December 19, 2005 Source: University of New Brunswick - Fredericton:
http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=934 NASON-CLARK RECEIVES GRANT TO TRAIN RELIGIOUS LEADERS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Clergy are often called upon to counsel parishioners in the aftermath of family violence. Now a researcher at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton is providing them with support. Nancy Nason-Clark has been awarded $440,000 by Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop a web-based model for training pastors to respond to domestic abuse. "Clergy have a major, though often undervalued and under-resourced, role to play in responding to abuse victims and in calling abusers to accountability," said Dr. Nason-Clark. "With this funding from Lilly Endowment, I will lead a project that will assist churches and their leaders to pave the pathway between the steeple and the shelter — between spiritual guidance and practical support." Dr. Nason-Clark explains that the project is based upon the notion of partnering for change, where religious leaders and their congregations learn the steps to co-operate and collaborate with community-based services. "Central to the project is the belief that referrals and support between churches and community agencies must be based on trust and good working relationships, and honoring of professional and occupational talents," she said. "It is both a way of working and a way of thinking. ‘Are churches safe places to disclose that you have been abused by a family member?’ ‘Are community agencies a safe place to disclose that your faith is a vital part of your life and decision-making?’" The web-based training model for clergy will provide them with up-to-date information on responding to family violence and outline the steps for building bridges to relevant community-based services. "By using the web, we can deliver training to the clergy in the privacy of their home or church office," said Dr. Nason-Clark. The web-based training will have interactive capacities for questions and answers, offer video clips relevant to the content, and include special monthly features, such as guests-online, panel discussions between experts and ‘ask an expert’ section. "Training is so much more than knowledge acquisition," said Dr. Nason-Clark. "It is both a process and a product. To be successful and impactful, it needs to be tailored to the individual needs of a pastor or a congregation." To this end, the project will employ community-based teams of professionals at four sites — one in Canada and three in the United States — to assess, modify and implement selected aspects of the training model. In addition to providing training, the website will also be a resource for congregations, denominations, seminaries and community resource personnel on abuse in families of faith. "While there is no compelling evidence that violence is more frequent or more severe in families of faith, research shows that religious women are more vulnerable when abused," said Dr. Nason-Clark. "They are less likely to leave, are more likely to believe the abuser’s promise to change his violent ways, frequently have reservations about seeking community-based resources or shelters for battered women, and often express guilt that they have failed their families and God in not being able to make the marriage work." Dr. Nason-Clark has been a professor of sociology at the UNB since 1984. Her book publications include The Battered Wife (1997), No Place for Abuse (2001), and Refuge from Abuse (2004). An award-winning teacher, she has published extensively, obtained 38 research grants, and given more than 250 presentations, invited speeches, seminars and workshops in Canada and around the world. "With knowledge comes social responsibility," she said. "For me, scholarship and social action go hand-in-hand." Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. In keeping with the wishes of its founders, Lilly Endowment supports the causes of education, religion, and community development. - 30 -
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