Response Pastors

When 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.