Hurt by Church

My role as Pastor has me meeting many people. On one level this is quite humorous, at least to my wife.  While dating in College, I was not a people person, and had to be coaxed into talking to others. She reminds me how I told her mother, that all I wanted in life was to be left to myself in a room full of books...!

Now I find myself continually with others, but honestly, most of my meetings are spent listening. For whatever reason most of the stories that I have recently heard involve people being hurt by Church.

A profound sadness comes over me after hearing these stories.  Seeing the heartbreak and the pain of others -at the hands of those who should know better- is both difficult to hear and to process. Following Christ is difficult enough, but to feel sabotaged by fellow Christ-followers - often leaves us broken.

Why is this?  Does your past church experience involve heartache and difficulty?

I'm closing in on 20 years in full-time vocational ministry and have observed a few sources of pain and heartache:
-Leaders whose insecurities guide their actions
-Followers who project too much authority to their pastors
-Leadership Teams who fail to ask the tough questions
-Pastors who use their power for personal gain
-Pastors who fail to serve in ways that humble themselves
-Members who view others through the lens of their past hurts

So my plea to you is this, if you have been hurt by Church...
-Please give it another try
-Realize that your pastor and those around you often carry wounds
-Understand that the joy of a solid community can negate the pain of past hurts
-Affirm that at some point you too may have hurt another person