Domestic violence may be in the news these days, but that doesn’t mean that pastors and churches are talking about it. A recent LifeWay Research study
found that pastors rarely talk about the issue but are at least interested in getting more training on the issue.
The survey asked how often pastors speak about domestic violence. The good news is that some do talk about it on a fairly regular basis. Unfortunately, most
do not. One in ten never talk about it. One third rarely talk about it. And another 22 percent maybe talk about it once a year. If you add these together two-
thirds talk about it once a year or less.
Is domestic abuse a problem inside the church? If this survey is any indication, there are many in the church who are victims of abuse. Unfortunately, that is
not how many pastors perceive the issue. According to the LifeWay survey, 72 percent of pastors who speak about the issue said domestic violence is a
problem in the community. But only 25 percent said it is a problem in the church.
A recent article in the Dallas Morning News illustrated the problem. One pastor in an African-American church told the story of a woman who confided that her
husband was abusing her. He didn’t think the man was capable of that. But when he confronted the abuser, he “didn’t deny that it has happened.” These
incidents and additional education made him much less skeptical about other reports of abuse.
An abuser can seem like a great person. He might be a deacon or an usher. He or she might be in the choir. So when someone who has been abused comes
forward, it may be hard for a pastor to believe that domestic violence is taking place.
Most of the pastors surveyed were willing to receive more training. Only 40 percent agreed with the statement that seminary provided them with sufficient
resources to address the problem of domestic violence. It is worth noting that 15 percent did not even attend seminary, and therefore had no seminary training
for this issue.
This latest survey reminds us that we have work to do in the church. We need to talk about domestic violence and train those in ministry to recognize abuse
and deal with it effectively.