"How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?" (Psalm 13:1). Read that line once more and notice who David is talking to. He does not complain about God to a friend. He brings the complaint to God, before he has any answer, and Israel kept the prayer in its public worship book. That is where this work begins: with permission to say exactly what happened, out loud, before deciding anything.
People wounded by a church usually arrive at one practical question. Do I stay, take a break, or leave? The pastors, counselors and scholars heard below agree that the decision cannot come first. You name the wound. You work out whether it was a disappointed expectation or an abuse of power, because those call for different responses. You do the slow work of healing, including what forgiveness does and does not require. Only then can you weigh a particular congregation honestly.
Each of the four sessions that follow builds a skill the next one needs: describing a wound plainly, sorting hurt from abuse, comparing two serious accounts of forgiveness, and finally testing a decision against concrete questions. Nothing here asks you to tell your story to anyone. Nothing here tells you to return to the place that harmed you. You can work alone, with one trusted friend, or in a small group.