Church Hurt

 Three questions

1. What is the church?
2. What is church hurt?
3. What do I need to do now?

Before thinking about church hurt, we must think about the question...
what is the church?

The Bible uses images like the body (1 Corinthians 12:12 - 31), the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22 - 24), and the family (1 Timothy 3:15).  Each of these images reference the importance of relationship.  Relationship with God and relationships with other believers. Ephesians 4:11 - 16 builds upon the reality of relationships as Paul writes about building one another up, "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God," growing up together into Jesus Christ as a body grows. 

The following statement is on tbcgr.org, our church website.

The church was not designed for your entertainment and consumption.  It is meant for the glorification of God (worship of God) and the edification of believers (building one another up).

"A group of Christians who assemble as an earthly embassy of Christ's heavenly kingdom to affirm one another as his citizens through ordinances, to proclaim the good news and commands of Christ, to display God's own holiness, and love through a unified and diverse people in all the world, following the teaching and example of [godly] elders."  Rediscover the Church

Now that we have a better understanding of what the church is, let's look at the next question what is church hurt?  

Church hurt is "pain that happens in the context of spiritual community through pastors, leaders, members, systems, and even theology used and applied wrong."  As it is talked about today, church hurt could be anything from unmet expectations to physical abuse and everything in between.

There are at least two things that make church hurt especially hard.  

1. The church needs to be working glorifying God more and more and church hurt isn't church members glorifying God.
2. Deep personal relationships that are broken cause pain.  "The closer the relationship, the greater the potential not only for joy but also for sorrow."  Donald Miller, What if I've Been Hurt by My Church?

A difficult but important lesson to learn about growth is that it happens in the midst of pain and hurt.  God uses suffering and hard relationships to help us grow spiritually.

Often, but not always, church hurt is rooted in disillusionment. 

Someone begins attending a church to make friends, but it doesn't happen.
A person whom you trusted to do the right thing didn't do the right thing.
The church should be a safe place, and yet you read about, or even have experienced, physical or sexual abuse at a church.
And there are many other examples.

Final what do I need to do to fight against church hurt in my life and in the lives of others.

• Resist the temptation to turn disappointment into opportunities for sin.
• Prepare for inevitable hurt.
• Be sure to fight against bitterness and church hurt in your life.

In Praying with Paul D.A. Carson writes...

"There is no prayer for others more fundamental this:  that God might strengthen their hearts so that they will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father on the last day."