STUDY GUIDE
Healing from Church Hurt
As we learned this week in our series “What About?” and in our own lives, church hurt is real—and it runs deep. It can shake our trust in people, in institutions, and even in God. But throughout Scripture, we see that hurt within the people of God isn’t new. The beauty of the gospel is that God continues to work through broken people and imperfect communities to bring healing and hope.
CONSIDER
“The church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.”
— St. Augustine
Each of our panelists has experienced hurt in different ways—through leadership, through others’ stories, and through grief and loss.
Take a moment to think about your own experience.
REFLECT
When have you felt hurt connected to the church?
How has that experience shaped your faith?
CONSIDER
Even in the earliest pages of the Bible, we find people of faith wounding and disappointing one another.
In Genesis, we see family betrayal. Peter denied Jesus in His greatest moment of need. The early church—though it began beautifully in Acts 2—quickly struggled with division and pride, as we see in 1 Corinthians.
READ
Acts 2:42–47 (NLT)
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper[a]), and to prayer.
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
1 Corinthians 11:17–22 (NLT)
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
REFLECT
What do these passages reveal about the tension between God’s design and human reality?
CONSIDER
Even in the mess, God’s vision for His people hasn’t changed.
Jesus calls us to love God and love our neighbor. He sends us to go and make disciples. The early church lived in a way that was so different from the world around them—sharing what they had, living life together, and embodying the love of Jesus in everyday rhythms.
REFLECT
How does our church community reflect that kind of love and unity?
Where might God be inviting us to grow?
Next Steps
CONSIDER
Healing often begins with honesty and small, faithful steps.
Maybe it looks like adjusting your expectations of others. Maybe it’s choosing forgiveness. Maybe it’s taking a risk to be vulnerable again. And maybe it’s remembering that we are the church—if the church needs to get better, that starts with us.
REFLECT
What step could you take this week toward healing, personally or within community?
Prayer
God, we bring our wounds before You. Heal what has been broken, soften what has grown hard, and renew our love for Your people and Your church. Help us become a reflection of Your grace in the world. Amen.
Listen In
In this sermon series, we discovered that honest doubt doesn’t have to end in despair. In the searching, Jesus meets us—not to shut down our questions, but to guide us through them toward a faith that is deeper, truer, and more resilient than before.
If you missed any of this series, we invite you to follow the link below to catch up.