How Trauma-Informed Churches Are Changing Lives: Insights from the 2025 Steadfast Summit
The 2025 Steadfast Summit gathered Christian leaders, therapists, and ministry workers with one shared mission: to build churches that are not only spiritually rich—but emotionally safe.
As a growing movement in faith communities, trauma-informed churches are learning to hold space for wounded people with wisdom, compassion, and psychological insight. Our second annual Steadfast Summit offered a powerful blend of clinical tools, faith-based counseling strategies, and spiritually integrated mental health training—all rooted in the desire to see the church become a place of healing.
What Is the Steadfast Summit?
The Steadfast Summit is a Christian counseling and leadership conference focused on helping churches integrate trauma-informed care and mental health awareness into their ministries.
Hosted by Steadfast Christian Counseling, the summit features licensed counselors, clinical educators, and faith leaders who equip attendees to bring emotional safety, Internal Family Systems (IFS) techniques, and spirit-led support to their congregations and communities.
2025 Speaker Lineup and Workshop Highlights
This year’s trauma-informed church conference featured an incredible lineup of faith-integrated mental health professionals, including:
Kimberly June Miller, LMFT
KimberlyJuneMiller.com
Co-author of Boundaries for Your Soul and licensed marriage and family therapist, Kimberly brought deep insight into the use of Internal Family Systems (IFS) in ministry settings.
She led two sessions:
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Leading with a Whole Heart: An IFS Approach for Counselors and Leaders
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Practical Integration: IFS in Action
Kimberly helped attendees understand how to use IFS techniques to care for their own emotional well-being while supporting others in leadership and counseling roles.
Tiff Holdgate – Trauma-Informed Church Training
Tiff kicked off the summit with a powerful training on how to build a trauma-informed church culture. She shared frameworks for understanding emotional wounds, creating safe spaces, and guiding churches toward deeper emotional intelligence.
Dr. Elizabeth Wofford – Spirit-Led Counseling
In her session, Discerning the Holy Spirit’s Guidance in Therapy, Dr. Wofford helped counselors and leaders explore the intersection of clinical skills and spiritual discernment—offering a model of care that honors both science and faith.
Annalise Lind, LPC-A – Inner Parts Work Through a Faith Lens
Annalise invited participants into an experiential session titled Exploring Your Parts: Imagining the Inner Family, which combined creative exercises with the language of IFS, helping leaders visualize the internal dynamics that shape emotional reactions and spiritual growth.
Why Trauma-Informed Ministry Matters in 2025 and Beyond
More people are entering churches carrying trauma from childhood, relationships, or even past church experiences. A trauma-informed approach to ministry means that churches learn to:
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Recognize signs of emotional distress
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Create spaces that are safe, not shaming
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Integrate mental health practices with spiritual formation
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Support leaders without burnout
Churches that embrace trauma-informed principles are becoming places of restoration, emotional healing, and long-term spiritual growth.
Join Our Online Community: Trauma-Informed Church
We’ve launched the Trauma-Informed Church Facebook Group to keep the momentum going. This is a space for leaders, therapists, and volunteers to collaborate, share resources, and ask questions as they implement what they’ve learned.
👉 Join the Trauma-Informed Church Facebook Community
Stay Updated for the 2026 Steadfast Summit
We’re already planning for next year’s summit—and we’d love for you to be part of it.
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