Broken Vessels: Restoring Broken Pastors for Kingdom Use

Written by Mark Denison, Broken Vessels: Restoring Broken Pastors for Kingdom Use addresses one of the most difficult questions facing churches and ministry leaders: what should happen when a pastor or ministry leader experiences moral failure related to sexual brokenness?

Mark Denison approaches the subject from an unusually personal perspective. He served as a senior pastor for more than thirty years and has spoken openly about his own history of sexual addiction and recovery. Rather than minimizing the seriousness of misconduct or rushing toward restoration, he explores the painful realities that leaders, spouses, families, and congregations must face. The book considers accountability, healing, consequences, and the possibility that a person’s future usefulness in God’s kingdom may take a different form than his or her former ministry role.

The title reflects the book’s central message: brokenness does not need to be hidden, denied, or treated as the end of a person’s story. At the same time, restoration is not the same as avoiding consequences. A healthy process requires honesty, repentance, appropriate boundaries, support for those who have been harmed, and a commitment to long-term recovery.

Who may find this helpful? This resource is particularly relevant for pastors, church leaders, ministry boards, counselors, and families attempting to respond wisely to sexual misconduct or addiction within ministry. It may also encourage a leader who has failed and is searching for a path forward. The book offers hope without offering shortcuts: a broken vessel may still have value, but meaningful healing requires humility, transparency, and sustained work.