• Abusers typically have what appears to be a fruitful, gospel-centered ministry with a track record of success. • Abuse often happens for years, leaving a long “debris field”25 of broken relationships before it finally catches up with the abuser. • Abuse involves domineering, bullying behavior, leaving the abused in genuine fear, especially if the abuse involves threats of church discipline. • Reports of abuse rarely lead to accountability, as friends defend the abuser and the board (often made up of people much younger in age or experience) provides alternative explanations. • The victims of
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