Dismantled: Abusive Church Culture and the Clergy Women Who Leave

by Lynn Horan

Behind the walls of Protestant churches across America is a story that has not been told, until now -- the systemic derailment and disappearance of GenX-Millennial clergy women. Through careful theoretical analysis and in-depth interviews with clergy who have left abusive church systems, Horan applies a gender-critical approach to the phenomenon of "clergy killing."



With expert analysis of the social dynamics of feminized servanthood, gendered scapegoating, toxic masculinity, and the mother-daughter wound within intergenerational parish life, this important body of research exposes the oppressive relational dynamics that are pushing clergy women out of active ministry. With a desire to validate and empower survivors of religious trauma, Horan centers the voices of clergy women who are reconstituting their lives and vocational calling beyond toxic church culture.

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2025