When you’ve experienced church abuse, or any significant loss, it’s easy to get stuck in a form of exile where you feel lost and disoriented. This post offers a brief roadmap to help people find the path to recovery.

The recent upheaval in Daystar Ministries has caused people to question how we hear the voice of God and the role of spiritual oversight. In this post I offer an alternative view to what is often too quickly accepted as truth.

Abusive church leaders misuse Matthew 18 to silence victims. Learn why it may not apply to pastors and what you can do instead.

This is my second post with some of the questions and answers from when I was interviewed by Christy Boulware for her podcast. We looked at spiritual abuse and women in ministry.

I join Christy Boulware on her podcast to kick off her new series on “Resilience in the Pews: Tackling Anxiety and Church Wounds. In this post I answer a few of the questions that she posed to me about spiritual abuse.

People can easily find themselves caught in the web of a spiritually abusive church. How does that happen? And how can you prevent that from happening again? This post offers practical steps that you can take to protect yourself by setting boundaries.

Many people suffer from spiritual abuse in toxic churches. But they often struggle to leave. Why is that? Here are ten reasons why people fail to leave a toxic church.

Spiritually toxic leaders often weaponize the accusation of gossip to shut down complaints. But what does the Bible say about gossip? Accusing someone of gossip is often a tactic of spiritual abuse.

How do you create a culture that genuinely attracts people to your church community? This post delves into the essential elements—the “secret sauce”—that encourages individuals not only to visit but also to feel welcomed and motivated to return regularly.

When you leave a spiritually abusive church or organization, you are leaving behind friends as well. How do you handle that?

Churches that spiritually abuse people often share several common characteristics. This post lists six key traits outlined in the book, Churches that Abuse, which will help you to identify these harmful patterns.

If toxic pastors are so bad, why are they so rarely confronted? Here are ten reasons people fail at confronting an abusive pastor. See if you can relate.

After being abused spiritually, some people give up on church. Others dive right back into church. Before you return to church there are a few things to consider.

You are a leader in your church and spiritual abuse has just been exposed. What do you do? How do you “clean house” and get your church back on track? This post offers you a guide for the process.

When a church can admit that they have been abusive, they need to eradicate it from the roots. Any remaining scent of abuse will be quickly picked up by people who have experienced an abusive church.

It’s hard to admit to abuse. It’s tempting to minimize it. But when a church or pastor is found to be spiritually abusive it needs to be exposed. Don’t minimize spiritual abuse.

When you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, it can be so devastating you may not feel like you will ever recover. But God is faithful. He can renew your spirit if you give him the opportunity. This post will give you some direction to let that happen.

Sometimes a checklist is necessary to confirm what we think is true. Here is a 20 point spiritual abuse checklist to help you determine if you are in a spiritually abusive church or organization.

The church is supposed to be a blessing to the world. A pastor should be the greatest champion of grace and truth. There is nothing more perverse and distorted than a toxic pastor. Learn how to confront an abusive pastor.

Insecurity often serves as a hidden motivator that drives many individuals to seek positions of leadership, including roles within the ministry. But what are some of the toxic characteristics that commonly appear in pastors struggling with insecurity? This article highlights twelve key traits that can negatively impact their leadership and the health of their congregations.