Peace and justice ministries challenge violence, prejudice, intolerance, and racism in the church and the community wherever they exist. South Carolina ranks #6 in the nation for the number of women killed per capita by abusive men. Charleston and Horry Counties rank #1 and #2, respectively, in South Carolina for the number of reported incidents of domestic violence per capita. There are nine shelters for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in South Carolina. Annually, one third of the 15,000 victims of domestic violence in South Carolina find space in these shelters. The shelters answer about 35,000 hotline calls each year.

Peace ministries care for victims of domestic violence and/or sexual (gender) assault by: (a) providing emergency and/or transitional housing, food, clothing, and health care; (b) exploring ways to address the suffering, survival, and resistance to violence; and (c) working with groups to overcome interpersonal, collective, physical, psychological, gender, sexual, and deprivation violence.

Peace ministries also seek to work with churches, organizations, and networks to: (a) prevent and overcome interpersonal, collective, psychological, sexual, and deprivation violence; (b) resolve civil and/or regional conflicts; and (c) renounce the use of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction through arms nonproliferation, reduction, and disarmament.

Social justice and economic justice ministries work with local churches, financial institutions, private businesses, and governments to encourage loans to projects to benefit poor and marginalized people, for such purposes as low cost housing, small-business development, childcare programs, or establishing credit unions.

They also analyze and monitor church investment portfolios to ensure that the invested companies have a good track record on the environment, equality in the workplace, arms contractors ethical criteria, health concerns, and bank lending practices to minorities. Such socially responsible funds (SRIs) include the: Winslow Green Growth Fund (WGGFX), Calvert Group, Ave Maria Funds, New Covenant Funds, MMA Praxis International (MRIAX), and Domini Social Investments.