Steve Stanley’s Reviews > After Church Hurt: Healing in the Care of the Good Shepherd > Status Update

This is how I arrived at this definition of church hurt: *any unrepentant sin that is minimized, normalized, or promoted by a church’s culture and its leadership.* A church’s culture is always shaped by the values, priorities, and theology of its leaders. This includes not only pastors, staff, elders, deacons, and board members, but also those in unofficial positions of influence.