Home of Encounters Ministries International

We have been directed by our hearts to make this website a safe place for victims of spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse does not respect religious or denominational boundaries. Recovery also knows no boundaries.

While there are many websites on the Internet devoted to spiritual abuse, very few of them focus on recovery. Sandy and I are deeply devoted to providing "a way out" from spiritually abusive scenario's within the Body of Christ.

If you are not sure that you are now or were previously involved in a spiritually abusive situation, feel free to take our Spiritual Abuse Survey. This brief survey will help you determine if your church, sect, or group is a safe place. If you already know that you are/were involved in a spiritually abusive situation, feel free to browse through the resources here to help you begin or further your recovery process.

We believe that recovery from abuse of any kind is not a one-time event, but rather, a process. It is our desire that this website will help you on your road to recovery from church abuse.

Causes and Symptoms

Spiritual abuse is likely to happen when:

	Leadership puts out the directives or commands and always expects to be obeyed without question.
	Leadership makes it clear that they answer to God and are accountable to God alone and therefore, strongly and cruely reacts to being questioned, corrected, or contradicted.
	Leadership and promotion is based on hierarchical authority rather than faithfullness and good stewardship.
	Leadership is never shared and proper delegation is rarely, if ever, practiced.
	Leadership almost always micro-manages everything and everyone.
	Leadership expects everyone on staff to agree with him/her without rebuttle or question.
	Leadership demands being called by a certain title "Anointed Pastor", "Bishop", etc., rather than being a servant leader and puts down or even rebukes those who refer to him/her in any other way than the assigned title.
	Both staff and congregation are afraid to make their disagreements known.
	People would really like to implement a program or plan in a different way, but are afraid of how the person in authority would react.
	People never share their different opinions for fear of being put down.

	Please feel free to email us your story so we can add you to our prayer list and call your name out before the Lord and agree with you in prayer for a full recovery and re-entry into God's fullness of joy!