The church is called to care for those who have been abused.  While the church has fulfilled that calling with some survivors of abuse, she has also failed countless people and sometimes created more harm. This article provides guidance for becoming a more trauma-informed church.

It can be challenging to know what questions to ask when trying to determine if your church or camp ministry has set up proper safeguards or if there is real accountability for those who violate the safeguarding policy. This resource will equip you with some basic informed questions that will help you discern if the environment you are sending your child or teen into is safe.

Abuse leaves survivors vulnerable to significant health concerns, prompting up to 36% higher lifetime healthcare costs for a person who experienced abuse as a child. Jesus showed throughout His ministry on Earth that He cares for our physical health, and multiple Bible passages urge stewardship of the bodies we have been given. Understanding the physical health impact of abuse equips us to care for our bodies and for the children God has placed in our care.

Harassment should be taken seriously as it “strikes at a person’s dignity and self-esteem precisely because it is sexual,” and may serve as a precursor to more serious violent acts, such as sexual assault, rape, and murder. When sexual harassment is present in church culture, the spiritual impact can be great. Below are some guiding principles that churches and church leaders can implement to help combat a culture of sexual harassment in their environment.

Children are abused at alarming rates. In the United States, roughly 2/3 of children go through at least one “adverse childhood experience.” The heavy physical, emotional, and relational toll of abuse are widely accepted, but the spiritual impact of abuse has often been overlooked. Churches, ministries, and all Christians must better understand and respond to the spiritual impact of child maltreatment.

For 30 years I kept a secret that almost killed me. That same secret was kept by many other little boys. We were all victimized by the same man, yet none of us knew it was happening to the other. Those secrets caused pain, shame, guilt. And it cost one of us his life.

There has been much discussion about what a church should do when confronted with an abuser in its midst. Such a question cannot begin to be adequately or wisely answered unless we first grasp the truth of what it means to be an abuser of the vulnerable.

While it is unfortunate there are not flashing lights or hazard signs in our church, there are warnings that communities can heed when navigating issues around known offenders.  

GRACE Board Member, Laura Thien, and Reverend Carrie Walker Nettles explain how the words we use can unintentionally be sources of great injury for the survivors of abuse within our faith communities.

It's fair to say that if society as a whole is pretty clueless about rape and sexual assault, men and boys are trebly so. Hardly any deal with how to avoid becoming a victim of it—and none at all on what to do, or how to feel, if one actually does.

A GRACE Board Member shares a few suggestions for consideration for those who struggle with holiday-related traumas.

It is not a question of if, but when, tragedy will strike your congregation. Are you prepared for it?

In this guest post, we are taught the best protection for our children is through recognition of the danger.

Many reasons exist why people fail to intervene in abuse situations. Here are a few of them.

Like King David, many within the church respond with a righteous anger when hearing about sexual abuse but fail to respond correctly.

A rarely addressed form of trauma from sexual abuse is discussed: the bitter upending of one’s faith.

Boz Tchividjian reflects on one of Satan’s most successful tactics: how abuse pushes children away from God.

Dr. Diane Langberg examines the culture of systems and why Christians protect churches instead of victims.