Does it trouble you that someone can sit in a church pew hearing about the sanctity of marriage while privately enduring abuse at home?
Have you ever struggled to reconcile what you have heard about staying married to an abusive spouse with what you know about the love and compassion of Jesus Christ?
What happens when someone experiencing abuse wants help but is afraid to approach the pastor, doesn’t know whom to trust, or simply doesn’t believe the church is prepared to help?
Have you ever feared that telling someone about your abuse would mean everyone finding out—and making an already dangerous situation worse?
Have you ever feared finally asking for help, only to hear, “I’ll pray for you,” when what you desperately needed was someone prepared to help you?
These are difficult questions, but the Church cannot afford to avoid them.
As part of my graduate ministry internship, I am studying how Christian churches understand and respond to domestic violence and intimate partner abuse. The goal is to use what we learn to develop a practical, biblically grounded program that helps churches become better educated, better prepared, and safer places for people experiencing abuse.
You do not have to be a survivor to participate. If you have experienced abuse, supported someone who has, have experience in the Christian church, or simply care about how the Church responds to domestic violence, your voice matters.
Our previous Facebook post reached nearly 10,000 people and generated more than 360 link clicks—yet only nine people completed the survey.
This time, I need more than a click. I need your voice.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your answers will directly help shape a program designed to help churches confront the sin of domestic violence and abuse with biblical truth, greater understanding, compassion, and a clear plan for helping people who need it.
Please take the survey. Then please share it with everyone.copy and post this link on your blogs and on your instagram and Facebook pages.
