When the Shepherd Wounds the Sheep: Healing from Church Hurt and False Leadership

Sisters, there is a hurt that cuts deeper than a knife and grieves the soul more than the loss of a loved one. It’s the pain that comes from being played with and misled by our spiritual leaders.

Can I be honest for a moment? With so much already going on in the world, why must we face the same atrocities within the church - the very place that should be our refuge and safe space from the lies and hurts of the world?

We can expect a certain level of deception from the world; unregenerated people will do what unregenerated people do. We can tolerate some degree of disrespect, disharmony, and discord outside the church. But within the Body of Christ - where we know Jesus to be a strong tower where we can run and find safety - why do we find people who claim to operate under the unction of the Holy Spirit caught up in deception, hiding sin, and misleading others?

And when we look to the leaders - those who should guide us spiritually, shepherd us beside still waters, and model the heart of Christ - we, like sheep, follow. Some of us follow even to our own detriment. These leaders lie to us, overlook our pain, and turn a blind eye to the turmoil we face. The very ones who claim to be called by God sometimes become the source of our deepest wounds.

But here is the truth: they are human - men and women just like us. Do not put all your trust in human leaders, because they will fail you. Look to God.

Scripture also tells us to respect those He has placed in authority over us. The issue, however, is that far fewer leaders are truly God-appointed and anointed than we might think. Too often, we give accolades and recognition to those who have called themselves into leadership. They take advantage of their flocks and then blame the flock for being underfed and spiritually malnourished.

These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing - people who crave the title but not the responsibility of leadership. They want the recognition but not the refining process required to become true shepherds. These are the ones causing deep wounds within the Body of Christ, leaving behind a trail of spiritual destruction and dissonance.

My heart aches for those who have been led astray by false leadership - those who now sit in confusion, holding the shattered pieces of their lives in their hands, wondering how it all went wrong. Many trusted men and women who claimed to speak for God but did not live what they preached. And because of this, God’s name is blasphemed among those who do not yet know Him.

All the world sees are the stories of hypocrisy - the scandals, the deception, the hurt - and that alone convinces many to say, “If that’s what their God is like, I want no part of Him.”Why would anyone trade the hurt of the world for the hurt of a faith-based community that is supposed to know better?

The Bible says, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples - by the love you have for one another.” It does not say that the world will recognize us as Christ’s disciples by how we tear each other down, lie to one another, flatter falsely, manipulate people into compliance, or mishandle the Word of God. Yet, these things happen far too often in the church - among people who still claim to be “called by God.”May God open our spiritual eyes to discern the things, people, and places that are not of Him - those counterfeits that have been sown to deceive many. May we learn to hear from God directly, as He intended, without interference or manipulation.

And for every person who has been wounded by church hurt, especially at the hands of a leader, please remember this: even that leader is accountable to God.

Pray for them.

Pray that God heals your heart and removes every root of bitterness.

Vengeance belongs to God - and if He said it, He will perform it.