Betrayal in The Church

I always read contracts before I sign them. I've read my employment contracts, and nowhere in the fine print did it mention that betrayal would.
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We are all simply imperfect people who recognize their immense need for a Savior. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. Skip to main content. The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. When "Christians" Betray You. Follow Jesus — not the Judas in your life.

Realize some people mislabel themselves. Would you drink a cup of chlorine bleach mislabeled as Kool-Aid? The distinct odor of chlorine would turn you off. Actions speak louder than words. Some people produce really rotten fruit —even worse than that no-longer-identifiable, stinky fruit in your fridge! Real Christians produce quality, sweet-smelling fruit in their lives. Separate the copycats from Christ. Christ remains loving, true, and real. The devil wants you to blame God. People fail and bail. But Jesus stays and loves us always. Place purpose to your pain: He will reward you here and hereafter and heal you over time.

How to Handle Betrayal and Rejection

But we must forgive let it go and let God punish. Learn of and lean on Jesus —not people. Life is in Jesus! Be sure you know Him —not just about Him. If you know Him, you know what I know: Real love and joy drench us when we trust in Jesus! Find a Local Church Now. Get more than a Sunday sermon. We are here to help and encourage you!

Let’s recap…

Find Peace with God. Can God change your life? This trust can be violated in both big and small ways. But it always leaves the betrayed feeling vulnerable, raw, exposed. And often the hurt is deep because the relationship is not what we believed it to be. I once discovered that a senior pastor for whom I was working had lied to me. As the toxins stung through my skin, I could feel the betrayal pulsing through my body. The lie was ringing in my ears, and the sting was throbbing. And the consequences were far reaching.

I know pastors who have experienced their greatest supporters becoming their harshest critics. The church members, staff, and volunteers who bolstered them, and gave them strength, have been the same people who have attempted to run them out when no longer happy with the music, the carpet, the Sunday school, the latest sermon series, the dates of the mission trip, the new coffee at fellowship, you name it.

As pastors, ministers, church leaders, it will happen. Sometimes the stings will be small, and sometimes they will be crippling. Sometimes we will brush them off, and sometimes they will knock the air out of our lungs.


  • A State of Emergency.
  • Inside and Outside the Law (European Association of Social Anthropologists).
  • The Shy Child?

What we do with these betrayals may vary widely, depending on the situation. There are times when it is right to walk away. Spiritual abuse should not be tolerated. Abuse by the church, by those in leadership, those with authority is not okay. Sometimes it is right and healthy to leave or to get help. But in every case, betrayal will leave scars, whether large or small.

We carry these scars of betrayal with us into other churches and ministries. I admit to approaching churches with caution, and trusting slowly.


  • How to Handle Betrayal and Rejection.
  • Help in Overcoming Church Hurt.
  • Charisma Magazine.
  • Growing Pains of a Hapless Househusband.

After betrayal has caught you by surprise and knocked the wind out of you once, you brace yourself for another hit. I sat in a worship service recently, surrounded by the people that Jesus loves.

Surviving Church

Every seat was filled with someone for whom Jesus gave his life, someone for whom he laid down everything. But for the first time, those words screamed in my ears like a trumpet blast.

Overcoming Betrayal - Maximize Church

God in the flesh, the Word incarnate, suffered betrayal at the hands of one of his closest companions — one who was supposed to support him, stand up for him, love him, but sold him out for profit. The consequences were real. It caused great suffering. His own mother watched in despair as he was tortured and executed. And the betrayer himself was so overcome with grief that he took his own life.

About Stephen Parsons

His other friends abandoned him as well, and betrayed him further, denying even knowing him. Betrayal left a wake of destruction. More than a sting, it cut like a sword to the soul, ultimately separating him from the very heart of God. Do this in remembrance of me. And he gave me a command to do something for him.

I Was Betrayed By the Church and Here’s What I Learned

And so I keep meeting with the Bride, and breaking bread with the Bride, and loving the Bride. And when I remember the sting of betrayal, I remember that Jesus felt the sting infinitely more than I ever will, because of what he did for me, on the night he was betrayed. The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission.