Rebuilding trust
in the Church.
Creating visible pathways to spiritually safe, trauma-informed, gospel-centered communities — rooted in truth, dignity, and love.
Many people love Jesus deeply — but no longer know where to worship safely.
In recent years, harm caused by spiritual abuse, coercive theology, and misuse of authority has fractured trust within the Church. Survivors, families, pastors, and leaders alike are searching for communities that reflect the heart of Christ rather than allegiance to power.
The Safe Church Project exists to help rebuild that trust — by making spiritually safe, gospel-centered communities visible and by equipping churches to become places of healing, integrity, and faithful witness.
"A Church that is unsafe cannot bear faithful witness. A Church rooted in humility and love becomes a place of healing."
"Because love requires safe spaces."
The Church was meant to be a place of sanctuary. We exist to help make it one again.
We serve the Church through two distinct pathways.
Designed to meet people where they are — whether you are searching for safety or seeking to become safer.
Find a Safe Church
The Safe Church Directory
The Safe Church Directory helps individuals and families locate churches committed to spiritual safety, accountable leadership, and the inherent dignity of every person. Every listed church has completed Sanctuary Certified™ training and certification.
Become a Safe Church
Sanctuary Certified™ — Now Available
Sanctuary Certified™ is a structured, trauma-informed, gospel-centered formation pathway for churches seeking to address spiritual abuse with biblical clarity, build trauma-aware cultures, and protect the vulnerable.
One investment. A whole church made safe.
Sanctuary Certified™ is a whole-church license — one enrollment covers your staff, volunteers, and leaders through all four phases, your certification, and a free listing in the National Safe Church Directory. Priced by church size, with a sliding scale so no church is turned away over cost.
Average weekly attendance under 100. Includes all four phases, your certification and Safe Church badge, and a free Directory listing.
Average weekly attendance of 100 to 500. Includes all four phases, your certification and Safe Church badge, and a free Directory listing.
Average weekly attendance of 500 or more. Includes all four phases, your certification and Safe Church badge, and a free Directory listing.
A small annual recertification fee keeps your certification current and your listing active. Is cost a barrier? It shouldn’t be — choose “pay what your church can” at checkout, and we’ll meet you where you are. The Directory listing is always free with certification.
What we believe at the center.
Every aspect of the Safe Church Project is grounded in these convictions.
Our ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ alone — not to nation, political power, ideology, or cultural dominance.
We affirm the inherent dignity, worth, and sacredness of every human being, without exception.
We renounce all forms of spiritual, emotional, and psychological abuse, including the misuse of Scripture to control, silence, or harm.
We reject authoritarianism and systems that protect power at the expense of people. Leaders are shepherds, not lords.
Spiritual safety is not optional to faithfulness. It is intrinsic to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the Church’s witness.
We seek to follow Jesus by loving our neighbors, pursuing justice, walking humbly with God, and bearing faithful witness.
"We reject any theology or practice that elevates power, nation, race, or ideology above the gospel of Jesus Christ; that uses Scripture to control or silence; or that diminishes the dignity of others in the name of faithfulness."
Our allegiance is to Christ alone — and to the sacred worth of every person created in the Image of God.
You are not alone in your searching.
Whether you are a survivor looking for somewhere safe to worship, a pastor who wants to do better, or a church ready to become a sanctuary of healing — there is a place for you here.