Instructors: David Horita & Lorrie Wasyliw
Dates: October 5 – November 2, 2026
Live Discussions: October 16 & 20 at 10:00am, and October 26 at 1:00pm (PDT)
Venue: Online
Credit: 1 academic credit hour at Northwest
Price: Audit: $49 (+ GST) | For-credit: $149 (+GST)
The headlines are too familiar. The response can't be silence.
Another renowned Christian leader exposed. Another story of power misused. This time, it lands closer to home. Closer to your church. Maybe closer to you.
Every Christian, and especially every ministry leader, faces a choice in this moment: look away, or look closely. Safe Sanctuaries is built for those who choose to look closely, to understand how abuse happens in ministry and home environments, and to do something about it.
This isn't a course about managing risk or covering liability. It's about fulfilling the call of Christ articulated in Luke 10:25-37 and Matthew 25:34-46 — to love our neighbour, and to be present for "the least of these." Safety and dignity aren't programs we implement. They're essential for our discipleship.
What you'll walk away with
By the end of this micro-course, you'll be equipped to:
- Recognize the causes and effects of abuse and understand how power imbalances quietly become misconduct
- Become a safe person for those who have endured abuse and trauma
- Prevent abuse before it starts and know how to stop abusers when prevention fails
- Navigate a litigious society wisely
- Find the courage to build cultures of safety and dignity no matter what it costs
Inside the course
Across five recorded sessions and three live Zoom discussions, David Horita and Lorrie Wasyliw guide you through:
- Why Safe Sanctuaries? the stakes, the definitions, and the biblical foundation
- Personal Reflections on the Issues: two testimonies that put a human face on the topic
- Proactive Prevention in Ministry: personal, staff-wide, and ministry-wide protection, explored through case study
- Domestic Abuse and Our Response: current realities, contributing factors, and what effective intervention actually looks like
- Preventing Domestic Abuse: ten practical preventative steps, grounded in Galatians 6:7-10
Each video pairs with a workbook section—case studies included—so the material moves from head knowledge to practical steps you can take right away, before you ever log on to discuss it together.
Also, you can view the seminar videos and get the workbook for free, right now through the Fellowship Pacific Ministry Centre's website.
We are offering a for-credit, faciliated micro-course version of Safe Sanctuaries, though, for people who want an opportunity to dig deeper into this content in a learning cohort faciliated and assessed by David and Lorrie—the people who developed this curriculum and filmed these lecture videos.
For further information, you can view the syllabus here.
A note before you begin
This course addresses abuse, trauma, and domestic violence directly. A trigger warning is given at the outset, and the format is designed to hold space for that weight—with room for honest testimony, careful instruction, and closing prayer.