WELCOME to Church Exiters !!

This website explores the issues of people who have experienced spiritual abuse in their local churches and how they have recovered.

Every year dedicated Christian people leave churches because of spiritual abuse. What factors  contribute to dedicated  and active believers leaving their church and becoming exiting statistics? The stories of people who left their home church because of a negative and hurtful experience paint a picture of a widespread occurrence, which beckons consideration by church leaders and church congregants alike.

The Purpose of this doctoral research was to understand how believers had gone from a devastating exiting experience at a local church setting to a condition of spiritual restoration It has aimed to demonstrate how people, who had experienced grief and loss in their Christian lives at the hands of church leaders, had over time regained spiritual equilibrium.

The original dissertation is available at the Associated Canadian Theological Schools, the Graduate School of Theological Studies of Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., Canada.

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This doctoral research is now being made available in a book.

This NEW BOOK can show those who have recently faced similar losses how they can grow through this devastating experience.  They will be able to learn from the spiritual journey of those who have experienced wounding at the hands of church leaders.

This BOOK will inform church ministry leaders about the complex nature of this issue and provide insights how to help individuals who come to them for help. 

This NEW BOOK will provide information and guidance for pastors, ministry leaders, denominational overseers, church consultants, seminary and Bible college professors, scholars, researchers, and congregants about spiritual abuse and how people can recover from it.

This BOOK presents a thoughtful look at the topic of spiritual recovery from clergy abuse through the eyes of those who have experienced it and invites church leaders to consider this very real dysfunction in the Church today. This book aims to demonstrate a path forward to greater freedom in Christ after a season of disillusionment with church leadership. 

         Site Map

         1.  A.  Welcome                     B.  Site Map            C. About Dr. Barb
              D. Helpful Resources

         2.  A.  Title     B. Abstract    C. Acknowledgements   D. Contents        

              E.      Chapter 1                  What’s Going On?
                                                           Ministry Problem Introduced
        
         3.            Chapter 2                  What Do Others Say?          
                                                           Literature Review

         4.            Chapter 3                  What Does the Bible Say?  
                                                           Biblical and Theological Foundations        
                                   
         5.           Chapter 4                  What Does This Research Say?
                                                          Procedures and Research Design

         6.           Chapter 5                  What Can We Do About It?
                                                          Summary and Reflections
                                                          Bibliography, Approval
                                              
         7.            Appendix 1

                    1.  Participant Introductory Letter and Questionnaire 
                    2.  Pastor’s Introductory Letter and Questionnaire 
                    3.  Initial Screening Letter and Criteria for Participants
                    4.  Consent Form
                    5.  Counseling Resources Forms 
                    6.  Request for Help from Website Hosts to Post 
                    7.  How to Assess One’s Church  
                    8.  Seventeen Characteristics of Healthy Faith
                    9.  The Nature of Mature Faith 
                  10.  Issues in Recovery

         8.           Appendix 2

                  1.  Email Comments from Participants                    
                  2.  Selected Participant Responses to Survey Questions
                  3.  Bibliography 

Barb Orlowski is a Canadian who lives in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, near Vancouver. She is a graduate of A.C.T.S. seminaries.

She has the following degrees, a Doctor of Ministry (2008), a Master of Arts in Christian Studies (1998), and a Masters in Religious Education (1995).

Barb is married to Jim and has two adult children.

If you would like Dr. Barb to come to speak, please contact her at the
email address below.

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If you have questions or want to express your interest in this topic please contact me at this email address:

                                             info@churchexiters.com

          Regards,
          Dr. Barb Orlowski

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Helpful Resources:

    1.  Ronald Enroth

         Online Books:      www.apologeticsindex.org
                                    A.  Churches That Abuse
                                    B.  Recovery From Churches That Abuse

   2.  Alan Jamieson

         Online Books and Articles: 
                  Prodigal Kiwis:  http://prodigal.typepad.com

   3.  Jeff VanVonderen

         Website:  http://www.spiritualabuse.com

   4.  Dale and Juanita Ryan

         Website:  http://www.recoveryfromabuse.com

   5.  The National Association for Christian Recovery

         Website:  http://www.nacronline.com

   6.  Emerging Grace--now Kingdom Grace  

         Articles:  Spiritual Abuse Part 1 - 7
         Website:  http://emerginggrace.blogspot.com
         Website:  http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com

   7.  Battered Sheep

         Website:  http://www.batteredsheep.com