Safeguarding

After years of wrestling with the term spiritual abuse, I found a faith-affirming path to clarity and healing. Art by Sabrina Paredes I write from lived experience, more than twenty years of serving as a church youth leader, and ongoing learning about evidence-based safeguarding that names harm without undermining faith. I know I'm not the only one who has wrestled with this question: If church hurt and spiritual abuse are real, is there room for me to hold onto my faith? I b

A practical framework for discerning healthy, unhelpful, unhealthy, and abusive behavior in faith-based relationships. I write from lived experience, more than twenty years of serving as a church youth leader, and ongoing learning about evidence-based safeguarding that names harm without undermining faith. Why Negative Behavior in Faith-Based Relationships Feels So Polarizing Whenever negative behavior in faith-based relationships comes up, responses often fall into two extre

It can be easy to see an unhappy camper as a problem to fix rather than a person to love. But what would Jesus do? Church-camp goers come in all forms—some youth count down the days to go, while others count down the hours until they can go home. Emotional stress at camp can come from changing friendships, shifting hormones, a faith crisis, or simply physical and social exhaustion (especially for introverts!). Whatever the reason, here are a few practical ways to anticipate a