Healing The Soul of The Church: Ministers Facing Their Own Childhood Abuse and Trauma

This work addresses the fact that a number clergy and religious suffer from the effects of untreated childhood abuse, as well as trauma experienced in adult ministries, e.g., in the missions or inner city. Repeated studies have shown that one in three women and on in six men claim some form of sexual abuse experienced before the age of eighteen. Church ministers are not excluded from these statistics. Similarly these figures say nothing about the prevalence of physical and emotional abuse, as well as trauma experienced in adulthood, that exists in the backgrounds of some ministers. Part I contains a comprehensive overview of psychological trauma. Part II examines the impact unresolved trauma has on all facets of clerical and religious life. The relationship of unresolved abuse and trauma to sexual misconduct, paedophilia, addiction, co-dependency, perfectionism, intimacy, and community life are examined. A chapter on trauma and missionary life is included, as is a detailed appendix documenting the symptomatic profile of a trauma victim across all levels of development (i.e., from childhood to adulthood).“Healing the Soul of the Church” addresses a painful and sensitive subject. It offers hope, insight and direction to minsters suffering from the debilitating effects of unresolved childhood abuse and /or trauma. It is required reading for anyone concerned about healing today’s church.
Cost $25.00