2023 When Faith Hurts Conference

When Faith Hurts: Equipping the church for faithful response to child abuse and its implications for congregational care

This conference prepares participants to recognize and respond to cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. Conference sessions will discuss in detail the impact of child abuse on a victim's sense of spirituality and will offer concrete suggestions for working with medical and mental health professionals to assist a child in coping with maltreatment. Participants will learn ideal child protection policies for a faith based institution, including handling a situation in which a convicted sex offender seeks to join a congregation. The conference includes a review of various child abuse case scenarios and a discussion on appropriate and inappropriate responses.

The When Faith Hurts Conference has been approved for credit hours by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage, and Family Therapists, and Psycho-Educational Specialists and VSP.

Click Below for 2022:

Conference Agenda

Session Descriptions

Keynote Speaker

Victor has trained thousands of child-protection professionals from all 50 states, two U.S. Territories, and 17 countries on numerous topics pertaining to child abuse investigations, prosecutions and prevention. Victor gained national recognition for his work in addressing child abuse in small communities as a prosecutor in rural Minnesota, and has been named to the President’s Honor Roll of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. In 2012, Victor was awarded the Pro Humanitate Award from the North American Resource Center for Child Welfare.

Victor is the Chief Program Officer, Education and Research of the Zero Abuse Project, a 501©(3) public charity based in St Paul, MN, committed to education, training, and survivor support in order to eradicate child sex abuse and remedy its resulting harms. He is the 2018 President of the Academy on Violence & Abuse, and founder of the National Child Protection Training Center. With NCPTC and its partners, Victor has been instrumental in implementing 22 state and international forensic interview training programs and dozens of undergraduate and graduate programs on child maltreatment.

​Mr. Vieth graduated magna cum laude from WSU and earned his Juris Doctor from Hamline University School of Law (HUSL). In 2017, Victor earned an MA in theology from Wartburg Seminary. Mr. Vieth has published countless articles related to the investigation, prosecution and prevention of child abuse and neglect. He is author of Unto the Third Generation, a bold initiative that outlines the necessary steps we must all take to eliminate child abuse in America in three generations, and On This Rock: A Call to Center the Christian Response to Child Abuse on the Life and Works of Jesus (Wiff & Stock 2018).

 Intended Audience

Members of faith communities and community partners who may work with children or families impacted by child abuse. 

"Until attending this workshop, I really had no idea how far our culture has been damaged by child abuse. I had heard the stats before but hearing the stories and seeing the faces of victims did something to me. It helped me understand better why my child safety director has been so adamant to invest in preparing our camp team. Thanks for educating me in a way that allows me to create a safer camp for my campers and counselors."

Host or Publisher Julie Valentine Center