By Ryan Johnson, special to the Baptist Message EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a pair of articles about how to share the Gospel with people who have experienced trauma. NEW ORLEANS (LBM) -- Obedience to the Great Commission requires churches to be ready for the complex realities of ministry, including the kinds of situations where trauma has fractured trust, distorted identity, and left people wary of both God and others. Preparation for these situations is the focus of a new field known as trauma-informed evangelism, which equips believers with strategies to respond with grace, truth, and intentional relationships, as they invite those who have experienced trauma to find healing in Christ through spiritual formation, conversion, and discipleship.  COMMON SCENARIOS It's Wednesday night, and a 9-year-old first-time guest hits another child in line for snacks. You’re told he has “anger issues.” Will you let him return next Wednesday? A new visitor to your women’s group won’t make eye contact during the Bible lesson on forgiveness. Will anyone notice her detachment, or will they dismiss her as being introverted? A teenage boy in the youth group constantly jokes, derails conversations, and never opens up. … [Read more...]