by K.J. Wilson

About the author: K.J. Wilson is the director of training at the Austin Center for Battered Women.

Communities of faith have the potential to be a source of direct and indirect support for battered women. To do so, they must begin to accept their responsibility to prevent, recognize, and intervene in cases of domestic violence. To create an effective response to domestic violence, religious leaders and their congregations must work together to acknowledge the problem, learn more about the issue, work with secular resources, and reach out to the community.

Conduct a Self-Evaluation

Self-evaluation is one of the first steps religious leaders need to take to address the issue of domestic violence. First, to become comfortable with this issue, religious leaders should examine their attitudes, feelings, and beliefs about domestic violence...