Every church deals with personality conflicts and intermittent discord. But in some churches, what should be normal clashes has become a devastating form of abuse-pastoral abuse. A growing phenomenon that cuts across denominational lines and impacts every level of ministry, pastoral abuse leaves in its wake thousands of wounded clergymen with ruined ministries, broken relationships, damaged health, even shattered faith. The Wounded Minister: Healing for Abused Clergy, written by a clinically trained pastoral counselor, examines the reality of evil in churches and the ways in which "pathological antagonists" emotionally and spiritually batter pastors. A deft mix of personal experience and in-depth research, this resource will help wounded men and women of all ministerial positions learn how to recover their broken hearts while rebuilding their lives. And as preventative medicine, it also provides guidelines on how spiritually sensitive Christians can develop a church structure that protects their pastors from this tragedy. Both compassionate and proactive, this book is an excellent resource for hurting pastors as well as lay leadership pursuing healthy church life.

Wounded Minister: Reflections of a Former Pastor is the story of power, politics, and the pains of pastoring the local church. From ashes to gold, a church is brought out from the wilderness of spiritual darkness to the promise land of knowledge and wisdom only to reject and despise God at the expense of hurt, hatred, and raising hell with the pastor, parishioners, and the powers that be. Dr. Eric O. Rogers, Pastor-Teacher and University Professor, explores and examines the causes and chaos of disobedience in the face of God's love, mercy, and grace. Healing is progressive and Rogers begins the journey of a thousand miles through headache, heartache, hell, and high water to joy unspeakable and peace that surpasses all understanding. Despite the foolishness and folly of church members, Rogers emerges to proclaim forgiveness and healing through God's word.

Wounds can heal with time, but healed wounds always leave scars, reminding the person of the wound. Deep, extensive, or infected wounds may not heal on their own and require surgical removal of damaged skin and tissue. Reconstructive surgery can be done, bringing in new tissue or skin, resulting in a modified or renewed appearance. Yet, even with the best surgery, a faint scar will be detectable. Scientific research has yet to find a way of complete wound healing or tissue regeneration without leaving a scar. God in His infinite wisdom designed the human body in this way for a reason. Similarly, healed emotional wounds also leave scars, as shown in this book. Often in this life, the past gets in the way of the future. Deep emotional scars can be difficult to deal with. However, unless the root cause is dealt with or removed, true progress cannot be made.

A radically fresh interpretation of how we can best serve others from the bestselling author of The Return of the Prodigal Son, hailed as “one of the world’s greatest spiritual writers” by Christianity Today “In our own woundedness, we can become a source of life for others.” In this hope-filled and profoundly simple book, Henri Nouwen inspires devoted men and women who want to be of service in their church or community but who have found traditional outreach alienating and ineffective. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen presents a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental woundedness in human nature. According to Nouwen, ministers are called to identify the suffering in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. Ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional, somewhat aloof roles and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering as those they serve. In other words, we heal from our wounds. The Wounded Healer is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others.

The world is seriously wounded threatened by violence egocentricity and mass consumerism. Government intervention alone will never solve society's problems. We need personal responsibility and healing on a global scale. This carefully researched book skillfully weaves science and spirituality with philosophy and ancient wisdom using potent imagery of the Wounded Healer embodied in the life of Jesus Christ the story of the healing centaur Chiron and the work of the indigenous shaman. Through suffering his own physical and mental wounds the Wounded Healer acquires a special empathy for recognizing and healing the wounds of others. This book is full of hope as it speaks to a palpable global shift towards holistic and spiritual values. Through the healing needs of relationship our economy our environment and the living Gaia and finally the curing professions of pastoral and medical care it shows how we may all become catalysts for social change for a happier and more peaceful world.

The Wounded and the Wounder is an absolute must-read for anyone who has ever been rejected, abandoned, wounded, or betrayed. In this book, author Pamela Kacys boldly shares the uncomfortable truth that no one really wants to admitweve all been wounded. However, weve also wounded others at one time or another. This insightful book will help those who have been wounded see that they are neither unlovely nor unlovable, even though they have suffered pain.

Statistics from George Barna Research Group reveal that twenty-five to thirty million adults stay away from the Christian church because of hurtful treatment experienced at the hands of the body of Christ. Having gone through several church hurts himself, the author has written this book to be a practice guide on how to be restored, renewed and healed from church inflicted wounds so that one’s relationship to God is joyous and fruitful. From his own experience and documented research through surveys to pastor’s, church members and non-church goers, the author provides a training manual that churches and church leaders can use to reach and restore church members to a healthy relationship with God and His church. We all want the church to be a place where we can go to worship God with freedom and joy. We all want to be encouraged to grow in our faith and walk with Christ. We all want a place where we find joy in serving others, a place of safety and unconditional love. No one wants to be part of a church that acts like the world, treating people with judgment, condemnation, lack of ompassion and love. Church wounds happen but God is a restorer of the broken hearted. God is the great healer of our pain and disappointment. The author believes that if one takes the steps outlined in the book, there will be renewal and restoration. If churches reach out to those who have been wounded in the way outlined in this book, many will come back into fellowship with the Lord and His church.