Journal Article Review 1
Cooper Davis
Liberty University
1/23/21
Summary
“A Study of Church Members During Times of Crisis” written by Howard W. Stone,
David R. Cross, Karyn B. Purvis, and Melissa J. Young is a published article that is compiled of
experiences that churchgoers came across when dealing with a Crisis. It allowed for insight to be
gathered and to single out resources which were helpful through their time of need. Stone, Cross,
Purvis, and Young, “All people experience crisis from time to time.” (Stone, Cross, Purvis and
Young, p. 405) Furthermore we see the authors discuss about two different types of crisis (2004).
In this article, there are four elements of situational crisis addressed: the external hazardous
event, one’s appraisal or perception of the situation, one’s ability to cope and one’s personal
resources (2004).
Something this article was able to do well is explain that not everyone will handle crises
the same as others. Past experiences may affect the individual as they cope with what is going on
currently in their life. The authors study reflects how personal support systems will alter how
individuals deal with crisis situations in relation to their own faith.
This article reveals to the reader that the role of religion during crisis situations is the
driving factor in the study, “Kessler (1979) described a “vulnerability factor” that determines a
person’s response to stressful situations. In addition to education, socioeconomic status, and
social support, one’s involvement in religion was identified as a contributor to reduce
vulnerability (2004).” Through this entire study, the team was able to collect data through the
Appraisal and Interview Protocol developed by Lazarus and Folkman (1984).
Interaction
When beginning this article, “A Study of Church Members During Times of Crisis”, I was
reeled in with the introduction paragraph. Throughout the article, the authors were able to draw
me in to want to continue reading and find out what the entirety of the publication was about.
Being able to make such a touchy topic of “Crisis” something to engage in, shows the desire of
the authors to enrich the readers on this vital conversation for counseling.
Something that I personally found interesting was how the authors presented and
developed the explanation of what “crisis” is. Whether that be the background or the specific
elements of “crisis”, they took their time to thoroughly explain the topic. This allowed the reader
to understand why there was a need for the study itself and how it can be relevant to those
wanting to help others in times of crisis.
Through this article and how clearly, they explained the basic types of crises, I was able
to gain insights on both. When studying the effects of crisis situations, it is vital to grasp how
people will not react to the same situations as others do. This is where the “talker-listener” card
comes in handy for building rapport and understanding what the person is feeling individually.
As counselors we must realize that similar experiences will not represent similar emotions or
even how someone will cope. While counseling we must recognize this and apply different faith-
based groups to help the counselee through their crisis situation.
Going into counseling it will be vital to recognize these elements of stress that come from
crisis and to understand how it will impact the connection to a religious, faith-based group as a
resource.
Application
When dealing with crisis, it is important to know it will come in many forms. Within this
study, we can see how situational crisis will bring about different forms of coping and how it will
be extremely difficult. One example would be the loss of someone close to you. No one will ever
be “ready” to lose a loved one. But losing a child is incredibly difficult for parents or family
members. This will become more difficult if it is sudden and unexpected with no time to prepare
for the loss.
While I have never lost someone close to me, I have been extremely close to someone
who has. My best friend lost his mom at 16 and I have never seen someone be affected so badly
in my life, especially with the close relationship they had. However, he was surrounded by so
many loving people that took care of him through . acts
Some things would be bringing him to sports outings with friends, or even renting out a
theatre to watch his favorite movies. While as an adult these things seem odd for coping, but I
have had so many conversations with him on how these truly impacted how he healed acts
during this time. Through this healing he is able to help others he speaks with cope with crisis
like losing a family member or friend.
Although he does still have times of sadness, he always thinks back to how surrounding
himself with those around him truly changes the emotional wellbeing of himself. This article
explained this idea further to me, because I had no idea, I had already experienced something
like this firsthand. This article has helped reinforce my fundamentals to follow Jesus during crisis
and to understand the different types of coping that will take place.
Reference:
Stone, H. W., Cross, D. R., Purvis, K. B., & Young, M. J. (2004). A Study of Church Members
During Times of Crisis. Pastoral Psychology, 52(5), 405–421. Retrieved from https://search-
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