Student Story: Nat Ray
Transforming Ministry Through Trauma-Informed Care
With more than two decades of ministry experience under her belt, in addition to a Masters of Arts in Theology from Moore College, Natalie Ray might not seem like she needs to do any more study to equip her for her role as Maturity and Magnification Pastor at Toongabbie Anglican Church. But during the COVID pandemic, Nat was drawn to return to study, to undertake the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health at Mary Andrews College.
“I've had lots of opportunities to study the Bible and I know lots of things about mental health,” Nat admits, “but the idea of uniting psychology and theology and trying to draw out best practice so that we deliver truths about God in really appropriate and meaningful ways felt like something so tremendously relevant to my ministry.”
A Journey from Witchcraft to Ministry
Nat was 17 years old and practising witchcraft when she heard the gospel presented at an evangelistic Christmas musical. She gave her life to Christ that night, and she didn’t waste any time after that dramatic life transformation: within a few years Nat had completed MTS and started studying theology as she prepared for church ministry.
Several decades later, despite being trained and experienced in ministry, and despite a previous significant investment of time in understanding mental health, when Nat heard about the Graduate Certificate she knew it would be invaluable.
“The task of the gospel worker is always to present Christ, but when there is mental illness — and if you don't know what's going on — you can inadvertently put stumbling blocks before people that will wound them with the Bible and wound them with God's truths, rather than nurturing and upholding them,” she explains.
The Intersection of Theology and Mental Health
Nat has certainly had her fair share of opportunities to nurture and uphold people in crisis. In her various ministry roles over the years, she would estimate that she has heard hundreds of disclosures of historic trauma. The Graduate Certificate has been a wonderful way for Nat to grow in her understanding, both in others’ circumstances and in the types of resources and care that are available and appropriate — while also grasping how the gospel speaks into it all.
One of Nat’s highlights was thinking through the diversity in the world the Lord has made, and in the people that the Lord has made. She found it enormously helpful to acknowledge that there is fallenness in a lot of mental health conditions, but the fact remains that God calls the broken to salvation and into his church. This understanding led to a whole number of questions.
For example, she asks, “How do we include and honour and love people who don't fit a particular cookie cutter kind of mould? And how do we think about the Christian life and the progress of the Christian life for someone who maybe has the odds stacked against them in some way?”
Nat found it enriching and challenging to think through the concept of sanctification in the life of a person who has a serious personality disorder. She explains that while we have a way of understanding sanctification theologically, and what that looks like for a ‘standard’ person, for some people the truth is that their brain operates differently. She realised that there can be a temptation in our churches to put people in a ‘too-hard basket’. She’s been convicted about that, and to think through what it would look like to love and honour these children of God, and help them grow in their likeness of Christ.
Practical Lessons and Life-Saving Knowledge
Another highlight for Nat was the privilege of hearing people’s real lived experiences. She also appreciated the deeply practical aspect of the course, which truly equipped her to love people better. One class in particular prepared students for dealing with a person who is suicidal. Within that same semester, Nat was involved in successfully thwarting a suicide attempt — in part because she had been prepared in class.
“In God's kindness, I and other people took actions that meant we saved a girl's life. So I did feel like I was just regularly learning things that I was putting into action week by week,” Nat says. “It also just grew my imagination for the hope we have in heaven and the relief that will come when sin is no more, and there's no more suffering.”
When asked about her experience of studying with others, Nat describes it as, “unexpectedly spectacular.” It wasn’t one of her initial motivations for her to study, but she ended up developing some beautifully genuine friendships with her cohort. She also found her lecturers to be extremely thoughtful about the way they communicated, especially during lockdowns when much of her study was online.
Growing in Compassion and Understanding
Nat would say that she is a better minister and a better servant of the gospel for having undertaken the Graduate Certificate. She has found that growing in her understanding of others has grown her compassion. She’s learning to ask questions of an individual to better understand what their life is like, rather than making assumptions.
“I also have more tolerance for grey areas, more space for letting the Holy Spirit do his work without reference to my scheduling in the lives of other people,” Nat shares.
“Ministers taking the time to do some trauma-informed training, I think that's a real gift of how we can keep showing Jesus to the world around us. I'm really encouraged when the phrase 'trauma-informed' is used of ministers, so that we can speak Jesus, leaping over the hurdles that are in front of someone already.”