What Makes a Church Safe for Women?

Is the church a safe place for women? The answer should be a resounding “yes,” yet for many women, being part of the church means enduring sexism and abuse. For many women, church is a place of deep pain. Even churches that desire to be safe for women can get caught up in unexamined theology and practices that cause them harm. In Safe Church Dr. Andrew J. Bauman argues that this is a sign of the church’s brokenness; he explores how the church must do the hard work of examining, repenting, changing, and healing to become safe places for women.

Bauman offers both personal experience and thorough research. He brings his expertise as a former pastor and now therapist who is dedicated to helping women and men heal from the harm caused by sexism and abuse. A key concept in anti-abuse work is remembering that the victims are the best experts of their lives. Bauman, in a way, applies this concept by elevating the experiences of women and ensuring their stories guide the direction of the book. He conducted surveys and in-depth interviews with women who have served in churches, and throughout the book, the women who participated in his research remain the experts in both identifying the problem and leading us toward the hope of transformation.

At the same time, Bauman specifically addresses the responsibility men have in addressing sexism and abuse in the church. Because men still hold the majority of pastoral positions and other positions of power, a special burden falls on them to acknowledge perpetuation of harm or complicity in making churches unsafe. It is their duty to join the work women have been doing to create safe churches. Bauman does not just point fingers at other men; throughout the book, he humbly invites men to join him making our churches safe, offering his own story as an example of repenting, learning, and changing.

The section of the book that haunts me is where Bauman shares the research regarding women experiencing sexual harassment or misconduct while serving in ministry (39). It is, unfortunately, not surprising that many women experience sexism and abuse in their ministry settings. However, Bauman goes on to highlight the strong correlation between the likelihood a woman will experience sexism or abuse and the number of years she has served in ministry. In other words, “the more time a woman spends in ministry, the more likely she is to experience sexism, harassment, or abuse” (39). This should not be. This reality should convict every one of us who has any power in the church. It ought to compel us to heed Bauman’s call to do the work needed to become safe churches, to be communities of peace and flourishing for all people. Safe Church is a book the church needs, to guide us as we take the first steps together.

Available now at CovBooks.com >>