Made To Walk: Biblical Crisis Communication

We can begin to bridge the gap between facts and fears. We must be realistic with our expectations and the Church must be willing to listen and adapt. The key to this is clear communication. We want to remove any fog or confusion from the situation. Remember, you are the expert of your child. Sometimes people need some clear guidance to provide key resources.

What defines an A Typical child?A child who may be experiencing ADD, ADHD, Mental Disorders including Bipolar, Autism, Emotional Disorders, etc.An A Typical child is more than twice as likely to never step foot into a church as a neurotypical child.In one study, more than half of special needs parents reported that their child with a disability had been excluded from churchAlmost 1/3 (32.3%) of special needs families said they had left at least one church because their child was not included or welcomed.Nearly 50% (46.6%) of special needs parents said they refrained from participating in a religious activity because their child was not included or welcomed.More than half of special needs parents reported that they had kept their child from participating in a religious activity because support was not provided (55.8%) or had been expected to stay with their child at a religious activity so their child could participate (55.3%).Here are some resourceful tips for churches to include A Typical children and/or special needs children.

Analyzing scriptures can at times feel like an undertaking. What does this mean? How do I interpret this? What is even happening in this story?These are all common questions that bog people down from knowing scripture deeply and fully. Here I am going to show you how I analyze scripture to identify crisis and communication to get results that I can use in everyday life. Pre-mortem thinking is something I speak about all the time. But what is it exactly? A pre-mortem, or premortem, is a managerial strategy in which a project team imagines that a project or organization has failed, and then works backward to determine what potentially could lead to the failure of the project or organization. I use this same strategy in analyzing scripture. The formula I use is:Acquire all informationAssess where the source came fromCommunicate your actions fullyLook at all premortem thinking solutionsWe want to understand a BASELINE. A baseline is how someone on average acts, speaks, responds, or their common behaviors. Then we acquire all the current information:-where are we in a timeline-what was the antecedent -analyze communication-asses actions already takenWe then look at the source in which we are receiving the information.-who is speaking-what is their background-what is their worldview-how did they come about this informationFrom here, we can see where someone in the story (timeline) was and is currently. We can then ask specific questions to design a plan that communicates clearly.-what are the communication barrier possibilities -what is the best response-what line of questioning will result in the least confrontational route (minimal risk)-what goal are we working to achieve-prepare hypotheticals When we use these steps in looking at scripture it will look like this example I use in my podcast on EVE. (Gen 3:1-5)Where are they (the garden)What tactic in communication did the serpent use (ego elicitation)What was Eve revealing (she wanted to seem knowledgeable)What was he soliciting (knowledge)What tactic did he use to acquire engagement (third-party perspective)What could Eve have done differently in that moment (premortem hypothetical possibilities)How would this have potentially changed her trajectory (hypothetical solves)In this way we can see these types of motives revealing themselves in our daily lives, how do we respond, how can we see the enemy moving in on us, how can we equip ourselves for those moments?This is how we prepare ourselves for spiritual and mental battles.Knowing how the enemy moves prepares us to be on offense instead of defensively reacting. We can become experts on how to respond simply by analyzing the scriptures. 

We are embarking on yet another political cycle. However, the stakes are higher than they have ever been. The stage in the Middle East along with the trajectory of our future, is heavy on all Christian's minds. So how do we know if Christians should engage in the political conversation?The Bible is packed with examples of the importance of Political Engagement that changes the trajectory of a nation of people. We are each called to go into the world with our gifts.Maybe we don't know how? Where do we start?Let's scrape the surface in an approachable conversation about why, how and when to engage.

"What are you spending the money on anyways?"This is not an uncommon question or concern raised within the church today. People are more skeptical and less trusting of their government, leadership, and yes even churches. Non-profits do so many things from one day to the next that it is hard to even pinpoint every dollar needed in comparison to every dollar received. Speaking on tithing doesn't always hit the nerve or core of individuals. I know that doesn't help you much when your Children's Ministry could use some new ceiling tiles and the women's restrooms need new stall doors. So how do we emphasize the need for intentional contributions?Let's look at the top successful ways to communicate about money

Running a church can at times feel like running around chasing a chicken with no head. There is always a runner and a chaser. Someone avoiding the confrontation Someone looking for explanationsSomeone busy but never get things done Someone excited but has no direction What happens when communication breaks?Some moments feel like everyone is sitting around doing nothing. Some moments make us feel like there are not enough hours in a day to get all we need to done. You just want things to get done promptly but also correct. Am I right?As a communications director for politics, consulting, and media I know a thing or two about the power of timely communication and the downfall of failure to communicate.Let's look at some of my best practices

Greeting others in the church is more than a smile and hello. It is a balance of reading body language, connecting with others to engage, and knowing how to lead others to the truth. Here we look over three main categories of visitors. Those looking to research, restore or find resources. Last but not least we talk about the non-starter. You know that teen drug in by mom and dad, the mom on mute or the disapproving dad. We help you through the obstacles for a successful and engaging ministry.

There are many parenting styles, so how do you know which one is the best? For us, it isn't about which is better but which is more effective in proactively preventing crisis. Our goal through training in Authoritative Parenting is to help parents understand it isn't about convincing or converting our kids to our beliefs and processes. We aim to engrain and embed proactive skills that kick in when the threat is real. So how do we do that? Let's look over some of the approach tips for Authoritative Parenting together.

Helping others heal after a traumatic incident can be rough waters to navigate. You may feel like you are being helpful then find out you said something hurtful. You may think you know what others need to do only to realize you pushed someone away from the church. Good intentions don't always mean good ideas.I have a very specific breakdown of how to navigate through helping others heal through Sexual Abuse and other crisis traumas.https://www.madetowalk.org/post/sexual-abuseIf you are reading this and you have been hurt within a church, I want to encourage you that1. Humans will always fail humans2. There is a higher accountability for those in leadership and God will never let something not come to light that was done in the dark (I Cor 4:5)3. I encourage you to search for healing. Christ has never abandoned you, just people (Matt 7:7)You can click on "share your story" to help us learn more about how we can learn from your experience, or you can engage in a consultation for advice on the next steps you may need to take through your time of crisis. You can find it all right here at madetowalk.orgChurches: I beg of you to watch, adapt and adopt. Please do everything in your power to restrain the want to resist, deflect and defend. Only good things can come from hearing new ways to keep others safe through tough trials. You are not alone and we would love to help you put those efforts in place. Feel free to visit "consultation" for an analysis of your current church crisis management plan. Learn more about Strategy, Emergency, and Tactical options at madetowalk.org

We have come to acknowledge the most brutal truth no one ever wanted to admit; the church isn't always the safest place. It is even harder for me to think of how many people have been scared away from the church as a whole with the belief that the church can be an unsafe or toxic environment. Though this podcast is not a "how to" get those people back, it is a podcast on how we should approach hard realities. Our goal is always to train people more effectively to help heal not hurt already hurt people. Here is my breakdown of how a Church should respond when such things occur in its own church. If you are reading this and you have been hurt within a church, I want to encourage you that 1. Humans will always fail humans2. There is a higher accountability for those in leadership and God will never let something not come to light that was done in the dark (I Cor 4:5)3. I encourage you to search for healing. Christ has never abandoned you, just people (Matt 7:7)You can visit my episode on Sexual Abuse, you can click on "share your story" to help us learn more about how we can learn from your experience, or you can engage in a consultation for advice on the next steps you may need to take through your time of crisis. You can find it all right here at madetowalk.orgChurches: I beg of you to watch, adapt and adopt. Please do everything in your power to restrain the want to resist, deflect and defend. Only good things can come from hearing new ways to keep others safe through tough trials. You are not alone and we would love to help you put those efforts in place. Feel free to visit "consultation" for an analysis of your current church crisis management plan. Learn more about Strategy, Emergency, and Tactical options at madetowalk.org

Forgiveness has two parts that define success. First, is the idea of understanding how to fogive. Second, is the understanding of when to forgive.How do we explain forgiveness to someone who has gone through a severe crisis, hardship or trauma?How can we as leaders show others how to communicate our sins and take ownership? What does an example that seeks an unapologetic life about truth vs offense look like? Trying to explain why and how to forgive some of life's more unforgivable topics is hard. We think we have tactics to help you understand approaching crisis communication best.

One of the toughest subjects of our times is navigating the loaded subject of sexual identity. How do we come to understand, empathize and help navigate through these tough conversations? What tools can we use to love and engage with others to come to know freedom through Christ?

Today we live in an era that has made it too easy to say "I'm not going back to church."We can use Covid, church abuse, safety, and inclusion all as reasons for our commitment to leave the in-person church behind. So how do we encourage broken and hurting people to trust the church again?

It is an unfortunate fact that we are all humans with human problems and sinful nature. So when you have a group of humans in one place someone is bound to make a mess. So how do we approach messy issues, clean them up and move forward?Here we dive into how to resolve a matter without disregard, causing a hemorrhage or creating division.

How can we approach both the complex side of threats and liabilities while navigating positively?How can we both share and receive heavy subject matters without over or underreacting?Here we take a look at the responsibility of the person receiving heavy information through discipleship and also how we can adequately share heavy content while expressing our boundaries or expectations.

Approaching self-harm is a tough place to be in. You may be thinking how do I approach this, am I qualified to answer their questions, who do I tell, should I say anything, how do I earn their trust, how do we even begin to approach healing?These are all valid concerns and no one is expecting you to know off the top of your tongue what to say. So let's take a look at signs, symptoms, approach, Biblical references, and healing. We take a simple approach to Biblical Crisis Management. Our hope is to equip everyone with a simple resource to approach the not-so-simple topics of today.