Building a Safer Church (How to Spot Spiritual Abuse, Assess Your Community's Health, and Create a Culture Where People Flourish)

What if you could recognize the warning signs of spiritual abuse before serious harm occurs—and help build a church culture where people truly flourish?

In Building a Safer Church, organizational psychologist Lianna Chong and pastor Abram Kielsmeier-Jones equip readers with the tools to identify unhealthy leadership patterns, evaluate church culture, and foster communities marked by trust, accountability, and care.

Drawing on research in organizational psychology, trauma-informed ministry, and church leadership, the authors introduce the Spiritual Safety Survey, a practical assessment that helps leaders and church members measure the health and safety of their spiritual communities. With insights based on lived experience, biblical wisdom, and practical guidance, this book empowers readers to recognize harmful dynamics, address systemic issues, and cultivate churches where people experience healing, belonging, and spiritual growth.

In this book you will learn how to:

• Recognize the warning signs of spiritual abuse and unhealthy leadership dynamics
• Use the Spiritual Safety Survey to evaluate the health of your church or ministry
• Create psychological and spiritual safety within Christian communities
• Identify organizational assumptions and systems that enable abuse to continue
• Take practical steps to build healthier churches where accountability and flourishing are possible

Building a Safer Church offers a hopeful, research-informed roadmap for pastors, church leaders, and congregations who long to see Christian communities become places of safety, healing, and spiritual flourishing.

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