In the 2018 Leadership Institute seminar The Gospel in Dark Places: Ministry to Exploited and Trafficked Women, Bonnie Gatchell offered some practical ways to minister to women involved in human trafficking.

“There are silent victims all around us who need to see what it is to have heathier marriages than what they may have known, to demonstrate healthier ways of conflict resolution, and to have healthier relationships with our employees and employers.”

She also encouraged pastors to preach sermons about biblical women.

“We can preach countless women in the Bible,” she said. “If I’m a female but only hear about Moses, Joseph, David, and Paul but never hear about Deborah, Esther, Ruth, or Rahab, it tells me I’m a lesser gender and makes me a vulnerable person.”

Trafficking survivor Tricia Grant shared her story with the session attendees, noting that “the people who trafficked me are still advertising for exotic dancers.”

Gatchell is an ordained Teaching Elder and the Founder and Director of Route One Ministry, a Boston-based program that reaches women exploited by entering strip clubs. Grant is a survivor of sex trafficking who now educates youth and adults in large group and one-on-one settings.

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