Domestic Violence and the Church: When Floodgates Open

At Hope for Healing.Org we are trying to do more to reach out. We have a special burden for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault victims that are within the church. Christian victims often lock their pain away and deal with it internally. They tell no one. The cycle of abuse does not end. Instead, it intensifies and ravages not just the primary family but friends and subsequent generations.

The church is in an excellent position to bring healing to victims, abusers and their families. Never before has there been a greater need for the church to stand up and be the Church.

Sadly, it has traditionally cast a blind eye when it comes to domestic violence and sexual assault. Most often, pastors and clergy turn away because they just aren't sure what to do or say. It's not that they don't want to help, they just don't know how.

We know that when pastors do speak against abuse the floodgates open. People come forward for help who have never before been able to speak up. New territories are being mapped out and those waters must be navigated. To help ministers steer the ship toward Living Water and healing, we offer a section of free clergy resources. These are available for download from http://www.hopeforhealing.org/clergy

Once at the Clergy Resource Page you will find several pieces of helpful information There is a flier on ways the church can help, bulletin inserts, statistics, liturgical and responsive readings, suggested scriptures and more.

These resources are all free but copyright does apply. We ask that you not post this information on other websites. Instead, simply place a link to the information that you want to reference on your site. If you would like to distribute within your church all that we ask you to do is let us know.

Another resource that we offer is the book Does God Still Love Me. We took the questions frequently asked by survivors and put them in book form. This is available by clicking the link above or through online bookstores.

We also have a manual for pastors and churches. This is designed to be used as part of a 4 hour workshop. Even pastors who do not take this workshop will find the information to be valuable. The manual is nearing completion and should be ready by April. For more information please email admin@hopeforhealing.org