Welcome to the website! Hopefully you find it informative, instructional and healing!
Mariners Church seems to have lost their identity as a nurturing local congregation and appears to be changing into a media brand, all the while neglecting its attendees. It wasn't that long ago that the whole weekend volunteer team became disillusioned and walked off. They've had close to a dozen staff leave the preschool over toxic leadership (allegedly). Elders and long term volunteers are leaving. Long standing bible studies and communities of people were kicked off campus. Too many good men and women are getting cancelled, silenced and pushed out of the congregation. This megachurch has become a mega bummer for many people. In its wake, Mariners Church has broken communities of believers and damaged hearts strewn all over the place. Has their pride overwhelmed their ability to love their church family well?
This site is for you to share your voice! You don't have to feel run over by Mariners anymore. If you have experienced behavior that doesn't fall in line with Matt 22:37-40, you are invited to share your story here. Many know how damaging and hurtful this unkind, toxic and abusive behavior can be. Tell Your Story! People Do Care About You!
If you want to see our church abuse resource page CLICK HERE
Mariners Church seems to have lost their identity as a nurturing local congregation and appears to be changing into a media brand, all the while neglecting its attendees. It wasn't that long ago that the whole weekend volunteer team became disillusioned and walked off. They've had close to a dozen staff leave the preschool over toxic leadership (allegedly). Elders and long term volunteers are leaving. Long standing bible studies and communities of people were kicked off campus. Too many good men and women are getting cancelled, silenced and pushed out of the congregation. This megachurch has become a mega bummer for many people. In its wake, Mariners Church has broken communities of believers and damaged hearts strewn all over the place. Has their pride overwhelmed their ability to love their church family well?
This site is for you to share your voice! You don't have to feel run over by Mariners anymore. If you have experienced behavior that doesn't fall in line with Matt 22:37-40, you are invited to share your story here. Many know how damaging and hurtful this unkind, toxic and abusive behavior can be. Tell Your Story! People Do Care About You!
If you want to see our church abuse resource page CLICK HERE
Resource Information
Table of Contents
In short, spiritual abuse is more widespread than we think. Not only is it more widespread than we think, it is also more damaging than we think.
https://www.michaeljkruger.com/bully-pulpit-a-new-series-on-the-rising-problem-of-spiritual-abuse-in-the-church/
"Bully Pulpit: A New Series on the Rising Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church - Canon Fodder"
"Scut Farkus. When it comes to movie bullies, perhaps he is one of the most famous. In the classic film A Christmas Story (1983), the red-headed Scut—wearing a coonskin cap and flanked by his shorter partner in crime, Grover Dill—would often torment young Ralphie and his brother on the way home from school. The reason […]"
A classic, defining mark of an abusive pastor is a long track record of broken relationships. On top of this, abusive pastors often have unresolved conflict. They are typically estranged from many of the people they used to work with.
http://www.michaeljkruger.com/key-signs-of-an-abusive-pastor-1-a-long-track-record-of-broken-relationships/
"Key Signs of an Abusive Pastor #1: A Long Track Record of Broken Relationships - Canon Fodder"
"I’ve been making my way through a new blog series on spiritual abuse in the church which I am calling “Bully Pulpit”. In the prior installment, I offered a definition of spiritual abuse: Spiritual abuse, then, is when a spiritual leader—such as a pastor, elder, or head of a Christian organization—wields his position of spiritual […]"
Jesus’ ministry model is paradoxical. You don’t lead by demanding your rights, but by giving them up. For the bully pastor, the first will be first. But for the godly pastor, the first shall be last.
https://www.michaeljkruger.com/key-signs-of-an-abusive-pastor-2-hyper-defensive-about-their-own-authority/
"Key Signs of An Abusive Pastor #2: Hyper Defensive About Their Own Authority - Canon Fodder"
"“All who gain power are afraid to lose it.” So said Darth Sidious (aka, Chancellor Palpatine) in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. And despite being from the dark side, he was correct. The biggest motivator for those in power is often their fear of losing it. Sadly, that is also the case with abusive […]"
This behavior is a form of control. And bully pastors do it for one simple reason: it works.
https://www.michaeljkruger.com/key-signs-of-an-abusive-pastor-3-overly-critical-and-harsh-with-others/
"Key Signs of an Abusive Pastor #3: Overly Critical and Harsh with Others - Canon Fodder"
"I’m continuing my blog series on spiritual abuse in the church which I am calling “Bully Pulpit”. You can see the prior installments here , here, and here. Since spiritual abuse is not as easy to spot as other forms of abuse, I am working my way through a number of key signs that churches […]"
Success by the world’s definition is simple… bigger means better. In this clip, nationally recognized author and trainer, Pete Scazzero, delves into how different success is according to God’s standard. Are you pursuing biblical success or something else?"
Gain a healthy perspective and survey the landscape regarding "Spiritual Abuse(rs). How to Identify Spiritual Abuse by a Spiritual Leader - A MUST WATCH Video! How do we identify spiritual abuse by a spiritual leader? We talk a lot about all types of other abuses but seldom talk about spiritual abuse. It's real and it has caused so much pain in the lives of those that follow abusive spiritual leaders. It's time to talk about these issues that are so prevalent in the church and beyond. This video will outline 7 different ways spiritual abuse can be experienced at the hands of a spiritual leader.
God Is Warning You About Spiritual Abuse If . . ." What does the Bible say about signs of spiritual abuse? What is spiritual abuse and how can you recognize it? How can you know if someone is trying to spiritually abuse you? Here are 4 marks that often show up spiritual abuse.
Gaslighting, control and manipulation of the truth are common to spiritual abuse
Confronting Pastors: How to Confront Toxic Pastors and Spiritual Abuse: Part One "In this brief three part video series, I address the issue of when and how to confront a toxic leader or toxic pastor. But to begin the series, I help you identify the signs of a toxic leader. To learn more, check out my book, Broken Trust: how to identify and recover from toxic faith, toxic church, and spiritual abuse on Amazon.
Confronting Pastors: How to Confront Toxic Leaders, Toxic Pastors, and Spiritual Abuse: Part Two "This is part two of a three part series. In part one I helped you to identify a toxic leader. In this video I help you to decide if you should confront your leader or not. If so, I offer the first three steps in the confrontation process.
Confronting Pastors: How To Confront Toxic Leaders, Toxic Pastors, and Spiritual Abuse: Part Three This is part three of a three part series. In part one I helped you to identify a toxic leader. In part two I help you to decide if you should confront your leader or not. If so, I offer the first three steps in the confrontation process. In this final video, I offer the final steps to confront a toxic leader.
A loving and caring message about what to do
Breaking away and healing from spiritual abuse starts with overcoming "Toxic Faith"
https://probe.org/abusive-churches-leaving-them-behind/
"Abusive Churches: Leaving Them Behind – A Biblical Perspective"
"In a previous article Abusive Churches, I discussed the characteristics of abusive churches.{1} As a result of the questions and feedback I have received, I felt it might be helpful to share some positive steps to recovery from an abusive church experience.
Recovering From Churches That Abuse. Leaving an unhealthy church situation can leave some very deep scars. […]"
https://www.moralapologetics.com/wordpress/2021/8/18/book-review-of-wade-mullens-somethings-not-right-decoding-the-hidden-tactics-of-abuse-and-freeing-yourself-from-its-power
"Book Review of Wade Mullen’s Something’s Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse and Freeing Yourself from Its Power — Moral Apologetics"
"In a dark time in my life, I found myself angered, hurt, and heartbroken by the type of experiences that I had encountered in a previous institution. Like many people, I had been hurt in church before. But I never experienced as much difficulty in finding healing. Drs. David and Marybeth Baggett wer"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48617256-when-narcissism-comes-to-church
"When Narcissism Comes to Church"
"Why does narcissism seem to thrive in our churches? We've seen the news stories and heard the rumors. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt b..."