Wounds We Carry

The Wounds We Carry: Stories of Harm and Healing in the Church is a narrative exploration of the lasting spiritual and emotional wounds created within faith communities and the difficult journey toward healing and repair. Through stories drawn from ministry, pastoral care, congregational life, and lived experience, the book examines how betrayal, exclusion, silence, spiritual abuse, and institutional self-protection can leave deep moral and spiritual scars on individuals and communities alike. Rather than offering easy answers or simplistic resolutions, the book creates space for honest reflection, lament, accountability, and hope. It gives language to experiences many people have struggled to name while also exploring how compassion, truth-telling, confession, and faithful presence can open pathways toward healing. The purpose of the book is to help readers understand that wounds carried within the church are real and significant, but they do not have to be the final word. Written for clergy, caregivers, church leaders, and wounded believers alike, this book invites the church to confront harm truthfully while still holding open the possibility of grace, restoration, and renewed trust.