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History
New Direction Ministries began in 1985 as a small Bible study for people of faith addressing personal questions of sexuality. As the ministry developed, counseling, support groups, and equipping for the church were offered.
Since those early days, New Direction has touched the lives of many same-gender-attracted individuals, their families, and their churches. New Direction is not tied to any particular church denomination. We connect with people across a diverse spectrum of culture, belief, and practice. Our goal is to foster safe and hospitable space for those outside the heterosexual mainstream to explore and grow in faith in Jesus Christ.
In the twenty plus years that the ministry has been serving the individual and the church, our society and culture have changed dramatically. Having been a member ministry of Exodus International since the beginning, New Direction left Exodus in 2007. This decision was made in light of our distinct identity and no longer fitting an ex-gay paradigm of ministry: 1. We consider the question of causation to be an unnecessary point of disagreement between the Christian community and the gay community. Our understanding of current research indicates that there is no singular, conclusive causative factor - but that a complex combination of both physiological and environmental factors may impact different people to different degrees. We challenge a simplistic, reductionistic focus on environmental factors such as family dynamics or childhood sexual abuse. 2. Our review of current research around re-orientation suggests that a change in persistent, dominant sexual orientation is rare. We also acknowledge that coercive pressure to attempt to change one's orientation (ie. such as change being presented as the only way to experience God's love or redemption) can be harmful on multiple levels. We are not focused on orientation change in our pastoral engagement with people outside the heterosexual mainstream. 3. We are not engaged with public initiatives which seek to limit equality extended to the glbtqi community. We want to raise our voice on behalf of justice initiatives that are consistent with the good news of Jesus Christ. 4. We want to create and nurture a place where multiple outcomes to the journey of integrating faith and sexuality are recognized, diversity is respected, and every individual can be encouraged to explore and grow in faith in Jesus Christ. The transition from being an ex-gay ministry to embracing an identity as bridge-builders in the midst of diversity around faith and sexuality has not been a quick or easy one. Such a transition can also raise suspicion as to our true motives and true activities as a ministry. Our current strategic directions include: 1. Connection - we connect with people at a relational and conversational level across the broad spectrum of faith and sexuality. Such individuals include gay, straight, bisexual, transgendered and intersexed, Christian, agnostic, atheist, other religions, post-Christian, pastors, parents, friends, teachers, social workers, counselors, ministry leaders, denominational executives, missionaries. We engage people at our office, in the coffee-shop, by phone, email, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, our blog and other blogs. These connections range from general conversation about faith and sexuality to consultative inquiries, to mentoring, pastoral care or spiritual direction, to restorative, reconciliation focused processing, to simply sharing mutual journeys of faith. We don't offer professional counseling - but do connect people with referral professionals if that is what they are seeking. We value people owning their own journey and we trust the Holy Spirit to direct and guide each person in the development of their faith as they grow in the context of community.
2. Equipping - we engage in our community to offer equipping in a variety of capacities. Ranging from speaking engagements, preaching, workshops, day-long seminars, and individual consultations, we are committed to helping people understand the complex realities surrounding sexual identity. While most of our work is within the Christian community, we have also had opportunity to work with secular social service agencies.
3. Resources - we are committed to developing catalytic resources that will get people thinking beyond their assumptions and certainties around the integration of faith and sexuality. These resources range from free online articles, blog posts and podcasts, to for-purchase products such as our "Bridging the Gap" DVD.
Along with this corporate site, New Direction is also involved with several other websites. Our blog: www.btgproject.blogspot.com contains our latest thinking and engagement on the realities around faith and sexuality. We also have two additional satellite sites: www.reconnecting.ca and www.freetobeme.com. These sites were initially developed over ten years ago. Along the way we have done some minor edits and tweaking - but we recognize that it is time these sites received a major overhaul so that their content is more consistent with the ethos and values articulated here and on our blog. This, too, is part of the ongoing evolution and transition for an organization like New Direction. We appreciate your patience as we juggle many different initiatives with limited staff and limited resources.
At New Direction, we believe God is calling us to engage our culture in a winsome manner and with transformational impact. New Direction is a credible, relevant resource demonstrating a commitment to Christ-centered hospitality. We promote respectful dialogue and compassionate service and engagement.
We seek to be a catalyst within the Christian community to be proactive in reaching out and ministering the love and grace of Christ in the lives of our gay neighbours.
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