Soul Care on the Front Lines: How to Spiritually Survive and Thrive in Places of Persecution

In the harshest corners of the world—where followers of Jesus are mocked, imprisoned, or martyred—the need for soul care is not optional. It is essential. In these places, trauma is constant, persecution is expected, and resources are limited. Yet, even in the face of such overwhelming darkness, the body of Christ can do more than survive. We can thrive.

After decades of serving in some of the most dangerous regions of the world, Ruth and I have learned that soul care must be intentional, biblical, and communal. It is the difference between burnout and boldness, despair and discipleship. 

Here's how missionaries, church leaders, and everyday believers can develop a sustainable rhythm of soul care in places where Jesus is least known and most opposed.

Build Soul Care on the Word of God

Everything starts with a strong walk with Jesus. Not a Sunday-only faith, but a daily immersion in God's Word. In places of persecution, you can’t count on church services or group studies to carry you. You must feed yourself.

That means reading Scripture in the present active tense. Don’t read the Bible just as history—read it as your part in God’s story. Identify with Daniel in the lion’s den, with Stephen on trial, with Paul and Silas in prison. These aren't just stories of the past; they are blueprints for spiritual endurance today.

Share the Load with Community

Soul care isn’t a solo act. God designed us for community, and in places of persecution, your team or local body of believers is a non-negotiable lifeline.

We’ve seen that healthy teams consistently do three things:

• They worship together (at least once a week).
• They keep worship and work separate, giving full space for each.
• They play together monthly, completely unplugging from ministry responsibilities.

In many parts of the world, there is no place to play and no place to pray—and that’s where your team must model the Body of Christ to one another.

Make Trauma a Chapter, Not the End of the Story

Trauma is real. It cannot be ignored or covered with spiritual clichés. But it also does not have the final word.

In our experience—both personal and from interviewing over 600 believers in persecution—trauma becomes bearable when it's given adequate space. For me, that meant “closets,” mental compartments where I stored stories too heavy to handle in the moment. 

But I never locked those doors and threw away the key. Instead, I returned to them later, in safe places, with trusted people, to open them up, weep, pray, and find healing.

Missionaries and church leaders must learn to do the same—with their spouse, their team, or with a counselor. Trauma must be processed, not buried.

Invest in Emotional and Spiritual Infrastructure

You cannot pour out what you haven’t filled up. For workers in unreached places and places of persecution, this means building rhythms of spiritual renewal long before the crisis hits.

Ruth and I learned to schedule counseling and soul care retreats regularly—not just when things “got bad.” Our team would gather twice a year: once for strategy and once for soul care. During the soul care week, we brought in trained counselors, prioritized worship, and had extended time in God’s Word. 

The change was so transformative that our team began asking, “When do I get to see the counselor again?”

Churches can support this by sending pastors, worship leaders, and counselors to care for their workers in the field—not just to observe but to serve.

Let the Body of Christ Be the Body

One of the most healing experiences we ever had came after the death of our son. In the days that followed, it wasn’t just cards or meals that helped—it was worship. Every night, our Kenyan church family sent their worship team to sit in our living room and quietly sing us to sleep in our home.

They were the hands and feet of Jesus.

We’ve often asked churches back home: Why not do the same? When someone experiences deep loss, send a small team to sing, pray, and be present. That’s soul care. That’s church.

Be Faithful—Even in the Darkness

One Bulgarian pastor imprisoned for nearly 15 years once said to me, “Don’t you dare go back to the West and make our stories fun. Don’t pretend this was easy.”

He was right. Following Jesus into the hardest places will cost you. But it also transforms you.

For believers around the world facing persecution, Revelation 2:10 is not a verse for the future—it’s a lifeline: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

The call is not to ease. It is to faithfulness. And that faithfulness becomes our song, our strength, and our story of soul care.

Final Encouragement

If you're serving in a hard place right now—whether across the ocean or across the street—know this: You are not alone. You don’t have to carry the weight of trauma in silence or try to stay spiritually strong without help.

Let your soul breathe.

Open the closet.

Let someone sing over you.

We’re here to walk with you—through the crucifixion and all the way to the resurrection.

Need prayer or want to share your story?
Email us at [email protected]. Nik and Ruth read every note and pray over each name.