I would advise you read a few books that will help during the difficult transition. Recovering from Churches that Abuse by Ron Enroth, Healing Spiritual Abuse by Ken Blue, and The Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll. Often, there is a lot of hurt and bitterness. These books can help you overcome the pain and keep from becoming a bitter individual.

Second, I would advise you join a support group from a good church. There are very few support groups for spiritually abused victims but if you can find one, great. If not, a group to share your experience and pray with is a great help.

Third, many abused victoms want to inform members who remain at the abusive church. This can be very frustrating and time consuming. I do not recomend spending a lot of your energy doing this. It is best to leave it all behind and begin a new chapter in your life.

Finally, enjoy your new freedom. Visit churches and fellowships. You will realize that the body of Christ is a lot bigger than you can imagine and this is refreshing to see. In the process, you will meet a lot of neat Christians who may become your new family in Christ.

Patrick Zukeran

© 2005 Probe Ministries

About the Author

Patrick Zukeran is a research associate with Probe Ministries. He has a B.A. from Point Loma Nazarene University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is an author, radio talk show host, and a national and international speaker on apologetics, comparative religions, Bible, and theology. Pat hosts a nationally syndicated radio show “Evidence and Answers” (www.evidenceandanswers.org) which also airs throughout Asia. Before joining Probe, Pat served for twelve years as an Associate Pastor. He can be reached via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Pat currently resides in Plano, Texas.

What is Probe?

Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site at www.probe.org.

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