“When two-thirds of pastors address the issue of domestic violence in church one time a year or less, we have a serious disconnect with the realities of American life,” Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research Division, said. “Pastors cannot ignore or downplay the issue, when lives are being ruined — and sometimes lost — through sexual and domestic violence right in their own communities and churches.”

 A new survey from LifeWay Research found most Protestant senior pastors say they know victims of domestic violence and believe stopping abuse is a pro-life issue. But, according to the study, those pastors seldom address domestic violence from the pulpit — and less than half have been trained in how to help victims.

Those are among the findings of a new telephone survey of 1,000 senior pastors of Protestant churches from LifeWay Research. The survey was co-sponsored by two Christian nonprofits: Washington, D.C.-based Sojourners and Maryland-based IMA World Health.

Sojourners president Jim Wallis said the survey shows churches can do more to address domestic violence. 

“This is a conversation the church needs to be having but isn’t,” he said. “We cannot remain silent when our brothers and sisters live under the threat of violence in their homes and communities.”

The recent LifeWay Research pastor’s survey is one of the first of its kind on the topic of domestic violence. 

Researchers found about 4 in 10 (42 percent) pastors “rarely” or “never” speak about domestic violence. Less than a quarter (22 percent) speak to their church about the issue once a year. 

“When two-thirds of pastors address the issue of domestic violence in church one time a year or less, we have a serious disconnect with the realities of American life,” Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research Division, said. “Pastors cannot ignore or downplay the issue, when lives are being ruined — and sometimes lost — through sexual and domestic violence right in their own communities and churches.”

“The church needs to be part of the solution here,” Stetzer said. “This is an issue where people of faith, across theological lines, can speak together that it matters, we care, and it must change.”

Pastors also tend to downplay the possibility domestic violence can affect their congregation. For pastors who don’t address the issue, about 3 in 10 (29 percent) believe domestic violence is not a problem in their church. 

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