Trauma-Informed Care and Ministry
Coming Summer of 2024
What does it look like to care for communities in the wake of mass trauma, such as gun violence, the pandemic, or racism? How can churches rebuild trust with individuals who have experienced trauma as part of their religious experiences? In this track, you will learn from skilled practitioners and Candler School of Theology professors skills and perspectives for trauma-informed care.
Program Details
Foundations in Faith & Leadership is an online cohort-based certificate program that offers training and micro-credentialing for lay leaders, deacons, church boards, pastors, teachers, activists, community organizers, and other individuals seeking to develop ministry skills through structured and interactive learning.
Each track consists of four 6-week courses. Weekly modules include two hours of independent learning through Coassemble, an easy-to-use learning platform. Modules include brief lectures from leading scholars, short readings, videos, and reflection questions designed to help you make connections to your life and ministry.
You will have access to a trained facilitator and meet with a network of individuals learning alongside you once a week for reflection as you journey through the Foundation’s experience.
Meet the Instructors
The Rev. Dr. Amy Valdez Barker brings to Candler two decades of experience in religious education and church mission. As the former Executive Director of Global Mission Connections at The General Board of Global Ministries she was responsible for leading five regional offices and two global offices in leadership development and scholarships, as well as overseeing the placements and supervision of 200+ missionaries. Prior to that, Valdez Barker served as the Chief Connectional Ministries Officer for the Connectional Table of The United Methodist Church, responsible for coordinating the mission, ministries, and programs of The United Methodist Church.
Jonathan Merritt is one of America’s most popular writers on issues of faith and culture. He is author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words are Vanishing - and How We Can Revive Them, named “Book of the Year” by the Englewood Review of Books.
Jonathan is an award-winning contributor for The Atlantic, a contributing editor for The Week, and a regular columnist for Religion News Service. He has published more than 3000 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast and Christianity Today.
Kimberly Wagner previously served as an assistant professor of homiletics in the Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Chair in Homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She earned her BS in Secondary Life Science Education from Miami University of Ohio, her MDiv from the Candler School of Theology, and her PhD from the Graduate Division of Religion, both at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Wagner’s previous experience on the pastoral staff of a PC(USA) congregation in Virginia helps fuel and inform her present scholarship and teaching. She is passionate about supporting students’ formation and helping clergy and communities navigate the realities of an ever-changing world and church.
As a Deacon in Full Connection in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Lindsay completed her undergraduate work at Southern Methodist University and graduate degrees at Duke Divinity School and UNC-Chapel Hill (yes, you can go to two rival schools at the same time... as long as you don’t mention it during basketball season!).
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