Strong Tower Mental Health Podcast · Heidi Mortenson, MA, LMFT

230. When Ministry Hurts: Healing Without Losing Faith with Jeremy Butrous

·58 min·3 clips

Jeremy calls the divorce “the most hurt wounded betrayal” and says it felt like his heart was ripped out.

The host opens with a prayerful, Christ-centered welcome. She frames the ministry around mental health freedom through the simplicity of the gospel, inner healing, deliverance, counseling, coaching, trauma, healthy relationships, neuroscience, healing, and the renewing of the mind. The guest speaks plainly about his inner world. He says emotions and thoughts can feel like tornadoes and roller coasters, so he learned to slow down, sort them out, and practice self-mastery over the span of two to three years. The episode then asks a sharper question. What happens when therapy becomes a coping mechanism instead of a place where someone learns to live? The conversation argues that people still need to talk to God about their pain. It treats surrender as a real demand, not a slogan, and notes that God may speak in ways a person does not like. The guest then traces the path that brought him into deeper ministry work. After earlier time in a behavioral center, he says he went to Kansas City, wanted to get back into ministry, and began working for Sean Bowles, where he later took on major organizational responsibility. The tone changes. He describes hidden and deeply inappropriate behavior, including sexualized conduct, inappropriate messages, and forms of harassment and abuse. The interview does not rush past that part. Instead, it stays with the confusion of trying to serve while realizing something is wrong only after the damage is already in motion. The show keeps returning to spiritual language. Romans 12 sits beneath the conversation as a reminder that minds can be renewed and patterns can change. Prayer remains close through the whole exchange. By the end, the emphasis is on blessing, redemptive direction, and a path forward that does not deny pain. The closing prayer asks for guidance in relationships, mind, and heart. The final posture is hopeful.

As heard by us

A candid Christian mental health conversation about hurt, surrender, and healing.

The episode stays with hurt, inner conflict, and the effort to remain steady in faith while speaking plainly about damage and recovery. It keeps circling back to self-mastery, slowing the pace, and refusing to let passing thoughts or emotions call the shots.

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Why you'd press play

For when you need Christ-centered honesty about ministry hurt, self-mastery, and healing that takes time.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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