B.R.E.A.T.H

Cultivating Trauma-Informed Expressions of Church

In my earlier posts I described the nature of what Shelly Rambo calls a “traumatized age.” I suggested that the compassion of Jesus should be the center of our theology and practice.

Here I want to give a glimpse from an eBook I wrote called B.R.E.A.T.H. A Guide for Discipleship and Disciple Multiplication. In it, I suggest a trauma-informed pathway for discipleship and contextual church planting, that’s grounded in passional theology.

Jesus discipled people in community. God’s love spreads like a breath of fresh air circulating among a group of people. There is only one way discipleship happens ever… in relationship.

A frequently asked question in our trainings with churches, planters, and fresh expressions cultivators is, “I’m planting a Fresh Expression of Church, what is the curriculum I should use?” My short answer is—you shouldn’t. A new form of church emerging with a group of people in their ordinary lives cannot be programed. We have been using one curriculum after another since the 1950’s and the condition of discipleship in churches has only declined, not strengthened.

The movements of the B.R.E.A.T.H. pathway is what seems to happen organically in disciple formation within passional communities. So, it is not a generic prescription, a formula, or a program. It is born from deep Biblical research, study of the discipleship processes of the first Christians, and observations of what we see happening repeatedly in new forms of church. This kind of discipleship is also usually the missing piece in stagnant or declining inherited churches.

“How do we do the discipleship part?” is another frequently asked question in our trainings. What could an emerging Fresh Expression of Church use as a guide for the spiritual formation of believers new and old? B.R.E.A.T.H. is one possible pathway.

Here’s some key definitions I’m working with.

Christian: a “little Christ” growing in love for God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving neighbor as ourselves. We are “Christians in the making,” on a journey of spiritual maturity in Christ.

Disciple: a person indwelled by Christ, who lives, loves, thinks, and acts like Jesus.

The Goal of Discipleship: union with Christ that results in Christlike character and is shared with others.

Guide: a mature follower of Jesus who guides a person or group further into Christ.

Church: a community of people who embody the life of Jesus in the world.

Here I’ll just give an overview of the movements, in coming posts I’ll dig into each one more deeply.

Here’s the six movements of the B.R.E.A.T.H. pathway:

Beloved: grounding ourselves in our core identity as God’s beloved, healing false self-images and harmful God-images.

Respond: responding to God’s graceful initiation of healing love, by cultivating habits that lead to growth in love for God with heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Empower: cultivating habits that empower love of neighbor, including works of justice and mercy.

Assessing: assessing one’s own gifts, skills, and vocation in the world, through discerning the inner voice of the Holy Spirit in community with others.

Trail: growing in habits that support walking out the life of faith in the daily rhythms, spaces, and relationships of everyday life.

Habitation: cultivating and abiding in a community of shared life in which others are invited into a healing journey.

Pause. Take a deep breath of fresh air—inhale God’s love. Feel the risenness of Jesus expanding in your lungs. Let’s go on a journey together. More to come!