauma and loss of communality• The body of Christ keeps the score as a diagnostic lens• COVID’s disruption, decision fatigue, and grief in congregations• Betrayal trauma and why defenses form around leaders• Jeremiah 23, negligent shepherds, and God’s new shepherds• Using careful, descriptive language before hard labels• Pastors’ secondary traumatic stress and pastoral self-care• After-pastors, church splits, and rebuilding safety• Theology that heals vs theologies that harm and shame• Shifting diagnosis from behaviors to “what happened to us”• Revitalization & Reformation.... with Restoration as a third path to consider• Lament, middle-space testimonies, and empathetic witnessing• Reading scriptures through the eyes of the sufferer• Practical methods to restore trust and communalityYOUTUBE EPISODE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rREm75DGcgkCheck out Restor(y) resources at restorycenter.comRestor(y) is a nonprofit founded by Pastor Kayleigh Clark whose mission is to accompany churches through healing, restoration, and wholeness Link to article of "New Shepherds For A Hurting Churchhttps://www.restorycenter.com/blog/new-shepherds-for-a-hurting-churchA Theological Framework for Religious Trauma (Short Video)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSIpj-NhhnA  Kayleigh's Blog on Restor(y)https://www.restorycenter.com/blogJeremiah 23  NIVhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/search=Jeremiah%2023&version=NIV  TERMSSecondary Trauma  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_trauma  DARVO is an acronym that describes a common pattern of behavior used by individuals—often abusers or manipulators—when they are confronted about their harmful actions. It stands for: D – Deny, A – Attack, RVO – Reverse Victim and OffenderSoul Bruises Episode on DARVOhttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2240617/episodes/16013641  Collective trauma happens when a whole community or group of people goes through something deeply painful or disruptive—like abuse, conflict, disaster, or loss—and it impacts not just individuals, but the relationships, trust, and identity of the entire group.Betrayal trauma refers to the psychological harm that occurs when someone experiences a profound violation of trust or safety by a person or system they depend on for protection, care, or support. Communality refers to the quality or state of sharing things in common — a sense of belonging, mutual responsibility, and connection within a group or community "Be Human,  Be Kind,  Be Both."