Pastor Keith Collins and Hurricane Katrina

“How helpful it was for the church to be ‘theologically prepared’ for suffering. Scripture presents to us a God who is sovereign over every detail of his creation, including the catastrophes, and that God is working all things for his glory and our good. One of the most encouraging things that I observed as a pastor was that in the midst of our people losing homes, businesses, and having to relocate, they weren’t walking around asking, ‘Why, God?’”

“In the day of a catastrophe the old familiar script just won’t work and there aren’t any good books that will have all the answers, but if your ear is tuned to God, he will lead you through the rubble!” -Pastor Collins

Collins’s final thoughts about what he learned through Katrina are worth remembering: “What informs our present thoughts about how we would face such a disaster again is what we experienced about how God is in the midst of disasters. He opens doors of favor, he provides in ways you didn’t script, he brings wisdom that you don’t have.” “What becomes clear,” Collins says, “is that God already has a plan in place for the day of those events. So, if I could encourage any form of preparation before such a disaster, it would be to learn to live your life and to lead your church in the regular habit of ‘God dependence.’

“Don’t grow dependent on your familiar and traditional ways of doing church to the neglect of receiving from the Holy Spirit,” Collins says. “In the day of a catastrophe the old familiar script just won’t work and there aren’t any good books that will have all the answers, but if your ear is tuned to God, he will lead you through the rubble!”

Tim Keller and Redeemer Pres NYC

Right after 9/11, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City was flooded with requests for help—and with generous gifts from all over to help meet those needs. Because their church had an organized diaconate with trained leaders, Redeemer was able to distribute assistance much more efficiently than groups arriving after the event. “We saw many other relief efforts spend a great deal of money on hiring new staff and renting office space—very high cost items,” says Tim Keller. This may be a good lesson to support existing churches and ministries when we can, rather than “build our own.”

One lesson Redeemer learned from 9/11 was to watch for burnout among their staff. “We did not recognize the danger as much as we should have,” Keller said.

Because their church had an organized diaconate with trained leaders, Redeemer was able to distribute assistance much more efficiently than groups arriving after the event.

After super storm Sandy, Redeemer again relied on its robust diaconate, but they encountered other problems because the disaster. “We had difficulty connecting quickly with the thousands of people in the Redeemer community to make sure everyone was okay,” said Bruce Terrell, executive pastor. Large power outages compounded communication problems. “We also believe we can do a better job of partnering with the city to work in concert with the needs they identify,” says Terrell.

What people are saying about Joseph’s Way workshops:

“God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.”

Genesis 45:7 (NLT)