Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation
1803 East Willow Grove Avenue
Glenside, PA 19038
An On-Demand Teaching Series
Becoming a Refuge
Responding to Domestic Abuse in the Church
an introduction by darby strickland
The series is now available for preorder! Preorder now and receive 12-month access when the series launches on April 9.
People in your church are suffering oppression, often misunderstood and in silence. How can your church grow in recognizing and responding wisely to domestic abuse, becoming a refuge for those who are suffering?
Becoming a Refuge is an on-demand teaching series by Darby Strickland helping churches respond to domestic abuse. Whether you're a church member, a ministry leader, or a pastor, this series will equip you with the knowledge and tools to care for both victims and perpetrators of abuse.
"We're going to learn how prevalent abuse actually is in churches, how vulnerable victims are, and how spiritually in danger those who perpetrate abuse are. The church is a fantastic context to care for victims and perpetrators."
—Darby Strickland
What to Expect
The series is composed of two units with two audiences in mind:
Unit 1: Responding as a Church Family
Total time: 3 hr 42 min
A guide to help every member see and respond to domestic abuse. Topics include:
- an introduction to oppression as contrasted with God's design for marriage,
- recognizing the different forms of abuse,
- understanding the experience of the oppressed, and
- taking first steps to help.
Unit 2: Responding as Church Leaders
Total Videos: 3 hr 16 min
Building on Unit 1, Unit 2 is guide to help leadership teams set ministry priorities and respond to domestic abuse. Topics include:
- preparing your church for domestic abuse ministry,
- building a care team,
- ministering to both the oppressed and the oppressor, and
- assessing for when true repentance has occurred.
To get the most out of this series, we encourage you to go through it with a group—Unit 1 as an entire church body, and Unit 2 as church leadership. Various purchase tiers are available depending on group size.
By purchasing this series, you're signing up for 1-year access. Along with prerecorded video lessons, you will receive participant guides for each unit, a facilitator’s guide, and recommended readings, including downloadable articles. You'll also receive a marketing packet to help you share about the series with your church, including social media graphics, powerpoint slides, flyers, bulletin inserts, and more.
At a Glance
access length
One year from date of purchase
what's included
- Seven hours of prerecorded video lessons (5 lesson videos per unit, plus an introduction and a Q&A)
- Participant and facilitator guides
- Case studies
- Articles for further reading
pricing tiers
- Individual (1–2): $250
- Small Group (up to 25): $1,000
- Church (26+): $2,000
Access the First Lesson for Free
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FAQs
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Meet the Faculty
Darby is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where she has served since 2003. She has a master of divinity with a counseling emphasis from Westminster Theological Seminary. Darby brings particular passion and expertise in helping the vulnerable and oppressed, especially women in abusive marriages. She has contributed to Church Cares and the PCA Domestic Abuse & Sex Assault church training materials. She has counseled in a missionary church setting and has also held leadership roles in women’s ministry. She is the author of When It's Trauma (P&R Publishing, 2025), Is It Abuse? (P&R Publishing, 2020), has written a handful of minibooks, and has contributed to several other books.
Darby's resources