Matt Hammitt Teaches Us How to Deal with "Church Hurt"

By Timothy Yap May 05, 2023 07:18 AM EDT

Matt Hammitt, former lead singer of Sanctus Real, releases his new single "Church Hurt." The song addresses a pressing reality: what do you do when you are hurt by a pastor or a church leader or a member of the church? Do you walk out of Christianity and abandon the church altogether? Instead of getting angry or disappointed, Hammitt challenges us to evaluate: "Did I really put my faith/In someone higher than a person/Something bigger than a stage."

Hammitt writes, "Jesus continues to heal people around the world through imperfect people who serve him, but the imperfect people who serve him often need healing as well. As nations become weaker and more divided, the church must become stronger and more united. But how can we be strong, how can we be united, if we don't care for our own who are weak? I hope this song brings healing wherever it may go."

When I felt that church hurt
So hard to put into words
Feeling stranded, abandoned
Thought we would end up with heaven on earth
Instead of this church hurt
We found ourselves down in the dirt
All of us imperfect people under a steeple
Just trying to do God's work
And then there was church hurt

Lately I've been asking
Did I really put my faith
In someone higher than a person
Something bigger than a stage