36. Been Hurt by the Church? Now What?

Sadly, this is a subject I am hearing more and more of lately. People who have either been hurt by the Church or by other Christians. It's one I wish wasn't a part of my story, but it is. You may know someone who also has this as a part of his or her story, and quite possibly that person you know is you. I hope that's not the case, but if it is, I think you're in good company. How do we deal with this kind of hurt? What do we do as we try to make sense of it all? Well, in this episode I share a piece of my story, what I did, and what I'm currently doing to heal. We can find hope and healing, even through this kind of hurt.

Hurt. We’ve all experienced it, right?

We each are familiar with the pain of hurt and heartache. You and I understand the strain and suffering that accompanies a heart wound. We also know it's not the easiest to maneuver through gracefully and gratefully.

Especially when it happens in the Church. (By the Church, I mean the people who make up the Body of Christ, who may or may not be in an organized church building.) What do we do when we've been hurt by the Church?

I find it interesting how often I meet people who have been hurt by the Church. I hear snippets of stories in conversations and painful testimonies of the real-life heartbreak some have experienced in their churches. From others, who like they, love Jesus.

I’ve heard this group of people be described as the “walking wounded,” or “church damaged.” I don’t particularly care for these descriptions, but they may be the most appropriate. Can we come up with something better though? These are people just like you and me, and they’ve experienced something personally through the Church to cause them pain and heartache.

How do I know? Because I am one of these people. I have been hurt by the Church.

And I often unintentionally run into others who fall into this group.

I am continually reminded the Church is comprised of broken people, just as the world is. And I may be the most broken of them all. God uses these broken people to relate to and to reach other broken people. So, the Church is filled with those who sin, who are imperfect, flawed, dysfunctional, and wounded. Who make mistakes, say unkind words, and do unkind things. Both intentionally and unintentionally. So, understandably, wreckage can take place in the Church, just as it can in the world around us.

We discuss this more in this week's episode. I share about not knowing when I walked away from the Church if I would ever return again. But the thing is, God didn't leave me in my hurt. And He won't in yours either.

I pray this episode encourages you if you've been hurt by the Church. And if you haven't, feel free to pass this on to someone you know who has. I'm glad we're in this together, friend. God bless you!

Links in this episode:

• 1 Corinthians 12:24b-26 VOICE
• Colossians 3:12-17 MSG
• Encouragement for Real Life Community on Facebook
• Bring Your Own Bible and Bestie May 2 evening of encouragement for women