LifeWay, ERLC emphasize ministry to homosexuals

By Bill Webb

A Southern Baptist Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals calls on churches to reach out in “proactive and redemptive” ways to men and women who struggle with homosexuality.

The report of the task force, a joint effort between LifeWay Christian Resources and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), was released during LifeWay’s report to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) messengers in Phoenix.

“Homosexuality is neither the unpardonable sin, nor the worst possible sin nor the sign of God’s permanent rejection,” said ERLC President Richard Land.

Reading 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, he added, “The operative part of the passage for the task force is ‘Some of you were like this.’ These people were no longer like this. They had been cleansed and had been changed by the blood of Christ.

“Homosexuals can find freedom from this sinful, destructive lifestyle. They can be redeemed. They can be liberated, right now,” Land said.

Churches can find resources on the Web sites of both LifeWay and the ERLC, he said. Messengers were encouraged to consult a new LifeWay site that focuses on resources for ministries to homosexuals: http://lifeway.com/thewayout.

Jimmy Draper, president of LifeWay, said the task force came in response to a motion two years earlier by Bob Stith, pastor of Carroll Baptist Church in South Lake, Texas, who requested a task force “to inform, educate and encourage our people to be proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same sex attraction.”

The convention will not be starting from scratch in assisting churches in the emphasis, Draper said. “We discovered that our SBC entities are already involved in reaching homosexuals with the gospel and educating people about this issue. We also discovered that a number of Southern Baptist churches have established ministries to reach out to homosexuals.”

Draper suggested to “first, … let God touch your heart. … The second thing you must do is be God’s feet in walking homosexuals into a new life in Christ.”