Join us in Melbourne, August 18-19, 2025

Theme: A FAITHFUL CHURCH RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE

Day 1 explores how our churches can provide a biblically faithful, trauma-informed, and justice-seeking response to domestic and family violence. Through Scripture, lived experience, and practical tools, we will explore what a faithful church response looks like. See keynote sessions described below.

Day 2 continues with keynote sessions and also breaks into two streams for the morning:

STREAM ONE: A Men-only summit, which will address how and why men need to be involved in preventing domestic and family violence, will run from 9 am to 1 pm.

STREAM TWO: Hands-on training to build understanding of DFV, its early signs and to respond well. To prevent violence before it starts we need to be more effective in changing violence-supportive cultures in our churches. This stream .will also run from 9 am to 1 pm. The sessions are from our new Communities that Care program. These sessions will equip participants to prevent violence and will also equip participants to run the program for others in their own parish.

Day Two closes with a combined vision for all our churches faithfully responding to DFV.

With

Keynote Sessions

Poster presentations

Below are our planned keynote sessions: sign up for our newsletter to keep informed as we finalise presenter details

  • Theological foundations for a faithful church response to DFV

  • Survivor Testimony reflecting on the church’s response to DFV

  • Trauma in the Pews: practical ways to understand trauma and to apply that understanding to make all ministries safe at your church: from Sunday services to small groups, youth groups etc.

  • Panel discussion: Pastoring in tension: How can we best support both victims and those how choose violence within the same church community?

  • How the church can work well with local agencies

  • A holistic and faithful church response to DFV

  • Why and how men must be involved in a faithful church response to DFV

  • How everyone in your church can prevent violence before it starts: skilling up as faithful bystanders and culture changers, how to recognise, gain confidence, and act to address violence-supportive culture in the church. How to gain confidence to reach out to those who may be impacted by DFV.

  • Raising our young men to be confident and respectful

  • Closing session: A church worth belonging to - reflections on the church as a place of safety, accountability and flourishing for all.

This year we will be inviting poster presentations- over two long lunches at the conference you will be able to connect with people and organisations who have created resources for faith-based responses to DFV.

If you would like to be one of our poster presenters, email us for details