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About Us
Refuge Ministries is a Christian ministry helping victims and families of abuse. It began in one local church, and today it serves the Church across the globe through education and training on abuse.
History
Refuge Ministries began in 2013 at Faith Covenant Presbyterian Church in Kalispell, Montana, out of a need that arose within the church itself. Pastor Shane Waldron realized that common approaches to marriage conflict were ineffective in cases of domestic abuse. Counsel meant for two people who are struggling to get along does not help when one of them is being oppressed by the other.
It all started with a support group for survivors of domestic abuse called The Refuge, with four women in attendance. Within a year it had expanded into a thriving ministry that also offered a batterer’s intervention program called Turning Point and a structured program for children called Refuge Kids. Refuge Ministries is one of the only comprehensive programs in the nation that offers ministry to abusers, survivors and their children.
Refuge today
What began as a ministry of one congregation now operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with a mission to serve the Church across the globe through education and training on abuse.
The need that surfaced in Kalispell is not unusual. It is present in communities and congregations everywhere, and many churches have never been shown how to recognize it or how to respond. We believe the local church, when properly trained and mobilized, is one of the best organizations for responding to domestic abuse. So we pass on what we have learned:
- Abuse Awareness Seminars equip a church or organization, in two to three hours, to identify abuse and care for survivors.
- Training workshops prepare churches to start a Refuge ministry of their own.
- The Refuge Academy gives trained churches video training for new mentors.
- Recorded teaching, with handouts and slides, is free to listen to and download.
Refuge groups now meet in local churches in several states. Find the one nearest you.
Mission Statement
Helping survivors of domestic abuse find redemption from oppression.
Read our mission and core values
Statement on Marriage Roles
We believe that God created human beings, male and female, after His own image. Therefore, men and women have equal value, and both should be treated with the same respect and dignity. Within this framework of equality, God gave men and women different roles in the family. He created men to be servant-leaders, and he created women to be their helpers – an essential role involving partnership and support. Male leadership should be exercised in a context of mutuality, and characterized by love, care, and self-sacrifice. While no man fully lives up to this ideal, some men twist Scripture and use their leadership to abuse and oppress their families. In such situations, God does not call women to submit to abuse.