Equipping for Frontiers in Missions: Trauma and the Resurrection

Abstract

Though death and suffering are universal, some vocations increase the likelihood of repeatedly encountering such events; missions is one such vocation. These circumstances violate God’s design for his image bearers and often severely impact a person’s perceptions of self and the world he inhabits. Therefore, these experiences can lead to a variety of disruptions designated as trauma. In spite of risk factors common to many fields, formal missions training in the church and academic institutions sometimes overlooks preparation for suffering or awareness of trauma. Sending and supporting workers, especially in unreached contexts, should include preparation for heightened risk, and theology is essential as part of that process. In particular, the twenty-first century church should consider a key theological emphasis of the first-century church: the hope of resurrection applied to suffering on mission. This article’s thesis is that preparation for missional service should include a robust understanding of the doctrine of bodily resurrection with application to suffering and trauma. This argument is developed in two movements. First, I describe trauma’s prevalence in missions and the role of plausibility structures in trauma. Second, I examine the apostle Paul’s plausibility structure for bodily suffering and resurrection in the context of missional endeavors. I conclude with several suggestions for application in pre-field training.