If you’ve ever been hurt by the church, I’d like to speak to you. It’s easy to be disillusioned when hearing about a unified, sanctified, heavenly embassy, if your experience of a Christian church is the opposite. Unholy division and even abuse at the hands of Christian leaders is an all too common occurrence. With the rise of social media, it’s a problem we are becoming increasingly aware of. For some people, the last place on earth they want to be is in a church because of some horrible experience they’ve had there. If that doesn’t describe you, there’s a good chance it describes someone close to you. Is there any hope?
Individual churches, if they depart from the gospel, will degenerate and eventually die. In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave a series of warnings to local congregations that were straying from the truth (Rev. 2:1-3:22) and in danger of being discarded (Rev. 2:5). Paul told the Galatians that they were turning away from the gospel and near to being severed from Christ because of their unbelief (Gal. 1:6; 5:4). The fact is, individual churches can fail and may have even failed you. This doesn’t mean that Jesus is through with the church as a whole, though.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised that he would build his church and that the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail against it. One day he is going to present the church to himself as a beautifully adorned bride (Eph. 5:27). What this means is that Jesus isn’t done with the church, and you shouldn’t be either. Others may not be able to understand the depths of your pain, but Jesus can.
When Jesus was on earth, religious authorities constantly mistreated him. They mocked his mother, suggesting that she slept around (Jn. 8:41); accused him of performing his miracles by the power of Satan (Mt. 12:24); ridiculed the company he kept (Mt. 11:19); lied about him (Mk. 14:57–58); and condemned him (Mk. 14:64). When Jesus was at his most vulnerable point, shamefully crucified, the religious leaders continued mocking him. “He saved others; he cannot save himself!” (Mk. 15:31). No person has endured more violent abuse at the hands of “church leaders” than Jesus did, and because of that he can comfort you like no one else can. Other people may be unaware of what you’ve had to endure, but Jesus isn’t. He has wounds, too (Rev. 5:6), and promises that through his suffering you can find healing (Isa. 53:5).
The Lord who was crucified at the hands of organized religion didn’t abandon organized religion but bled to give life to his church. Of course, if you’re in an abusive church where leadership uses its power to coerce, intimidate, or take advantage of you and others, it’s time to leave. True shepherds are servants who model Christ’s love and affection for the sheep. False shepherds use and abuse the flock (Eze. 34). But Christ the chief shepherd raises up true shepherds to care for his people (Eph. 4:11). Get plugged into a church where the word is faithfully taught, where the ordinances of Jesus are administered properly, and where everyone including the leadership is subject to the church’s care and discipline. Proper accountability provides safety for everyone, and healthy churches are a blessing from God. If you’ve been wounded by one church, don’t give up on the church altogether. So long as Christ is her midst, the church can always have hope.
