Church Leaders in numerous surveys indicate interest in helping
victims of abuse but not feeling adequately prepared to do so.
Here are some resources to help the equipping process.
We will continue to add resources for those who help people harmed by abuse. Domestic abuse is the enemy's perversion of the gift of marriage that God gave us, which was supposed to be a reflection of the relationship between Jesus and His beautiful bride, the church.
Domestic abuse thrives in silence, confusion, and isolation. Many church leaders feel unprepared—not for lack of care, but for lack of adequate training to recognize it or respond wisely. Yet when someone is suffering, the church is often the first place they turn to.
Becoming a Refuge: Responding to Domestic Abuse in the Church is an upcoming video series by Darby Strickland designed to equip churches to engage with domestic abuse in ways that are grounded in Scripture, guided by the heart of God, and geared toward protecting the vulnerable.
This series is meant to be viewed and discussed together as a church body or leadership team, helping you create a community where suffering is seen, truth is spoken, and people no longer have to carry their pain alone
Working in tandem with the resources and videos found at churchcares.com, this handbook brings together top experts from various fields to help pastors and ministry leaders understand and implement the best practices for handling a variety of abuse scenarios in churches, schools, or ministries. Although the most comprehensive training is experienced by using this handbook and the videos together, readers who may be unable to access the videos can use this handbook as a stand-alone resource.
The Men of Peace Self-Paced Course is the compilation of all of Chris Moles’ past Men of Peace coaching content plus brand-new material. This course will walk men through the three-fold Men of Peace process of Information, Transformation, and Reformation, educating and guiding men who are ready to take ownership of their abusive behaviors and surrender themselves fully to the Lord in true and lasting repentance. Please be aware this course DOES NOT include a direct coaching component with Chris Moles. Instead, the Men of Peace Self-Paced Course is designed to be used within the context of an already established biblical counseling or coaching relationship, with the abusive man enlisting the discipleship and accountability support of a local counselor, pastor, or mentor. If you do not have this in place, we can help! Once purchased, each course participant will have permanent access to all course materials.
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Chris Moles is a senior pastor of the Chapel in Winfield WV and an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He is a certified Biblical counselor with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC). Moles is a contributor to the West Virginia intervention curriculum used throughout the state prisons correctional facilities and community organizations. He is the author of the heart of Domestic Abuse and a contributor to Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused, which is another reference I would recommend.
Darby A. Strickland councils and teachers at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF). She is a contributor to Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused that was recommended above, as well as two booklets for CCEF. Darby also wrote Is it Abuse?. This book has several passages I believe every victim needs to hear and understand.
What you believe about God actually changes your brain. Brain research in neuroscience has found that our thoughts and beliefs affect our physical, mental and spiritual health. Mind and body are interrelated,
and we are designed for healthy relationships of
love and trust.
Unfortunately the statistics inside the church are the same as outside the church!
It seems unlikely that membership in a faith - based organization is a protective factor against an issue as pervasive as abuse. Working to educate these groups remains an important first step in helping prepare them to better respond to disclosure of abuse.
When a discloser does occur, faith-based organization must remember it's not their role to be investigators of these claims. Faith based organizations must focus on supporting victims of abuse who disclose to them and helping to bridge contact between the victim and the proper community agencies that can more than adequately address the other components of the abuse investigation /intervention process.