Response Pastors
Emotional & Physical Support in Times of CrisisWhen a disaster or crisis occurs it often affects all parts of a community and there is usually a need for emotional as well as physical support. Response Pastors is an initiative of Ascension Trust. It has evolved from discussion with the Metropolitan Police and several regional Police Services, as well as local authorities’ Resilience Forums and others involved in the operational side of major incidents and crisis situations. It was launched in August 2014 in London boroughs, and is now established in many areas around the UK, with 150 volunteers trained in the first 18 months.
A response pastor is a street pastor who has received additional training to provide support to those affected by a disaster or crisis.
Response pastors can be called upon any day or night to support and assist where appropriate. A response pastor is a crucial point of contact and an additional support to the established emergency services. Their primary task is to offer support and compassion to all in the event of a crisis or emergency, this may be outside emergency cordons at an incident or specifically to assist in a Humanitarian Reception Centre for survivors, evacuees or other persons affected by the event. After training a local Response Pastors team will be established within a community to be called upon if required. All deployments will be initially managed by the national Response Pastors Coordinator at Ascension Trust.
The initiative has now trained over 700 Street Pastors in the role of Response Pastors, many of whom now deploy as Response Pastors in many areas of the UK.

Upcoming Response Pastor training events :
- London 18th May 2019
For further information email responsepastors@ascensiontrust.org.uk.
For more information on Response Pastors please contact the development department using the forms below.
UPCOMING RESPONSE PASTORS TRAININGS
Streatham High Street- Response Pastors Deployed
As a result of the heart-breaking events in Streatham Highstreet on Sunday 2nd February, teams of fully trained Response Pastors were able to come together to bring God's presence to the situation. After putting a call out on the Monday morning we were able to have 12...
Response Pastors at Minutes Silence- London Bridge Dec 2019
On Monday 2nd December 2019, 16 Response Pastors gathered from all around to be present for a minute's silence that was held in memory of the innocent lives that were lost in the terrorist attack that occurred on Friday 29th November on London Bridge. Many hugs,...
RESPONSE PASTORS TRAINING – LONDON – 18TH MAY 2019
CLOSING DATE 23RD APRIL, SEND IN ANY APPLICATIONS NOW. Response Pastor London training day 18th May 2019 Application form and information on the street pastor website https://www.streetpastors.org/about-us/response-pastors/ All enquiries...