Mrs. George and her husband, Dr. Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School, are natives of Chattanooga and still have relatives here. Mrs. George may be reached through her Web site, www.author denisegeorge.com. Mrs. George's book is available at area bookstores.

Q: Without giving away the entirety of your book, what are some of the things women wish their pastors knew?

A: Some things surprised me, some things I anticipated, some things shocked me. I was amazed at the number of women who were enduring spousal abuse in the home. Many of these were married to Christian men. The statistics are that one of every five women endures some form of abuse. The statistics are the same in the evangelical body of Christ.

Many of the women said they were married to men who were Christian but who are not taking spiritual leadership in the home.

So many expressed concern about being exhausted, about being tired, about having too many people depending on them. So many women are working outside the home and are mothers who are working outside the home. Almost every woman who returned a survey said they would want to tell their pastors that "we are exhausted -- that when we have to turn down a request to take on volunteer work, he should not take it personally, that our plate is just full."

I heard from an overwhelming number who were hurting, who could never tell their pastors what they had done or gone through (such as an abortion). (A pastor) needs to know who he is preaching to. A pastor needs to know who is sitting out there, her problems and hurts. There are women who will not come face to face and tell their pastors because they're embarrassed or ashamed.

(With 50 percent of first marriages and many second marriages ending in divorce and many married women attending church by themselves), many women describe themselves as church widows. They feel like they are second-class citizens.

Q: Did women in churches with female pastors feel any differently?

A: I wanted this book to be for an entirely male pastor audience (so her survey didn't attempt to isolate churches with female pastors). Ninety-five percent of pastors are male, anyway.

Q: Does the hesitancy of women in talking to their pastor relate to an older, traditional view of women feeling subservient to men?

A: Women need counseling in the church -- by a woman counselor. Women, according to surveys, do not feel free talking to male pastors, counselors or church leaders. A man cannot understand women's problems like another woman can. How is a man going to understand postpartum depression? Women will want to talk (out a problem); a man usually will want to find solutions. Men want to fix it; women want a listening ear. Churches need to have more support groups where women can get together and minister to each other. (The biblical book of) Titus talks about it. Women can help minister or mentor or shepherd each other. Women need women.

Q: Are the things women wish their pastors knew any different than what they want their husbands or friends to know?

A: I guess so. I've never really thought about that. Women put the pastor up on a pedestal because he is their spiritual leader. He's got the "pipeline" to God, many women think. They're receiving preaching and teaching or spiritual nourishment from him. The pastor is the shepherd of the lambs. Women greatly respect and love their pastors. They feel great affinity for them.

Q: Is it necessary to address this subject now more than ever because women are increasingly more involved than men in churches?

A: The church needs to take a look at women as a great source of intelligent workers. Women can get things done. Women are in corporate life, are heads of banks and heads of businesses, yet some women wrote to me -- like a bank president -- and said her church would not let her serve on the budget committee. As much as I heard that, I also heard the opposite. As many as said women should be in leadership roles thought they should not be. I handled that very carefully; it's a can of worms. But women are preaching and pastoring, so I couldn't leave it out. I just kept reminding (readers) I was the messenger of what was put on surveys.

I also was interested that they wanted their pastor to put them in the work of the church within their spiritual giftedness. (Sometimes when they're not in those positions), they fail and end up leaving the church. When you put the right women in the right job, they're a powerhouse.

Q: What, if any, are quick fixes pastors can make to address these needs?

A: I've never talked to a pastor who knew what to do when he talks to a woman with a husband "beating me up." In the past, (the women) have been told they're not submissive enough or they need to give him more sex. Or (after learning of the abuse, the pastor) will counsel a couple together. Sometimes, she ends up dead. I give very practical advice about taking the woman out of the situation to a safe house, about getting her help financially, about helping her husband get help. Until (the husband) is cured, a woman (should) not go back. A pastor also needs to know signs (of abuse) everybody else would miss: heavy makeup to cover bruises, long-sleeved clothes out of season to cover bruises, that she always has to get home right away, that she can't have friends in the home. (A pastor) can discern the problems, know what to look for.

Q: Could there be an equally important book, "What Men Wish Their Pastors Knew?"

A: I'm sure, but it's going to take a male to write that book. I'm currently working on another book, "What Pastors Wish Their Church Members Knew."

E-mail Clint Cooper at ccooper@timesfreepress.com