Biblical and Theological Training in Response to Spousal Violence in Seventh- Day Adventist Church in Chemamul, Kericho County, Kenya

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in her multifaceted mission to serve humanity is challenged to prioritize the family, which is the spousal church. However, the reality of abusive marriage relationships is not taken seriously as a matter of church concern to the extent that it is not even recognized by the church members themselves. This paper aimed at examining the training needs of the church in areas of biblical and theological studies for both members and church leaders in response to spousal violence in Chemamul District, Kericho County, Central Rift Conference, Kenya. This was informed by the prevalence of spousal violence among believers in the church in the study area. The study used a descriptive research design with a mixed methodologies approach (qualitative and quantitative) to describe and assess the function of the church in reducing domestic violence in the SDA church. The target population included baptized members, couples or families, family life leader and district pastor from ten SDA churches in the district. They were 20 family life leaders, 221 families or couples, one district pastor and 1119 baptized members of the church. Victims of spousal violence, family life leaders and baptized church members were the sampling unit. The district has only one pastor. A sample of 112 baptized church members, 64 families or couples, 20 family life leaders and 1 pastor were used for the study. The study depended on questionnaires and interview schedules to gather primary data from respondents drawn from ten SDA churches in the district. Data was collected from a cross-section of baptised members of the church, victims of spousal violence, family life leaders and district pastors.