Fight to Forgive | Pastor Kevin Ramsby
As pastors and Christian leaders, one of our sacred duties is to guide individuals through the transformative power of forgiveness, a calling underscored by the Father’s response to unforgiveness (Matthew 18:34). The role, through the Holy Spirit, is to lead others to forgiveness that transcends inflicted pain.
In his 24 years of pastoring in Detroit’s inner city, Kevin Ramsby witnessed deep trauma and wounds that only complete forgiveness could conquer. Surviving a harrowing 37-stab assault tested his faith to the core. The aftermath brought overwhelming mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, and relational turmoil, pushing him to contemplate suicide.
In his darkest moment, a counselor revealed a transformative truth: overcoming trauma requires an experiential forgiveness greater than the pain endured. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Kevin sought forgiveness surpassing his scar-inducing home invasion. Surprisingly, the Spirit unveiled that unforgiveness toward his attacker was entangled with bitterness toward his mother, who’d left the family 15 years before the attack.
This epiphany inspired Kevin to create The Forgiveness Experience, which he shares nationwide in churches and prisons. This Spirit-led journey eradicates torment from trauma and unforgiving hearts. Rooted in Ephesians 4:32, it emphasizes forgiving others “just as” God forgave us in Christ.
The Forgiveness Experience involves worship, Holy Spirit-guided identification of wrongs, communion, repentance, confession, healing, the forgiveness “transaction,” bitter-root extraction, and equipping for the liberating freedom of forgiveness.
Additionally, “The Forgiveness Masterclass” has transformed over 250,000 inmates and 340 individuals, leading to Christ’s acceptance. Kevin’s ministry even hosted a four-day Texas Death Row Forgiveness Seminar, appearing on a nationwide inmate-run radio station and reaching 500,000 inmates.
Kevin states, “While prisons are important, churches and pastors are the focus. Many leaders have had to move forward without addressing past wounds.” Congregations are filled with individuals carrying childhood trauma inflicted by family, authority figures, and previous church leaders.
In 2024, Kevin aims to partner with pastors and prison chaplains, integrating “The Forgiveness Seminar” into a teaching series. “Together, we guide congregations to healing, freedom, and forgiveness beyond inflicted pain and strengthen the local leadership.”
To learn more and get involved, visit theforgivenessexperience.org.
