About Kristen Edgar | Christian Author & Speaker
“Healing is not a destination, but a daily act of restoration.”
Kristen Edgar is an Christian author, pastor, speaker, wife, mother, grandmother, and business owner whose life has been shaped by faith, perseverance, and the restoring power of Jesus.
Kristen and her husband, John, have been married since 1999 and together have raised five children. Today, one of Kristen’s greatest joys is being a grandmother and watching the next generation of her family grow.
In 2015, Kristen and her family stepped out in faith to plant Awaken Church in Prunedale, California, where she now serves as Lead Pastor. Awaken Church is affiliated with the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), where Kristen is a Licensed Exhorter. Her years in ministry have given her a front-row seat to both the beauty and the difficulty of life in the Church—and have deepened her passion for helping people encounter Jesus beyond their wounds, disappointments, and past experiences.
Outside of ministry, Kristen is also an entrepreneur and business owner. She has pursued theological studies through Grand Canyon University and brings together biblical truth, real-life experience, leadership, and an honest approach to the difficult conversations believers sometimes avoid.
Her first book, When It Hurts to Church, grew out of her own journey through church hurt, forgiveness, restoration, and freedom. Whether she is writing, preaching, teaching, or simply sitting across the table from someone who is hurting, Kristen’s heart remains the same: to point people toward Jesus and remind them that pain does not have to have the final word.
Kristen Edgar |
Christian Author My Story
I grew up around ministry. Church wasn't simply somewhere my family went—it was woven into the fabric of my life. My father, Rev. Kenneth L. Trammell, was one of the greatest influences on my faith and my understanding of what it means to love and serve people. He showed me a picture of Jesus that left fingerprints on the way I would eventually lead, pastor, and love others.
But loving the Church didn't mean I would never be hurt in it.
Some of the deepest wounds of my life happened in places where I expected to feel safe. There were seasons when I wrestled with hurt, disappointment, forgiveness, and questions I couldn't easily answer. And yet, even in those places, God never stopped pursuing me.
Along the way, God gave me a beautiful life beyond the painful chapters. My husband, John, and I have been married since 1999. Together we've raised five children, built businesses, walked through difficult seasons, celebrated incredible ones, and now have the joy of watching our family grow into another generation.
In 2015, our family took another step of faith and planted Awaken Church. I didn't step into ministry because I had everything figured out or because every wound had disappeared. I stepped forward because God had called me—and over the years, He continued healing me even while I was helping others heal.
Eventually, I began to understand something that changed the way I saw my story: healing wasn't about pretending the hurt never happened. Forgiveness didn't erase what happened. And freedom didn't require me to rewrite the past. Jesus could meet me right in the middle of it, heal what had been broken, and teach me how to move forward without allowing my wounds to define me.
That journey eventually became When It Hurts to Church.
I wrote this book because I know what it is to love Jesus and still be wounded. I know what it is to wrestle with forgiveness when forgiveness hurts. And I know what it is to discover that sometimes following Jesus means choosing His way when everything in your flesh wants to choose another.
Today, whether I'm preaching at Awaken, speaking somewhere new, writing, working in one of our businesses, sitting around the table with my family, or spending time with my grandchildren, I'm still becoming who God has called me to be.
My story isn't really a story about church hurt.
It's a story about what Jesus can do with a life that refuses to let hurt have the final word.
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