Exodus International to Shut Down and Start Over

The news is coming fast and furious today.
On their blog, Exodus International announced that the organization will be shut down with a new organization to follow. Here is the press release:

Exodus International to Shut Down

Thirty-seven-year-old ministry for those with same-sex attraction marks its last national conference 

Irvine, Calif. (June 19, 2013) — Exodus International, the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality announced tonight that it’s closing its doors after three-plus decades of ministry. The Board of Directors reached a decision after a year of dialogue and prayer about the organization’s place in a changing culture.
“We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change – and they want to be heard,” Tony Moore, Board member of Exodus. The message came less than a day after Exodus released a statement apologizing (www.exodusinternational.org/apology) to the gay community for years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole.
“Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism,” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”
Chambers continued: “From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.”
For these reasons, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to close Exodus International and begin a separate ministry. “This is a new season of ministry, to a new generation,” said Chambers. “Our goals are to reduce fear (reducefear.org), and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming, and mutually transforming communities.”
Local affiliated ministries, which have always been autonomous, will continue, but not under the name or umbrella of Exodus.
Exodus President, Alan Chambers, is available for interviews. For press credentials or to set up an interview, contact Amy Tracy at 407/808-9831 or 719/355-9075; [email protected]. For additional information and a schedule of activities, please go to http://www.exodusfreedom.org.  
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24 thoughts on “Exodus International to Shut Down and Start Over”

  2. Warren…this is really great news and validates the path you chose 5 years ago. I so deeply respect your courage and adherence to “all the truth” in moving people on both sides of this debate.

  4. Warren…this is really great news and validates the path you chose 5 years ago. I so deeply respect your courage and adherence to “all the truth” in moving people on both sides of this debate.

  5. With a new ‘ministry’ (and his qualifications for launching such a thing are… ?) it’s beginning to sound like a product launch.
    And let’s just take a moment to remember the kids who killed themselves or ended up on the streets.

  6. Exodus demonstrates a familiar pattern; A 501(c)3 being run by someone with no business experience running anything. After losing about 200K in 2010 they failed to reduce their budget and lost another 200K in 2011 which put them on the verge of insolvency. About 25% of revenues were derived from conference registrations. I suspect that 2012 left them with negative working capital and net asset value.
    Chambers’ “apology” left many unanswered questions and was written like a PR puff piece.
    Sounds like he needs a new racket. It’s either that or get a real job.

  7. Brown’s question about how ‘the world’ sees ‘the Church’ is a very apposite one, but I suspect I would draw rather different conclusions from an exploration of that question than would he.
    The fact is that, in a number of places, ‘homosexuality’ (something that is often differently understood by different people) is a ‘hot political issue’, and the Church should not IMO get involved with it ‘as an issue’ (Jesus never mentioned it as such), but rather always seek to minister as best she may to people ‘where they are’. What we are now witnessing are splits in the Church as a result of ‘political stances’ being taken.
    Where I think Chambers is getting it so RIGHT is that he seems to be saying that he understands that embracing ‘pat answers’ (“all a gay [or straight, or bisexual, or ‘closeted’, or whatever] person must do is XYZ and things will be hunky-dory”) to complex issues is not the way forward. I’m sure that I, and others, will in the future find matters of detail on which he and I (and others) disagree. But that of itself doesn’t matter; what matters is ‘process’ and dialogue. None of us has a monopoly on the truth.

  8. “I got it wrong; I’m sorry.” These are words that Christians should utter (to God and/or others and/or themselves) on a regular basis.
    “Someone else got it wrong, and I’ll make sure they are sorry.” This is probably the cause of most of the world’s problems.

  9. This has just affirmed the Faith of the True Believers.

    Exodus International has just announced it is shutting down, but since it has recently departed from its original mission and embraced some dangerous theology, that is actually something positive, and, thank God, there already is a network raised up to take its place. For more information, go here: http://www.lineoffireradio.com/2013/06/12/a-new-organization-for-ex-gays-and-how-the-world-sees-the-church-and-why/.

    – Dr Michael Brown

  10. With a new ‘ministry’ (and his qualifications for launching such a thing are… ?) it’s beginning to sound like a product launch.
    And let’s just take a moment to remember the kids who killed themselves or ended up on the streets.

  11. Exodus demonstrates a familiar pattern; A 501(c)3 being run by someone with no business experience running anything. After losing about 200K in 2010 they failed to reduce their budget and lost another 200K in 2011 which put them on the verge of insolvency. About 25% of revenues were derived from conference registrations. I suspect that 2012 left them with negative working capital and net asset value.
    Chambers’ “apology” left many unanswered questions and was written like a PR puff piece.
    Sounds like he needs a new racket. It’s either that or get a real job.

  12. Brown’s question about how ‘the world’ sees ‘the Church’ is a very apposite one, but I suspect I would draw rather different conclusions from an exploration of that question than would he.
    The fact is that, in a number of places, ‘homosexuality’ (something that is often differently understood by different people) is a ‘hot political issue’, and the Church should not IMO get involved with it ‘as an issue’ (Jesus never mentioned it as such), but rather always seek to minister as best she may to people ‘where they are’. What we are now witnessing are splits in the Church as a result of ‘political stances’ being taken.
    Where I think Chambers is getting it so RIGHT is that he seems to be saying that he understands that embracing ‘pat answers’ (“all a gay [or straight, or bisexual, or ‘closeted’, or whatever] person must do is XYZ and things will be hunky-dory”) to complex issues is not the way forward. I’m sure that I, and others, will in the future find matters of detail on which he and I (and others) disagree. But that of itself doesn’t matter; what matters is ‘process’ and dialogue. None of us has a monopoly on the truth.

  13. Exodus demonstrates a familiar pattern; A 501(c)3 being run by someone with no business experience running anything. After losing about 200K in 2010 they failed to reduce their budget and lost another 200K in 2011 which put them on the verge of insolvency. About 25% of revenues were derived from conference registrations. I suspect that 2012 left them with negative working capital and net asset value.
    Chambers’ “apology” left many unanswered questions and was written like a PR puff piece. When Chambers put Jeremy on that list-serve that was pretty much his “I’ve had it.” Butterfly still yearns for the handsome Lt. Pinkerton. This is all not going to end well.

  14. “I got it wrong; I’m sorry.” These are words that Christians should utter (to God and/or others and/or themselves) on a regular basis.
    “Someone else got it wrong, and I’ll make sure they are sorry.” This is probably the cause of most of the world’s problems.

  17. This has just affirmed the Faith of the True Believers.

    Exodus International has just announced it is shutting down, but since it has recently departed from its original mission and embraced some dangerous theology, that is actually something positive, and, thank God, there already is a network raised up to take its place. For more information, go here: http://www.lineoffireradio.com/2013/06/12/a-new-organization-for-ex-gays-and-how-the-world-sees-the-church-and-why/.

    – Dr Michael Brown

  18. Exodus demonstrates a familiar pattern; A 501(c)3 being run by someone with no business experience running anything. After losing about 200K in 2010 they failed to reduce their budget and lost another 200K in 2011 which put them on the verge of insolvency. About 25% of revenues were derived from conference registrations. I suspect that 2012 left them with negative working capital and net asset value.
    Chambers’ “apology” left many unanswered questions and was written like a PR puff piece. When Chambers put Jeremy on that list-serve that was pretty much his “I’ve had it.” Butterfly still yearns for the handsome Lt. Pinkerton. This is all not going to end well.

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