Conference to Reach Often Unseen Group in Churches – LWO

From the Exodus Press Office:

Conference to Reach Often Unseen Group in Churches

Exodus International to Launch First Love Won Out Event in San Diego

Orlando, FL- As Exodus International introduces its first Love Won Out conference, the largest global ministry addressing the issue of faith and same-sex attraction is hoping to reach a group of people that often go ignored or unnoticed in the Christian church. This will be the ministry’s first event since assuming leadership of the conference when it comes to Skyline Church in San Diego on March 6.

Focus on the Family originally launched Love Won Out in 1998 to educate and equip Christians to compassionately respond to the subject of homosexuality in a biblical way. Since then, the conference has traveled to more than 60 cities worldwide and in August, it announced Love Won Out’s transition to Exodus International, a longtime ally in the effort to educate the church about biblical sexuality.

While much of the conference structure will remain unchanged, the event will now offer a session specifically geared to pastors and church staff to enable them to compassionately reach those dealing with these issues in their church. It will also offer a Spouses Only session, led by Mike Goeke whose own marriage underwent a crisis due to his struggle with same-sex attraction.

Statistically, the highest number of attendees at the Love Won Out conference are family members and friends committed to demonstrating Christ-like compassion to a gay-identified loved one. The second highest are pastors and church staff who want to help church members touched in some way by homosexuality. A high number of men and women experiencing conflict between their faith and their same-sex attraction also attend the conference. Love Won Out is also seeing an increase in the number of spouses married to a husband or wife conflicted by their attractions. Often these hurting men and women are unable to share their heartache within many churches for fear of rejection. Love Won Out wants to change that.

Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, said, “All too often the controversial nature of this issue grabs the spotlight, but there are hurting people living in the shadows who need practical help and compassionate encouragement. We want to put an arm around this often hidden group of men and women and help others better understand these issues so that the isolation and rejection many of us experienced will no longer be typical of Christian churches across America.”

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Founded in 1976, Exodus International is the largest Christian organization dealing with homosexual issues in the world today. With over 230 affiliates in its network, Exodus is a dynamic outreach ministry dedicated to sharing the hope of freedom through the power of Jesus Christ.