Thank you for your concern about domestic violence and interest in worship resources, Michael. This is heartening indeed. Please note that we have added a disclaimer. Grateful for your partnership in this important ministry.
We've had some feedback about this webinar from those who felt that not enough attention was paid to the harm done by narcissism, especially church leaders. Just a note here - This webinar focused on the person with narcissistic tendencies, and less focus was given to those who have been victimized. It's valuable, with a prevention focus, to look at what needs to happen within those who have narcissistic tendencies, to stop the behavior and prevent future harm. That does not negate the need to understand the deep and often devastating effects of those who have been on the receiving end of this behavior. Both those who are harmed, and those who cause harm require healing in their inner being. And it may be a long and painful journey. The Church has a role to play, if we want our churches to be healing places that reveal God's transforming power. Safe church has heard many, many stories over the years of devastation caused by those with narcissistic tendencies, including church leaders. To help people understand these impacts, we've gathered a series of blogs/stories. It's called S.O.S. Sharing our Stories, you can find them here on The Network.
In addition, we've received feedback about other resources and links to other sites. This one features several articles, that may be helpful, Biblical Perspectives on Narcissism. While the Bible does not specifically refer to “narcissism” – which takes its name from Greek mythology – it does speak to the subject.
We appreciate the feedback, and hope that this webinar can be a first step, or a starting point for further discussion about this important and timely topic.
Thanks Phyllis, it was great to have your participation and really wonderful to learn from others around the themes in this book! So much good discussion, and so much to think about.
Throughout The Book of Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu and his daughter offer a number of activities that help you understand their discussion on forgiveness. An interesting one is carrying a rock with you for a week that represents the issue you are struggling with to find forgiveness for. If you are creative and enjoy journaling about life, this is a great book - they offer lots of ideas for this!
Safe Church has gathered additional resources specifically addressing abuse of power by clergy and ministry leaders. We're always glad to see people using resources that we've posted - and please don't hesitate to contact us if we can be of further service regarding ideas for using any of these resources in your own context.
It was a great webinar! (Power With and Power Through ...) So thought provoking - and the ideas expressed about a partnership model of power have really stuck with me.
The webinar talked about leadership structures and contrasted a dominant power-over model of leadership to a partnership power-with and through leadership model. Perhaps that helps clarify.
Safe Church Ministry began in 1994 as the Office of Abuse Prevention. It came about as the result of a study committee, which was begun by Synod 1992 to look into situations of abuse. The name was changed in 2008 to Safe Church Ministry to reflect a broader scope of abuse awareness, prevention, and response. So, we've been here in the CRC since 1994, and obviously still have a lot of work to do to build awareness about the dynamics and impacts of abuse, and to create safer communities where the value and dignity of each person is honored.
Posted in: Sermon Resources: Preaching on the Topic of Domestic Violence
Thank you for your concern about domestic violence and interest in worship resources, Michael. This is heartening indeed. Please note that we have added a disclaimer. Grateful for your partnership in this important ministry.
Posted in: December Safe Church Webinar: Raising Our Voices
Yes! Come back to this article and we will post a link to the recording after it is presented on Dec. 2. Or visit this article for links to all of our Safe Church 2020 Webinar Series recordings.
Posted in: Safe Church Amid COVID-19: Resources for Youth Ministry, Social Media, and Online Streaming
Thanks for the heads up! Sorry we forgot to add the link. It is now updated.
I was able to find this article about Worship and Copyrights; also, within this article regarding worship and COVID-19 I found this link: Free Resources for the Church During the Covid-19 Crisis - includes music and copyright assistance.
Posted in: Safe Church Amid COVID-19: Resources for Youth Ministry, Social Media, and Online Streaming
A partner in prevention - PreventConnect has offered these resources as well:
Equitable Community Engagement in the Time of Social Distancing: https://www.saferoutespartnership.org/blog/equitable-community-engagementtime-social-distancing
Leading Groups Online: A Down-and-Dirty Guide to Leading Online Courses, Meetings, Trainings, and Events During the Coronavirus Pandemic: http://www.leadinggroupsonline.org/ebooks/Leading%20Groups%20On line.pdf
Preventing Violence in Our Homes: Meeting this moment with connection, care, and justice http://www.preventconnect.org/2020/04/preventing-violence-in-ourhomes-meeting-this-moment-with-connection-care-and-justice/
Let’s Connect: Preventing Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence During a Pandemic http://www.preventconnect.org/2020/03/lets-connect-sexual-andintimate-partner-violence-prevention-during-a-pandemic/
Posted in: May 2020 Safe Church Webinar With Chuck DeGroat, Author of When Narcissism Comes to Church
We've had some feedback about this webinar from those who felt that not enough attention was paid to the harm done by narcissism, especially church leaders. Just a note here - This webinar focused on the person with narcissistic tendencies, and less focus was given to those who have been victimized. It's valuable, with a prevention focus, to look at what needs to happen within those who have narcissistic tendencies, to stop the behavior and prevent future harm. That does not negate the need to understand the deep and often devastating effects of those who have been on the receiving end of this behavior. Both those who are harmed, and those who cause harm require healing in their inner being. And it may be a long and painful journey. The Church has a role to play, if we want our churches to be healing places that reveal God's transforming power. Safe church has heard many, many stories over the years of devastation caused by those with narcissistic tendencies, including church leaders. To help people understand these impacts, we've gathered a series of blogs/stories. It's called S.O.S. Sharing our Stories, you can find them here on The Network.
In addition, we've received feedback about other resources and links to other sites. This one features several articles, that may be helpful, Biblical Perspectives on Narcissism. While the Bible does not specifically refer to “narcissism” – which takes its name from Greek mythology – it does speak to the subject.
We appreciate the feedback, and hope that this webinar can be a first step, or a starting point for further discussion about this important and timely topic.
Posted in: Safe Church Book Study: The #MeToo Reckoning
Thanks Phyllis, it was great to have your participation and really wonderful to learn from others around the themes in this book! So much good discussion, and so much to think about.
Posted in: Responding to Abuse Toolkit: Forgiveness
Throughout The Book of Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu and his daughter offer a number of activities that help you understand their discussion on forgiveness. An interesting one is carrying a rock with you for a week that represents the issue you are struggling with to find forgiveness for. If you are creative and enjoy journaling about life, this is a great book - they offer lots of ideas for this!
Posted in: Power: How Will We Use It?
Safe Church has gathered additional resources specifically addressing abuse of power by clergy and ministry leaders. We're always glad to see people using resources that we've posted - and please don't hesitate to contact us if we can be of further service regarding ideas for using any of these resources in your own context.
Posted in: Power: How Will We Use It?
Thanks Bev! Good recommendations.
Posted in: Partnership View of Power
It was a great webinar! (Power With and Power Through ...) So thought provoking - and the ideas expressed about a partnership model of power have really stuck with me.
Posted in: Partnership View of Power
The webinar talked about leadership structures and contrasted a dominant power-over model of leadership to a partnership power-with and through leadership model. Perhaps that helps clarify.
Posted in: S.O.S. Sexual Assault at a Retreat by Clergy
Safe Church Ministry began in 1994 as the Office of Abuse Prevention. It came about as the result of a study committee, which was begun by Synod 1992 to look into situations of abuse. The name was changed in 2008 to Safe Church Ministry to reflect a broader scope of abuse awareness, prevention, and response. So, we've been here in the CRC since 1994, and obviously still have a lot of work to do to build awareness about the dynamics and impacts of abuse, and to create safer communities where the value and dignity of each person is honored.