Signs of Spiritual Abuse

Symptoms

For those directly suffering, the early stages tend to be pre-occupied thinking and Anxiety leading to a General Anxiety Disorder. Such signs are obsessive thinking, fear,  lack of sleep and concentration possibly accompanied by physical body symptoms, such a stomach aches, sweating and headaches. You can read more about anxiety disorders here.

Note of caution: The vast majority of churches are not abusive. They are  safe places of worship, community and refuge. Be very careful not to interpret falsely the below signs in isolation, however if  more then  three or four signs prevail then take further consideration. If five or more signs are present then I would advise you seek independent advice from a trusted source or one of the independent organisations listed on this site..

1. Having a nagging, persistent inward "thought" that "something is just not right here?"
2. Apotheosis of the leadership — exalting them to God-like status in and over the group;
3. An active policy of non contact with those who have left the church
4. Absolute authority of the leadership;
5. No real accountability of the leadership;
6. Pervasive abuse and misuse of authority in personal dealings with members;
7. Abuse and misuse of prophetic gifting as a means to dominate and intimidate;
8. Personal slander and subsequent isolation on leaving 
9. Elitism - there is no other church like this.
10. Isolation from other churches in the area.
11. Active discouragement on visiting other churches.
12. Pressure to attend  church services
13. Over emphasis of lifestyle, loyalty to leaders rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ
14. Emphasis on finance and legalism about giving
15. Lining up with the elite and successful within the church and a tendency to dismiss the weak and unsuccessful
16. Over use of control on people, groups and free expression.
17. Fear within the congregation to challenge or question.
18. Fostered over dependence on the church family.

Qualification. The above list is not an academic piece of research. They appear in whole or part in a number of the books written below by Christian authors and and may be found in Christian Counselling libraries or sourced from Amazon on the links below. Authority or personal offence does not necessarily constitute spiritual abuse.

RESOURCES

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen, Bethany House Publishers.

Toxic Churches. by Marc Dupont. Pub Sovereighn World

Faith That Hurts, Faith That Heals, by Stephen Arterburn, and Jack Felton, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Breaking Free, by David R. Miller, Baker Book House.

Churches That Abuse, by Ronald Enroth, Zondervan. Providing real-life examples throughout, Enroth probes every corner of the abusive church. He also provides help to find the way out, and back to God's healing.

"How to Spot an Abusive Church" - a brief article by Dr. Ronald Enroth, who also wrote the books Churches that Abuse and Recovering from Churches that Abuse.