Families Are Speaking Up

We were told to trust the process. The process destroyed our family. I wish someone had given us these questions before we walked through those doors.

When I raised concerns about how my family was being treated, I was told I was being divisive. Within a month, we were completely isolated from our community.

I signed a care team contract without understanding what I was giving up. No licensed professional would ever ask a family to agree to those terms.

A judge recognized the church by name within five minutes of testimony and described the pattern of harm she had seen in other cases. That tells you everything.

Our pastor told my husband that his depression was a spiritual problem, not a medical one. He refused to see a therapist for two more years because his pastor said medication showed a lack of faith.

I told our elder board that a staff member made my daughter uncomfortable. They thanked me for sharing and told me they would handle it. Six months later, that staff member was promoted to lead the youth group.

When we left, the pastor told the congregation we had "fallen away from the faith." We had not fallen away from anything. We had asked to see the church's financial statements and were told that was a sign of distrust.

I was told that forgiving my abuser meant never talking about what happened again. When I tried to tell my small group, the leader pulled me aside and said I was "gossiping" and needed to "release it to God." So I left. And I have never been healthier.