How to Respond When Mass Tragedy Strikes Church Members

A plan for responding to the media and increase in inquiries is critical.

I serve on staff at a church that has been touched by more than one mass tragedy. There is no perfect set of rules to navigate these issues—they are unexpected, they bring feelings of grief so deep we wonder if the cavern of loss has an end. They feel inexplicable and they happen in a blink. The following is not an exhaustive list of how to manage, but rather a set of starter notes for leaders on how to honor God and the families who suffer most when mass tragedy strikes. Keep reading

The church bombing in Peshwar, the devastating earthquake in Nepal, and the mass shooting in Charleston point to the need for churches everywhere to have a plan for dealing with large-scale tragedy affecting church members. This plan will need to take into consideration the community, the region, and the country in which the church is located. What might be a workable plan in the United States might not work elsewhere. Does your church have such a plan? How might it be improved?