Response of Christian faith leaders to domestic violence: training, beliefs, and practice

ABSTRACT

Faith leaders often lack training and comprehensive knowledge about domestic violence (DV). Yet, awareness about DV is a vital part of a faithful response to abuse. Clergy members and lay leaders need to engage in training on what DV is and the effect it has on families, which will make a difference in their response to DV in their congregations. This project expands current research on congregations, clergy, and DV. The data supply insights into the beliefs and practices of faith leaders. The knowledge gained will inform future efforts to educate faith leaders, increase policy creation, and improve response to disclosures of abuse. With greater education efforts, clergy can better support victims of abuse.

KEYWORDS:

• domestic violence
• abuse
• clergy
• faith leaders
• congregations
• pastor training

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Gaynor Yancey and Mallory Herridge at Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work’s Center for Church and Community Impact, Dr. Rob Rogers at Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work, as well as Dr. Rod Sturdivant at Baylor’s Statistical Consulting Center, for their support of this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

No funding was used in this research project.