Faith Committee
Return to Starting a Family Violence Task Force
Goal: FVTFs should assign a committee to engage the faith communities in their jurisdiction. The committee should engage members of all faiths represented in their community.
Objectives:
- FVTFs should provide training to local faith community on the dynamics of domestic violence, including how batterers use faith as a tool of victimization. GCFV has developed a Safe Sacred Space training guide for FVTFs to train their faith communities. The training guide includes tips on conducting a successful training, as well as a training outline with a suggested script.
- After the training, the committee should work with the faith communities to develop a protocol for how a faith community should respond to a victim of domestic violence, and how they can hold batterers accountable. Protocol could include the following but is not limited to:
- How clergy should respond to a victim of DV (provide resources for local DV agency within the protocol).
- Information informing clergy that couples counseling for a victim of DV could cause more harm to the victim.
- Encourage clergy to present sermons, messages, and informative documents about DV.
- FVTF members should consistently evaluate the effect and impact the protocols have on family violence victims.
- Invite members of the faith community to become members of the FVTF, and serve on FVTF committees.