The Best of Dr. Butler's Show (POD) When Pastors are Hurt in the Church

When Pastors are Hurt in the Church

The are 1500 pastors that leave the ministry a month. This topic is critical for the church and leadership. Every week I talk with someone who tells me they have been "hurt by the Church." Every time I hear these words, my heart breaks because I know exactly what they mean—and exactly what they don’t mean.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We trusted and loved these people and believed that they trusted and loved us. They invested in us, and we invested in them. We were serving side by side in a local church. Then it was all suddenly gone.

I was effectively told I was not worth it and that I was no longer needed or wanted. I will never forget standing in my kitchen that morning, telling my wife about all that happened as we cried bitter tears together.

When someone tells me, “I was hurt by the Church,” I know exactly what they mean. I have been hurt too. However, I also know what they don’t mean.

I believe to speak of being hurt by “the Church” is a safe way of speaking about our pain. It allows us to keep a safe distance from the events that have wounded us—because "the Church" is a faceless thing.