| On an annual basis, close to a million and a half children nationwide are exposed to and experience abuse or neglect. Many of these children and their families attend a church where clergy and their associates minister to them. For a substantial number of these clergy, there is a mandated responsibility to report suspected child abuse. Several aspects of the relationship between the pastoral role of working with families and the issue of child abuse within families is addressed in this study. Specifically, this research examines how the clergy from holiness denominations in the state of Indiana perceive child abuse and its causes and how they understand their role and their reporting obligations in dealing with an abused or neglected child in their church. This study used a cross-sectional survey research design collecting quantitative data. The 140 participants completed a survey to determine the relationships between clergy gender, age, denomination, years in occupation, and counselor training to attitude toward abuse, knowledge of child abuse, knowledge of reporting practices, knowledge of the Indiana Child Abuse Laws, and amount of education for clergy in the area of child abuse. Nearly three quarters of the clergy in this study reported they were not aware of their denominations child abuse reporting policy. Another significant percentage surveyed indicted that they were unsure about the child abuse reporting policy of the church they served. A high percentage of clergy in this study reported their pre-ministry education about child abuse as inadequate or minimal. This study provides first phase research in this critical area of child abuse and the role of clergy in this area of human service. |
