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
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.
The series is now available for purchase!
"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 and facilitator guides for each unit 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.
More About the Series
Listen as Ed Welch shares how the church can learn from Darby’s experience and wisdom through this upcoming teaching series.
Listen as Mike Emlet, CCEF faculty and counselor, shares about how this teaching series could benefit your church.
“God does not demand us to be subjected to his majesty, but he actually woos us by his gentle and forgiving love. Oppression totally distorts that.”
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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Pricing Options
Individual
$250
- Group size:
1–2 - Facilitators (with facilitator access):
Up to 2 - Best for individual learning, personal growth, professional development, etc.
Small Group
$1,000
- Group size:
3–25 - Facilitators (with facilitator access):
Up to 3 - Best for small groups, Sunday school classes, leadership teams, etc.
Church
$2,000
- Group size:
26+ - Facilitators (with facilitator access):
Up to 5 - Best for churches, organizations, ministries, etc.
- Facilitators receive access to the teaching series through the CCEF website, including videos, guides, recommended readings, and additional resources.
FAQs
How many total lessons are in this series?
What is the recommended length to get through both units?
How many people can have access with a single purchase?
What additional support is there for the person who would use the material as a facilitator?
Are there renewal options after the 12-month access expires?
I previously purchased individual access but now I would like to purchase access for my church. How do I upgrade my plan?
Can I purchase this series for my counseling ministry, organization, presbytery, or other group?
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