Church Hurt

If you’ve been part of a church, you have probably suffered a “church hurt”—or know someone who has. Maybe the pastor had an affair or the congregation fought over money or the leaders were disguising gossip as “prayer.” Stephen Mansfield knows how it feels. Though he is now a New York Times bestselling author, he was a pastor for more than 20 years, and he loved it—until he learned how much a church can hurt. Yet he also learned how to dig out of that hurt, break through the bitterness and anger, stop making excuses, and get back to where he ought to be with God and his people. If you’re ready to choose the tough path to healing, Mansfield will walk you through it with brotherly love, showing you how you can be better than ever on the other side of this mess—if you’re willing to start Healing Your Church Hurt. Previously published as ReChurch.

The body of Christ is full of people who have been wounded by Christians or the church. Author Dr. Angela Corprew-Boyd helps the hurting recognize they are not alone and provides them with wisdom and knowledge to reach out to Christ and receive deliverance from wounds that have made them bitter, resentful, and less effective in ministry. Church leaders and laypeople will benefit from Dr. Corprew-Boyd’s testimony and teaching. Once crippled by wounds inflicted by her pastor and trusted members of her church family, the author describes how she found healing and offers words of comfort and practical advice for readers grappling with their own church hurt. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledgement, reaching out to God, and, finally, forgiveness of others and oneself. Her message serves as a crucial reminder that there is hope for the future in spite of what our adversaries have said and done. Topics covered include the many possible sources of church hurt, how to recognize when a wound is still open, how woundedness can be transferred to church members, and the process of healing.

When a low-income person asks your church for help, what do you do next? God is extraordinarily generous, and our churches should be, too. Because poverty is complex, however, helping low-income people often requires going beyond meeting their material needs to holistically addressing the roots of their poverty. But on a practical level, how do you move forward in walking with someone who approaches your church for financial help? From the authors of When Helping Hurts comes Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence, a guidebook for church staff, deacons, or volunteers who work with low-income people. Short and to the point, this tool provides foundational principles for poverty alleviation and then addresses practical matters, like: How to structure and focus your benevolence work How to respond to immediate needs while pursuing long-term solutions How to mobilize your church to walk with low-income people With practical stories, forms, and tools for churches to use, Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence is an all-in-one guide for church leaders and laypeople who want to help the poor in ways that lead to lasting change.

Are we looking mostly to please God or ourselves? The myth of Narcissus describes a young man who dies because he falls in love with his own reflection. When surrounded by the Narcissistic messages of contemporary society¿¿you¿ve got to believe in yourself!¿¿we need to listen to a Bible teacher from a past age who can drag us back to reflecting less on ourselves and more on God. Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the greatest of all American Bible teachers, was so God-centered. In The God-Centered Life, Dr. Josh Moody calls us to listen to Edwards in order that we might stop living for ourselves and start living ¿the God-centered life.¿ How to do church, teach the Bible, have a healthy family, deal with failure, engage postmodernism, assess spiritual experiences and more are envisioned through the eyes of Jonathan Edwards with freshness and accessibility. A study guide is included and further resources can be found at . Josh Moody (PhD, University of Cambridge) is Senior Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, New Haven, Connecticut, serving the Yale community and surrounding New England region. He is also the author of Authentic Spirituality and Jonathan Edwards and the Enlightenment. ¿The God-Centered Life is a graced prescription for truly engaging today¿s culture....¿ ¿ R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church in Wheaton ¿Tremendous. Extremely well-written. It will be a blessing for many.... I heartily commend this work as a timely and valuable resource....¿ ¿ David S. Dockery, President, Union University ¿Josh Moody is uniquely qualified to bring the reader along the path of a greater joy of knowing God and loving God through a person whose life was ablaze for this Triune God of glory and grace.¿ ¿ Paul Lim, Assistant Professor of the History of Christianity, Vanderbilt University ¿Potent, thoughtful, and constructive....¿ ¿ R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary ¿At last, someone who stands in the tradition of Edwards as a pastor-scholar, interpreting and applying the lessons from Jonathan Edwards for today....¿ ¿ E. David Cook, Holmes Professor, Wheaton College, Fellow, Green College, Oxford ¿I recommend this book most highly, praying that Josh Moody¿s labors will encourage the kinds of `Edwards influenced¿ lives and congregations that our world so desperately needs....¿ ¿ Douglas A. Sweeney, Associate Professor of Church History, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Josh Moody (PhD, University of Cambridge) is Senior Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, New Haven, Connecticut, serving the Yale community and surrounding New England region. He is also the author of Authentic Spirituality and Jonathan Edwards and the Enlightenment.

As a Doctor of Theology and of healing souls, spiritual adviser, and book author, God, has given me his revelation of spiritual healing and wisdom, to share in my powerful book, to many people of different races and nationalities, how to cope with and deal with rejection, betrayal, and trust issues, from people who may have wronged an individual on purpose or in error, in the church world or in life. My book will offer guidance and understanding to each reader of God's standards of holiness and righteousness in Christianity, from the King James Version Holy Bible, and the Amplified Version, which is the final instruction, direction, authority, and comfort, for all people to live by, when people error, in their relationship with God and others, in the church world. Furthermore, my revolutionary book, is a Voice of Legacy, for many generations, seeking hope, and healing, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, from the many challenges in the church and in the world today. What's more, my book will bring courage and guidance to people who are afraid to express their concerns or hurts from their negative experiences in some churches from the wrong leadership, that need to be redirected and counseled in a good church, by the right leaders, who live true to the Word of God, from the Bible, publicly and privately in their lives. More importantly, each reader will understand, when people personally fail others, from an act of sin, God is always there to forgive, and will never fail anyone, and God can heal the brokenhearted and redeem anyone from any problem in one's life. Finally, this life changing book will liberate many souls to live for God, people that once struggled with feeling helpless or ashamed about their lives. These souls will turn to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost and be comforted in God's healing and peace. There will also be some, who will continue to be empowered, to continue their relationship with God, and to forgive and pray for those, who had hurt them, while enjoying to live the life of Christianity, in God's peace. While others will continue to grow tremendously in God, as they continue to enjoy the blessed lifestyle of Christianity living in God's peace well.

"Church hurt" is a cultural crisis that headlines news stories, fuels documentaries, and trends on social media. Millions of people have endured this unique pain, have disengaged to some measure, and are searching for a way to heal. Written for any believer wounded in a place of worship, and unsure how to move forward in their faith, this powerful book is an insightful and honest guide into the 9 unique types of church hurt and how to heal from them. Having helped thousands move from anger, distrust, apathy, and heartache to safely re-engaging in their faith--and local church--Pastor Joe Dobbins offers compassion, wisdom, and practical advice to help you · understand why church hurt is so potent and hard to address · break free from bad beliefs, self-defeating patterns, and cycles of pain · discover the way to inner healing and find hope to move forward · release your pain and reframe your story · re-engage in a faith community and protect yourself in the future Even though the people of God hurt you, the heart of God is to heal you--and that healing can begin today!

Previously published as: ReChurch: healing your way back to the people of God.

This book will help examine the issue of hurt caused by people within the church. Additionally, it will provide some understanding to why it is necessary that the true believer hold fast to their faith and their God-given assignments. There is a purpose behind the madness of church-hurt.