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It's Something Most Churches Need to Help With but Don't Know How

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Domestic violence is an issue that the church community should be prepared to tackle head on.

But a new survey from LifeWay Research found that most churches are ill-equipped to help victims.

"Many pastors aren't aware if domestic violence is happening in their congregation," said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

"And even if they are aware, they often don't know how to help."

The study was sponsored by Autum Miles, a radio host and speaker whose church was caught off guard when she told them about her domestic violence experience.

"If a woman comes forward and says, 'I need help—I am being abused,' a church needs to respond," she said. "There's a lot to lose if churches get this wrong," she told Christianity Today.

When asked, "Does your church have a specific plan or procedures in place for how to respond if someone shares that they are experiencing domestic violence?, 52% of the pastors said yes, 45% said no. Two percent said they were not sure.

The survey also found that most pastors, 87 percent, strongly agree with the statement, "a person experiencing domestic violence would find our church a safe haven." Eleven percent somewhat agree. One percent are not sure.

Most pastors, 89 percent, agree their church regularly communicates that domestic violence is not OK - with more than half, 56 percent, who strongly agree.

LifeWay reports that "almost half of pastors (47 percent) say they don't know if anyone in their church has been a victim of domestic violence in the past three years.  A third (37 percent) say a church member has been a victim of domestic violence.  Fifteen percent say no one has experienced domestic violence."

And according to the survey, pastors of large congregations (250 attendees or more) are more likely to know of a victim of domestic violence in their church, 65 percent compared to 20 percent of pastors of smaller congregations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that almost a quarter of American women (24.3 percent) and 1 in 7 men (13.8 percent) have "experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner." 

Given those numbers, there are likely victims of violence even in a small church, McConnell said.

"Statistics on sinful activities consistently show that church attendees act better but are not without sin." he said. "It is naïve to assume a church could remain immune to domestic violence."

Meanwhile, only about half of churches (52 percent) have a plan to assist victims of domestic abuse.  Forty-five percent have no plan. Two percent of pastors aren't aware of a plan.

Most churches with 250 or more people have a plan (73 percent). So do many Methodist (63 percent) and Pentecostal (66 percent) churches. Fewer Baptist (52 percent), Presbyterian/Reformed (45 percent), Holiness (45 percent, Lutheran (44 percent), or Church of Christ (41 percent) churches have one.

 Among the resources churches offer to victims:

  • 76% have a referral list for professional counselors
  • 64 % have finances to assist victims 
  • 61% percent can provide victims a safe place to stay.
  • 53% have a referral list for legal help 
  • 49% have a someone who's also experienced domestic violence for them to talk to

Churches also offer other assistance like referrals to shelters or state agencies, pastoral care, and support groups.

Christianity Today reports that church leaders had a hard time believing Autumn Miles's claims were true -- because they didn't think domestic abuse could happen in the church.

"It can be a lot easier to believe the abuser than to help a victim," said Julie Owens, a North Carolina based consultant.  She has helped to develop domestic violence prevention programs for churches as well as the Department of Justice.

"Churches underestimate the spiritual, psychological, and emotional damage done by domestic abuse," she said.

McConnell said, "Ignoring the issue in public settings can undermine a church's efforts to help victims.

"You can have great resources in place to help victims—but if no one knows they exist, those resources won't do any good," he said.

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