Binding Up Bruised Reeds
AdventSource

Karen M. Flowers & Barbara Couden Hernandez

Eighty percent of all victims of domestic violence look to a pastor, priest, rabbi, or other religious leader for help first. Yet clergy are some of the least informed and most ill-prepared for abuse counseling. This Quick Reference Guide for Pastors on Ministry to Families Experiencing Abuse and Family Violence is professionally compiled for Seventh-day Adventist pastors and other church leaders to use with persons suffering physical, mental, emotional or social abuse. The ten chapters in this book will help your church respond effectively to various kinds of abuse, develop appropriate strategies and locate helpful resources. Chapters include:

• Myths about Child Abuse and Family Violence
• Warning Signs of Child Abuse and Family Violence
• Applicable Laws and the Pastor’s Legal Responsibility
• A Caring Pastoral Response
• Personalized Safety Plan

This resource can help you become part of a network of professional and community services available to respond to cases of family violence and child abuse and neglect. If you want to learn how to spread the good news about God in ways that can be heard and understood by those who know abuse and family violence firsthand, this book is for you.

Copyright © 2009 (Note: Binding Up Bruised Reeds is the 2009 update to Peace and Healing: A Quick Reference Guide for Making Homes Abuse-Free.)