HISTORICAL ABUSE

Our Policy Towards Historical Abuse

(See our Safeguarding Policy regarding current abuse)

If a person has been abused in a possibly criminal way such as sexual and physical abuse, it is important for such a person to know that we take such situations very seriously.

We want to make it clear that by forgiving someone, it in no way undermines the enormity of any abuse a person has suffered in the past, but it allows a person to find freedom.

We are all commanded by God to forgive, and our role in Live Free is to help you encounter God and allow Him to bring you to a place where you can totally forgive the perpetrator(s), be released from the trauma and get to a place where that trauma no longer interferes and controls your life; so that you can move on.

However, that doesn’t mean that we are asking anyone who has suffered abuse to ignore justice. Neither are we seeking to ‘sweep things under the carpet’, or in any way protect abusers. We at Live Free cannot advise whether or not to pursue any form of justice; this is the choice of the person who has suffered the abuse.

We are not minimising what has happened, and if you are seeking counsel, we recommend speaking to your pastor. We are not counsellors or here to bring advice, only to help you connect with God for Him to minister into your past wounds in prayer, set you free from unforgiveness, and bring healing, wholeness and freedom, and so you can fall more in love with the Trinity, and increase your level of intimacy with God.