ERLC National Conference 2019

Join us in Dallas on October 3-5, 2019. The American church is facing an abuse crisis. Is your church doing all it can to be safe for survivors and safe from abuse? Churches should be a refuge for those who have experienced abuse. But, too often, survivors haven't found the protection they deserve and the care they need from the church. Are you ready to join us in changing that?

The ERLC and SBC Sexual Abuse Advisory Group are partnering together to present Caring Well: Equipping the Church to Confront the Abuse Crisis, at the Gaylord Texan on October 3-5, 2019. This event will feature survivors, experts, pastors, and advocates who will seek to equip Christians on the subject of abuse and related issues to empower their churches in the process of becoming safe for survivors and safe from abuse.

Through a mix of speakers, panels, and breakout sessions, leaders will listen to the stories of survivors, learn from the experience of experts, and leave equipped with the tools they need to address abuse.

We don't want finances to be a barrier to someone attending. That's why we are offering a steeply discounted launch rate for this event, with special pricing for bivocational pastors, small church pastors, church planters and students. That's why we are committed to reinvesting any proceeds from this conference back into the ERLC's work on abuse. That's why we also have a limited number of conference registration scholarships available.

We want every church to return home after the conference equipped to do three things: share about abuse, care for the abused, and prepare for abuse prevention. The conference will address a variety of topics in order to tackle important questions that every church must address:

How should we make sense of the abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention?
What can churches do to strengthen their efforts to prevent abuse?
How can churches care well for those who have been abused?
Who should churches partner with in their communities as they respond to abuse?
How can we listen to and learn from the stories of survivors?
Why should we lament the crisis of abuse? What should that corporate sorrow look like?
How can churches take intentional steps on abuse without using church polity as an excuse for inaction?
Why is the church often not seen as a refuge for survivors? Can that be changed?
What are practical steps your church can take right now to be safe for survivors and safe from abuse?
How can we improve awareness about abuse among those in our churches and communities?
What are common myths about abuse and how can we correct them?
How should Christians address physical abuse, emotional abuse, and verbal abuse?
Is your church doing all it can to address the abuse crisis?