by Sam Jackson

I’ve been a part of three different organic churches and I’ve had friends who were part of other organic churches. In every church I was a part of, there was at least one person who was mentally ill. My friends have had the same experience.

I’m not talking about illnesses like depression, ADHD, or anxiety. I’m talking about other kinds that are evidenced by toxic behavior.

It wasn’t as bad as schizophrenia, but these people were mentally unstable.

The pattern was always the same, they would get their feelings hurt and then completely misinterpret events, even fabricate some of them (perhaps because of some kind of psychosis), and then they would attacks the church and its leadership.

In some cases, these particular people were only with the church for a short time and didn’t know many of the people in it, yet they would lie about the people in the church and even attack them online with false accusations.

I have seen many of my friends deeply hurt because of the unfair and ugly treatment.

People reading the attacks online usually don’t know the people writing them, so they are unaware that they are coming from mentally unstable people who have deep seated issues that have never been treated.

I write this to warn anyone who is part of an organic church or who becomes part of one, especially leaders and church planters.

There is a good chance some in your group may be mentally ill or unstable. And if they have the kinds of illness I’ve described, those people are the most dangerous individuals because they are easily offended, they are quick to misinterpret things and then go on the attack with lies and false accusations. Even publicly which is a form of abuse.

It’s sad, it’s tragic, but having seen it happen firsthand three times and having friends in other churches who have seen it too, it seems to be common.

Organic churches attract the best Christians but they also attract the most dysfunctional Christians at the same time.