Revival Through Trauma-Informed Worship: A Theologian’s Guide to Practical Matters

Trauma-informed worship can participate in God's revival of assemblies. This essay explores parallels between Charles Finney's revivals and trauma-informed practices. Finney's emphasis on spiritual renewal through conviction, repentance, and reformation shares similarities with some trauma-informed practices that foster authenticity, emotional engagement, and communal healing. At the same time, differences are also clear: while revival may arouse emotions to catalyze transformation, trauma-informed practices tend to settle the body to facilitate openness and healing. Although quite different in method from Finney's revivals, trauma-informed worship practices can also revive the church by acknowledging brokenness, nurturing connectivity, noticing God's movement, and settling bodies.