Anne Gatobu

Families living with sexual or domestic violence often find themselves in an isolated social dilemma. The church should be one easily accessible and less threatening place for such families to find help and referral. Statistics regarding prevalence in North America and around the world suggests that the likelihood of having several families within our faith communities living with domestic violence is very high. It is, therefore, important that persons training to become pastors or to serve in other church ministries be aware of both the prevalence of the issue in their congregations as well as the appropriate ways to respond to victimized individuals and families. It is also crucial that persons training to be in ministry have a sound theology that drives their responsiveness to sexual or domestic violence in families.