WELCOME TO PROTECTING PEARLS! I'm so glad you're here. This community exists to provide a safe, Christ-centered space for healing, clarity, biblical discernment, prayer, and support for those navigating church abuse, spiritual manipulation, unhealthy leadership, or confusing church experiences. Please take a few minutes to: ✅ Review the Community Guidelines ✅ Introduce yourself in the Introductions section ✅ Join us for our next community call (Check CALENDAR for Details!) ✅✅ENGAGE!! Make posts, comment on others’, reply to people etc, THIS is can be the best thing you can do to make the MOST of your membership🫶 Most importantly, know that you're not alone. We're glad you're here. ❤️ -Liz Before you go, I'd love to hear from you. In 1–3 words, how are you feeling as you join this community? ❤️ Hopeful 💔 Hurt 🤔 Confused 😌 Relieved 🙏 Cautiously Optimistic Or use your own words.

Creating a safe community doesn't happen by accident. These guidelines exist to help protect the culture we're building together—a place of healing, honesty, biblical discernment, support, and grace. Please take a few moments to read through them before participating... ▶️Then comment READ or ✅ when finished! (Only b/c these are HIGHLY important for the integrity of our community!) ❇️Community Guidelines ✨To help keep this community safe and helpful for everyone, please review the following guidelines: 1️⃣ Keep Jesus at the Center Our goal is healing, wisdom, and growth—not bitterness. It's okay to be honest about your pain, ask hard questions, and process difficult experiences. At the same time, we want to encourage one another toward truth, healing, and Christ. 2️⃣ Authenticity Without Judgment You do not need to pretend you're okay here. Many members are at different stages of healing. Some may be angry. Some may be grieving. Some may be confused. Some may be finding freedom. Let's meet one another with compassion, grace, and curiosity rather than judgment. 3️⃣ No Naming Churches, Ministries, or Leaders Please do not post names of churches, ministries, organizations, pastors, elders, staff members, or other identifiable individuals. Focus on sharing your experience, the patterns you observed, and the support you're seeking rather than identifying specific people. 4️⃣ Share Experiences, Not Diagnoses We encourage members to discuss behaviors, patterns, concerns, and experiences. Please avoid diagnosing individuals or assigning labels to people you do not personally know or cannot evaluate professionally. 5️⃣ Respect Confidentiality What is shared here should stay here. Please do not screenshot, share, repost, or distribute another member's story without their explicit permission. 6️⃣ Seek Understanding Before Assumptions We won't always agree on every situation, interpretation, or next step. Ask questions. Listen well. Extend grace. Assume good intentions whenever possible.

This community has multiple 'Conversation Threads' called "CATEGORIES"...below are some instructions & a breakdown of each... 👋 Introduce Yourself Head over to the INTRODUCTIONS category and tell us a little about yourself. Share as much or as little as you'd like. You don't need to tell your entire story right away...you also don't need to put pressure on yourself for it to be 'just right' either!! :) ❤️ Need Support? If you're processing a situation, have questions, need encouragement, or would like feedback from others who understand, post in SUPPORT & PROCESSING category. You don't have to figure everything out on your own...and this community can help!! 🌱 Celebrate Healing Wins Healing isn't always dramatic. Sometimes it's setting a boundary. Sometimes it's gaining clarity. Sometimes it's finding peace. Sometimes it's simply realizing you're not alone. We'd love to celebrate those victories with you in HEALING WINS category. 🙏 Prayer Requests Need prayer? Post in PRAYER REQUESTS category so we can encourage and pray for one another. 💬 General Discussion Have a question, resource, insight, thought, or topic that doesn't fit elsewhere? Feel free to post in GENERAL DISCUSSION category. A Few Final Thoughts There is no pressure to share more than you're comfortable sharing. Participate at your own pace. Ask questions. Offer encouragement. Pray for one another. And remember—you don't need to have everything figured out to belong here.