Hope after Church Hurt: How to Heal, Reengage, and Rediscover God's Heart for You

by Joe Dobbins, Samuel Rodriguez (Foreword by)

Overview

The people of God hurt you—but the heart of God is to heal you.

Written for anyone 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 eight unique types of church hurt—and how to heal from them.

Having helped thousands move from anger, distrust, apathy, and heartache to safely reengaging 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
· release your pain and reframe your story
· find the courage to reengage in a faith community
· protect yourself in the future

The pain of church hurt is real. But so is the hope of healing—and that healing can begin today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800772642
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/18/2024
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,064,897
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Joe Dobbins is the lead pastor of Twin Rivers Church. A popular speaker, leadership coach, and strategic thinker, he serves on multiple executive boards for global ministries and universities. He and his wife, Kayla, have five children and live in St. Louis, Missouri. Learn more at JoeDobbins.org.

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2024

Pastor Dobbins debuts with an ill-considered guide for Christians who’ve endured sexual abuse, judgment and exclusion from pewmates, and other forms of “church hurt.” Though he acknowledges that “the place that should be known for lifting burdens is too often known for adding to them,” Dobbins generally recommends staying within the church rather than leaving it (“Asking God to move in your life without is like asking a carpenter to build without a hammer or a surgeon to heal without a scalpel”). He offers advice for retaining faith amid crisis, harnessing “God’s Spirit” to forgive offenders when appropriate, and remembering that God has a plan (sexual abuse survivors are assured they’ve reached a “crucial turning point where testimony is being shaped by God”). Despite the author’s positive intentions, the offensive tone, dizzying lack of nuance (he conflates the shame he felt after seeing pornography with the trauma of those who have endured “physical, violent, or even criminal” sexual abuse), and frequent contradictions (after devoting a chapter to encouraging readers to “stay planted” at their current church community, Dobbins writes that “the change we need is another church”) make this more of a harm than a help. Christians will be best off giving it a wide berth. (June)

Publishers Weekly