Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of evangelical Christian pastors’ counseling members of their congregations who were victims/survivors of domestic violence. Evangelical Christians are the largest growing religious affiliations in the United States. Evangelical Christian members may have conservative views on marriage and gender roles that complicate leaving a violent marriage. The role of pastoral counseling in situations of domestic violence is one of the most unstudied aspects in the domestic violence literature. Following IRB approval, seven evangelical Christian pastors from the upper Midwest agreed to participate in individual interviews about their experiences with victims/survivors of partner violence. The narrative data were analyzed using van Manen’s interpretative phenomenology method of analysis. Findings indicated that none of the pastors felt adequately prepared to counsel victims/survivors of domestic violence. When the couple had children, pastoral counseling focused on keeping the children safe by calling child protective services. The evangelical Christian pastors were challenged when victims/survivors blamed themselves for the violence and chose to stay with a violent partner instead of leaving. The pastors worked to help the victims/ survivors understand that the violence was not their fault, and to empower the victims/survivors to remember how valuable they were to God. Findings from this study lend support to the important role clergy have in counseling victims/survivors of domestic violence.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alpert, E., Miles, A., & Coffey, V. (2005). Responding to domestic violence: An interfaith guide to prevention and intervention. Chicago: Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network. https://www.familyministries.org/files/1.1.1.%20Responding%20to%20Domestic%20Violence%20An%20Interfaith%20Guide.pdf. Retrieved on 9/14/2016 & 11/4/2016.
American Civil Liberties Union (2005) Domestic violence and homelessness: Women’s Rights Project. https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/dvhomelessness032106.pdf. Accessed 4 Nov 2016.
Babcock, J., Jacobson, N., Gottman, J., & Yerington, T. (2000). Attachment, emotional regulation, and the function of marital violence: Differences between secure, preoccupied, and dismissing violent and nonviolent husbands. Journal of Family Violence, 15(4), 391–409.
Barnett, O. (2001). Why battered women do not leave, part 2. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 2(1), 3–35.
Bent-Goodley, T. (2004). Perceptions of domestic violence: A dialogue with African American women. Health and Social Work, 29, 307–316.
Biresch, J. (2011). Assessing domestic violence in the healthcare setting: Article one in a five-part series on DV. Pennsylvania Nurse, 66(2), 6–10.
Bussert, J. (1986). Battered women: From a theology of suffering to an ethic of empowerment. Division for mission in North America. New York: Kutztown.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). National data on intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs-fact-sheet-2014.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). NISVS infographic. Injury prevention & control: Division of Violence Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/infographic.html. Accessed 8 Nov 2016.
Clough, A., Draughon, J. E., Njie-Carr, V., Rollins, C., & Glass, N. (2014). “having housing made everything else possible”: Affordable, safe and stable housing for women survivors of violence. Qualitative Social Work, 13(5), 671–688.
Cohn, P. (Director). (2010). Power and control: Domestic violence in America [motion picture]. United States: Hillcrest Films.
Douglas, H., & Walsh, T. (2010). Mothers, domestic violence, & child protection. Violence Against Women, 16(5), 489–508. doi:10.1177/1077801210365887.
Faramarzi, M., Esmailzadeh, S., & Mosavi, S. (2005). A comparison of abused and non-abused women’s definitions of domestic violence and attitudes to acceptance of male dominance. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, 122(2), 225–231.
Hamby, S., Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., & Ormrod, R. (2010). The overlap of witnessing partner violence with child maltreatment and other victimizations in a nationally representative survey of youth. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 734–741. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.03.001.
Herrenkohl, T., Sousa, C., Taima, E., Herrenkohl, R., & Moylan, C. (2008). Intersection of child abuse and children’s exposure to domestic violence. National Center for Bio-Technology Information. doi:10.1177/1524838008314797.
Homiak, K., & Singletary, J. (2007). Family violence in congregations: An exploratory study of clergy’s needs. Social Work and Christianity, 34(1), 18–46.
Houston-Kolnik, J., & Todd, N. (2016). Examining the presence of congregational programs focused on violence against women. American Journal of Community Psychology, 57, 459–472. doi:10.1002/ajep.12055.
Humphreys, C., & Thiara, R. (2003). Neither justice nor protection: Women’s experiences of post-separation violence. Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, 25(3), 195–214.
Jakobsson, A., von Borgstede, C., Krantz, G., & Spak, F. (2013). Possibilities and hindrances for prevention of intimate partner violence: Perceptions among professionals and decision makers in a Swedish medium-sized town. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 337–343. doi:10.1007/s12529-012-9238-1.
Jennings, D. (2014). In church, a taboo, topic: Religious leaders try to break silence about domestic violence or abuse among flock. Dallas Morning News. http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2014_deadlyaffection/part8/. Accessed 31 Aug 2016.
Kopels, S., & Sheridan, M. (2002). Adding legal insult to injury: Battered women, their children, and the failure to protect. Affilia, 17(1), 9–29.
Landenburger, K. (1989). A process of entrapment in and recovery from an abusive relationship. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 10, 209–227.
Mandel, D. (2010). Child welfare and domestic violence: Tackling the themes and thorny questions that stand in the way of collaboration and improvement of child welfare practice. Violence Against Women, 16(5), 530–536.
van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for action sensitive pedagogy. London: University of Western Ontario.
van Manen, M. (2014). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press.
Morgan, T. (2015). One in three Americans say divorce is still a sin in cases of abuse. Christianity Today. www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/august/one-in-three-americans-say-divorce-is-still-sin-in-cases-of.html. Accessed 31 Aug 2016.
Murray, S. (2008). Why doesn’t she just leave? Belonging, disruption and domestic violence. Women’s Studies International Forum, 31(1), 65–72.
Nash, S. (2006). The changing of gods: Abused Christian wives and their hermeneutic revision of gender, power, and spousal conduct. Qualitative Sociology, 29, 195–209. doi:10.1007/s11133-006-9018-9.
Nash, S., & Hesterberg, L. (2009). Biblical framings to spousal violence in the narratives of abused Christian women. Violence Against Women, 15(3), 340–361. doi:10.1177/1077801208330437.
Nash, S., Faulkner, C., & Abell, R. (2013). Abused conservative Christian wives: Treatment considerations for practitioners. Counseling and Values, 58, 205–220. doi:10.1002/j.2161-007X.2013.00034.x.
Nason-Clark, N. (2004). When terror strikes at home: The interface between religion and domestic violence. Journal of Scientific Study of Religion, 43, 303–310.
Nason-Clark, N. (2010). Clergy referrals in cases of domestic violence. Journal of Family and Community Ministries, 23(4), 50–60. http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/117270.pdf. Accessed 2 Sept 2016.
Nason-Clark, N. (2015). The ‘holy hush’ that’s plaguing churches right now is domestic violence. National Deseret News. http://national.deseretnews.com/article/4816/the-holy-hush-thats-plaguing-churches-right-now-is-domestic-violence.html. Accessed 14 Sept 2016.
National Center on Family Homelessness (2013). Pressing issues facing families who are homeless. http://fliphtml5.com/xsgw/iqjt/basic. Accessed 8 Nov 2016.
Payne, D., & Wermeling, L. (2009). Domestic violence and the female victim: The real reason women stay! Journal of Multicultural, Gender and Minority Studies, 3(1), 178–185. http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2009/articles/1420.pdf. Accessed 8 Nov 2016.
Rotunda, R., Williamson, G., & Penfold, M. (2004). Clergy response to domestic violence: A preliminary survey of clergy members, victims, and batterers. Pastoral Psychology, 52(4), 353–365.
Shannon-Lewy, C., & Dull, V. (2005). The response of Christian clergy to domestic violence: Help or hindrance? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(6), 647–659.
Skopp, N., Manke, B., McDonald, R., & Jouriles, E. (2005). Siblings in domestically violent families: Experiences of interparent conflict and adjustment problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 324–333.
Tatum, D. (2000). Why the label child abuse puts children who witness domestic violence at risk. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 1, 288–290. doi:10.1177/1524838000001003007.
Tracy, S. (2007). Clergy responses to domestic violence. Priscilla Papers, 21(2), 1–11. http://www.cbeinternational.org/sites/default/files/pp212_3crtdv.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov 2016.
Walker, L. (1979). The battered woman. New York: Harper & Row.
Wood, G. O. (2001). Exploring why we think the way we do about women in ministry. Enrichment Journal (General Council of the Assemblies of God). http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200102/008_exploring.cfm. Accessed 23 Aug 2016.
Zust, B. (2006). Meaning of INSIGHT participation among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 27(7), 775–793. doi:10.1080/01612840600781170.
Zylstra, S. E. (2015). Pew: Evangelicals stay strong as Christianity crumbles in America. Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/may/pew-evangelicals-stay-strong-us-religious-landscape-study.html. Accessed 2 Sept 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zust, B.L., Housley, J. & Klatke, A. Evangelical Christian Pastors’ Lived Experience of Counseling Victims/Survivors of Domestic Violence. Pastoral Psychol 66, 675–687 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-017-0781-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-017-0781-1