A refuge for the wounded. A voice for the silenced.
The House of Adullam
Refuge, healing, and advocacy for survivors of religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and clergy abuse.
“Everyone who was in distress… gathered to him.” — 1 Samuel 22:1–2
Become a Founding PartnerWhy Adullam Exists
Spiritual abuse is the misuse of religious authority to control, manipulate, shame, or exploit. Its victims often cannot name what happened to them. Secular therapy misses the religious dimension. Church-based counseling is, by definition, often unsafe for them. Reporting pathways are confusing and stacked against the victim — and survivors lose not just faith, but community, identity, and family in a single rupture.
There is a gap between a world that dismisses faith and institutions that protect themselves. The House of Adullam stands in that gap.
The Road Home: Four Phases
Each phase funds and unlocks the next — trust, funding, and clinical capacity grow together.
PHASE 1 · LAUNCH–MONTH 6
Refuge
Safe first contact and stabilization.
- Confidential intake with a 48-hour response team
- Survivor-led virtual peer support groups
- Private, moderated online community
- Vetted directory of trauma-informed therapists & legal aid
- Educational library: naming spiritual abuse
PHASE 2 · MONTHS 6–18
Recovery
Structured healing.
- Therapy fund — subsidized sessions with licensed trauma therapists
- 12-week recovery cohorts: identity, boundaries, grief
- In-person groups in Atlanta & Dallas–Fort Worth
- Advocacy accompaniment through reporting clergy abuse
- Spouse & family support and crisis micro-grants
PHASE 3 · MONTHS 18–36
Restoration
Deeper healing and reintegration.
- Weekend healing retreats and intensives
- Survivor leadership training to facilitate groups
- Mentorship pairings — recovered survivors walking with newer ones
- Career and life rebuilding for ex-clergy and ministry staff
PHASE 4 · YEAR 3+
Reform
Prevention and systemic change.
- Church training & certification in abuse prevention and safe reporting
- Annual summit on spiritual abuse and institutional health
- Research, published reports, and survivor storytelling
- Policy advocacy with denominations and networks
Our Guiding Commitments
Survivor-Led
Programming is shaped by survivor voices — and survivors are trained and paid to facilitate.
Independent by Design
Structurally and financially separate from any church, with licensed clinicians and non-clergy survivors on the board.
Trauma-Informed & Consent-Driven
No one is pressured toward or away from faith. Stories are shared only with written consent, anonymized by default.
Become a Founding Partner
Founding Partners aren’t just donors — they are co-builders of the refuge. Every partner receives survivor stories, transparent quarterly impact reports, and a real voice in deciding which services launch next.
Built for Trust
Many survivors are wary of help that comes from clergy — because clergy are who hurt them. Adullam is designed for structural credibility from day one.
Independent Board
Licensed clinicians and non-clergy survivors govern the work.
Clear Separation
Legally and financially independent from any church or ministry brand.
Consent & Safeguarding
Written consent, privacy, and safeguarding policies from the start.
Clinical Oversight
All therapeutic programming is overseen by licensed professionals.
The cave was never the end of the story.
At Adullam, the wounded became a company, and the discarded became mighty. Help us build the refuge — so no one has to choose between their faith and their safety.
Become a Founding Partner