Learning to Build Bridges Between Churches and Community-Based Resources

1. Learning to Build Bridges Between Churches and Community-Based Resources Project Funded by The Lilly Endowment Inc.

2. 10 Reasons to Include Pastors Around the Collaborative Table on Domestic Violence • Chosen by victims; • Sought by perpetrators when the victim leaves the home; • Invested with moral authority; • Access to lives at the point of crisis; • Provide educational resources to all age groups; • Held as experts on “marriage” and the family; • Able to offer spiritual comfort and guidance; • Often in regular contact with those who are marginalized; • Able to provide ongoing support after the crisis; • Skilled in talking about hope. Source: Nason-Clark, Nancy. Based on a 2006 presentation given to Domestic Violence Advocates and Justice Personnel, West Palm Beach, Florida.

3. Are clergy serious about abuse?Questions to ask a pastor… • Do they offer a listening ear to an abused woman? • Does their church washroom offer information about abuse? • Does their congregation, or groups in it, partner with the local transition house? • Do they make appropriate referrals to resources in the community? • Is violence ever discussed in the church youth group? • Is violence discussed in the pre-marital counselling? • Do they realize the importance of spiritual resources for victims of abuse? • Do they share the load for supporting families amongst the congregation? • Do they offer ministry opportunities to those who have received the care and counsel of the church? • Do they hold violent, controlling men accountable for their actions? Source: Nason-Clark, Nancy. Based on a 2006 presentation given at Gordon Conwell Seminary, Boston, MA.

4. Did you know? • Pastors believe that one in five church couples is violent; • 9% of pastors have counselled 5+ abused women per year; • 83% of pastors have counselled one abused woman per year; • 31% of pastors say they have preached a message against abuse from the pulpit; • 40% of pastors say they discuss domestic violence in their premarital counselling. Source: Nason-Clark, Nancy (1997) The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press.

5. Did you know? • 95% of church women have never heard a message on abuse preached from the pulpit; • 58% of church women have helped another abused woman at her point of need; • 70% of church women have sought the help of another woman for a family-related problem; • Many church women who have been violated by an intimate partner do not feel that the term abused woman applies to them. Source: Nason-Clark, Nancy (1997) The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press.

6. The Role of Clergy in Responding to Cases of Domestic Violence • Raising awareness; • Suggesting referrals; • Offering comfort to those who have been victimized; • Bringing challenge to those who act abusively; • Providing ongoing support and accountability. Source: Nason-Clark, Nancy and Catherine Clark Kroeger (2004). Refuge from Abuse: Hope and Healing for Abused Christian Women. Downers Grove, IN: InterVarsity Press.

7. The Challenge of Working Together:Building Bridges for Collaborative Action Two critical questions: • Are churches safe places to disclose that you have been violated? • Are community agencies safe places to disclose that you are religious? Source: Nason-Clark, Nancy (2000) “Making the Sacred Safe: Woman Abuse and Communities of Faith,” Sociology of Religion 61(4): 349-68.

8. For further information or reflection… • Book Resources • Articles by our Team • Articles by others • CDs to order • Information packets to order • Book a speaking engagement • Email the RAVE Project • Participate in an online discussion group