2026 Faith & Action Spring Conference

In a moment when trauma is shaping daily life in profound ways—especially for families experiencing or at risk of poverty—Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes offers the insight and hope our city urgently needs. As more households navigate mental health challenges, chronic stress, housing and food insecurity, and intergenerational trauma, we need leaders who can help us understand what’s happening beneath the surface and respond with holistic, equitable solutions. Drawing on psychology, spirituality, and racial justice, Dr. Walker-Barnes provides practical tools for building resilience and supporting transformation across faith communities, nonprofits, and neighborhoods.

Her keynote will equip Indianapolis leaders with compassionate, trauma-informed practices that foster real healing and open pathways to long-term stability. This is an essential conversation for anyone committed to better caring for children, families, and those who serve on the frontlines of poverty and wellbeing. Addressing mental health is not optional—it is a key barrier we must remove to break the cycle of poverty.

Please note that attendance for the morning portion of the Spring Conference is a prerequisite for organizations wanting to apply for a Faith & Action grant. While attendance at the afternoon workshop is not required for grant applicants, it is an excellent learning opportunity.

The Faith & Action Project is supported by: Mike and Sue Smith Family Fund, The Indianapolis Foundation, The Nicholas H. Noyes, Jr. Memorial Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and the Petticrew Foundation.

We are living in a moment when trauma is not just a personal experience but a social condition. During this keynote, Dr. Walker-Barnes explores what it means to inhabit a traumagenic society – a society whose structures, norms, and narratives routinely generate harm, stress, and disconnection, particularly for minoritized communities. Drawing from psychology, public health, and spirituality, she examines how the impact of “everyday trauma” and describes the elements of trauma-informed care.

Breakout sessions will be facilitated by local leaders for discussion based on keynote themes.

A panel of local leaders will share how collaboration across sectors—faith, social services, education, and community organizations—can bring trauma-informed and anti-poverty strategies together to address both immediate needs and deeper root causes. They will discuss supporting mental health as a holistic approach to addressing poverty and explore how trauma and poverty impact different groups.

12:15-1:00pm

1:00-1:30pm (with CEU Credits)

The afternoon workshop will explore practical actions leaders, practitioners, and congregations can take to support healing, avoid re-traumatization, and remove barriers that keep people stuck in cycles of poverty (including ways to support the wellbeing of leaders themselves).

How can faith-based professionals working with impoverished and marginalized communities support people impacted by trauma while also sustaining their own emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being? This workshop explores the concept of trauma stewardship and provides a framework for sustainable spiritual care in a traumagenic society.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Recognize signs of secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue.
• Use embodied and relational practice to support resilience and healing for others and themselves.
• Apply a framework for trauma-informed care that centers agency, safety, and communal resilience.
• Develop personal and communal care plans that foster sustainability in ministry and helping roles.

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is a highly esteemed scholar, theologian, and clinical psychologist whose work focuses upon healing the legacies of racial and gender oppression. A professor of practical theology and pastoral care at Columbia Theological Seminary, Dr. Chanequa is the author of Sacred Self-Care, I Bring the Voices of My People, and Too Heavy a Yoke. With her compelling insights and thought-provoking work, she has emerged as a leading voice in the pursuit of social change and healing in the Christian church.

Dr. Chanequa possesses a rich and varied academic background in behavioral health, theology, and race/gender studies. She began her career as a clinical research psychologist, earning degrees from Emory University (B.A., Psychology and African-American/African Studies) and the University of Miami (M.S. and Ph.D., Clinical Child/Family Psychology). Upon being called to ministry, she left her tenure-track faculty position to attend seminary, earning her M.Div. from Duke University. Her interdisciplinary expertise enables her to bridge psychology and theology, offering a unique and holistic perspective on social change and the challenges faced by marginalized communities.

At the core of Dr. Chanequa's work is a deep commitment to dismantling intersectional oppression and promoting justice and healing in the Christian church and the broader US society. Through her research, writing, and speaking engagements, she examines the effects of racism and oppression on mental health and spiritual well-being, aiming to foster healing and resilience within marginalized communities and to inspire people to transformative social action.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Christian Theological Seminary