Intimate Partner Violence in the Black Church: Bridging the Gap between Awareness and Policy Development

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or Domestic Violence (DV) continues to be a perennial issue in the Black church and Christendom as a whole. Women in the church continue to experience violence at increased rates, but leadership has been delayed in providing a meaningful response to IPV as families experience the turmoil of abuse. Further, more and more children suffer from the trauma of family violence that perpetuates as males, who witness IPV, have a greater susceptibility of becoming abusers and females, who witness abuse, are put in risk of choosing abusers in relationships. The church must now become the leading change agent in the struggle to reduce and end family violence by addressing the heart of the issue, the pulpit, namely male leaders in the church who abuse their wives and hide behind the scripture text. The church must expose the biblical truth regarding marriage and relationships and embed policy within the by-laws of the church that provide victims and survivors with opportunities for confidential reporting, resources when they are ready to leave, and on-going support for women who desire to transition from abuse to survivorship. ""Carlos Richard boldly addresses a unique and controversial aspect of domestic violence, as experienced within the black church community. Drawing from his research and leadership experience, he speaks to this crisis with sensitivity and offers not just understanding and insight, but hope and practical tools for the church to lead the way forward."" --Clifford Berger, Portland Seminary of George Fox University ""Richard's doctoral dissertation . . . speaks a voice of wisdom from Jesus and the biblical text. Once you read Intimate Partner Violence in the Black Church, you will understand why this work is not only necessary for any faith community, but accurately represents the voices of those who cry out for justice, safety, and healing."" --Ron Clark, Minister and author of Freeing the Oppressed Carlos Jermaine Richard has over twenty-six years of ministerial experience and serves as pastor of Tabernacle Church in North Portland. Dr. Richard is also a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Warner Pacific College. He has over twenty-five years of experience working with children and families in non-profit and government agencies. Dr. Richard also served as a former Co-Chair of the Statewide Diversity Conference and is a former Commissioner and Chair of the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs.