June 20, 2013

On Wednesday June 19, 2013 Exodus International announced that the organization will be shut down.

Exodus International and Exodus Global Alliance are independent organizations. As completely independent organizations, the mission and activities of Exodus Global Alliance are independent of Exodus International.

Both organizations were started by people who experienced a same-sex orientation and responded to a call of God to share their positive experience of Christian faith and life transformation with others in the LGBT community. The organizations have shared similar missions but have carried them out in different ways.

The recent announcements and actions of Exodus International do not represent the mission of Exodus Global Alliance.

Exodus Global Alliance continues to believe that Jesus Christ came to do that which we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus Christ invites people who experience same-sex attractions to be part of God’s kingdom and the local church. Jesus Christ calls us to ‘be transformed by the renewing of our minds’ (Romans 12:2), to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7), to ‘follow Him’ (John 12:26), to ‘deny ourselves and take up our crosses’ (Mark 8:34), to ‘love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength’ (Mark 12:30). It is the power of Christ in us that transforms our lives and enables us to partner with God in this process. God’s plans for us do not change. His message does not change.

The mission of Exodus Global Alliance continues to be:

• Proclaiming that faith in Christ and a transformed life is possible through the transforming power of Jesus Christ for people who experience same-sex attractions or are involved in homosexuality.
• Equipping Christians and churches to uphold the Biblical view of sexuality while responding with compassion and grace to those impacted by homosexuality.
• Serving people impacted by homosexuality through Christian fellowship and Christian discipleship.

August 20, 2013

Exodus Global Alliance is a Christian ministry to people impacted by homosexuality.

Exodus Global Alliance has three missions:

1. Proclaiming that faith in Christ and a transformed life is possible through the power of Jesus Christ for people who experience same-sex attractions and people involved in homosexuality.
2. Equipping Christians and churches to uphold the Biblical view of sexuality while responding with compassion and grace to those affected by homosexuality.
3. Serving people affected by homosexuality through Christian fellowship and Christian discipleship.

Exodus Global Alliance is guided in these missions by the following principles from Scripture.

God clearly says in Scripture that He loves all people and that every person is born with the dignity of being made in God’s image. Scripture also says that every person is born with the devastation of sin. The primary impact of sin’s devastation is that we are born spiritually dead. The devastation of sin also includes sinfulness in our sexual relationships: every person will be tempted to use sexuality in ways that are in conflict with God’s intention. For some people the temptation will be sexual intimacy with the same gender. Homosexual activity and expression are outside of God's design. Homosexual behavior, not the feelings or the temptation, is sinful. The most important problem of those impacted with homosexuality is not sexual, but spiritual – they are spiritually dead and need life, they need a change of spiritual orientation rather than a change of sexual orientation.

God has good news for people who experience same-sex attractions and people involved in homosexuality. Becoming alive in Christ and His disciple is offered to everyone. The redemptive power of Jesus Christ is equally available to all people, including those involved in homosexuality. God’s redemptive work raises us from the dead, giving us spiritual life, frees us from the power of sin, and changes us in ways that may not always be clear to the outside world, but are always powerful and real to the changed man or woman.

The grace of God offered in Jesus Christ is not merely forgiveness for one’s sins but also supernatural life – Christ’s own Life as our life; this results in life empowered by the Holy Spirit. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ work, rather than our own, for our relationship to God and our daily life, then God’s power comes upon us and works in and through us. We are changed, renewed, transformed. We are given new identities, that of beloved children of God. And having His very nature, we rejoice in doing His will in all areas of life.

Change is not a formula or a program. Change occurs through a relationship with Jesus as a result of being made a new person by God. This is accomplished by the work of Jesus. Jesus removes our sin and sets us free from sin’s power. And Jesus himself becomes our life – we receive his very nature. When we understand and believe we are new people, we can then experience such fundamental change that Scriptures describes life in Christ as being born again.

By freedom we mean that we are no longer under the bondage of any sin; instead, we are free to experience who we are in Christ, and who Christ is in us. This leads to a willing submission of one’s sexuality to the Lordship of Christ and integration of our sexuality with our faith. Understanding we are beloved children of God leads to a desire to live in such a manner that is coherent with the nature of Christ in us.

Some claim that homosexuals must change their sexual orientation in order to be accepted by God; others say that such change is not only unnecessary, but also not possible. Exodus Global Alliance believes that the Bible shows us that there are only two kinds of people as far as God is concerned: those who were born in Adam and are spiritually dead; and those who were re-born in Christ and have been made alive by the life of Christ.

This supernatural change then results in many changes including a change in the way we define ourselves, changes in the way we express our sexuality, changes in the social structures and activities that we use to support our identity and changes in our feelings so that they do not control or rule our lives. All of these are external reflections of new life in Christ.

For some, this transformation may include a change in unwanted sexual desires. For others, it may mean the grace to live in obedience in spite of ongoing urges to do what God forbids. Either way, Scripture gives believers assurance that those who walk in the Spirit will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

The church is God’s first choice for reaching and transforming people. The Body of Christ, both local churches and individual Christians, is to reach out to all people. This includes people involved in homosexually and people who experience same-sex attractions, reaching them with the love of Jesus Christ as exhibited by Jesus himself in his ministry on earth. We seek to encourage and equip churches to share a redemptive biblical worldview and be committed to being inviting places of worship for those impacted by homosexuality.

In addition, the church has a key role in helping people experience new life in Christ and its attendant freedom and change. God uses the fellowship, discipleship, worship and prayer of Christians in a local church to enable us to know and experience the new life in Christ. People impacted by homosexuality should receive the same fellowship and discipleship as any other person so that they too can know and experience new life in Christ.

Because people want help and support in their life in Christ, Exodus provides a diverse set of services and resources for individuals, as well as family and friends. These services include Christian fellowship, Christian discipleship, support groups, personal Bible study, individual and pastoral counselling, Christian publications, on-line groups, seminars and conferences. Some of these are provided by Exodus. Some of these are provided by a network of churches, local ministries, and individuals. The particular services and resources vary from place to place according to the gifts of the people in ministry.