I recently had the privilege of attending the Baptist World Congress being held in Brisbane, alongside representatives from Baptist Churches all over the world. It was encouraging to hear stories of how God is at work in different places … but at the same time I was saddened by a theme that appears in all of the countries that were represented. The issue of Domestic and Family Violence (DFV).
Statistics tell us that 2 in 5 people have been exposed to Domestic and Family Violence in Australia and that, horrifically, one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner here in Australia! This is a very real problem, and we are seeing this issue affecting our churches also.
One of the things that churches can do in this space is to be aware of some of the resources that are available to train, equip and provide information to our leaders and volunteers. A key resource we encourage you to be aware of is the Domestic and Family Violence Helpline, which can be accessed via 1800 RESPECT (or 1800 737 732) for assistance with referring people experiencing DFV or for asking them for help or recommendations about how to deal with concerns you might have.
Additionally, we recommend a resource that has been developed within Baptist Churches called the Safer Spaces Toolkit, which you can access at https://saferspacestoolkit.com.au. This site provides videos and training you can do with your church including offering help in preaching messages that tackle this important topic.
This is a growing issue across our nation and we believe that Baptist Churches have an opportunity to make sure that our churches and communities are safe spaces for those who are suffering from DFV. We encourage you to get in touch with us if you have any questions or are interested in accessing other resources. Our team would love to be able to work alongside you in serving our communities.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash