"Fish On The Other Side", Jesus Christ

That's our Vision! FOTOS is a calling to "love like Jesus" so that many might come to receive Eternal Life through Christ. Our four Vision principles are to Share, Care, Heal and Protect.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you are GLBT, please see GLBT where we explain our intentions behind each of these Vision Principles.  

VISION PRINCIPLE 1 - Share the Gospel within reach of GLBT Communities.

“Jesus’ method was to touch the heart of the individual so that he or she responded to Him out of love for Him, rather than from compulsion or control.” (Page 159, "Jesus Among Other Gods", Ravi Zacharias, 2000) 

A most difficult and yet the most urgent call for the Local Church is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into GLBT Communities. The difficulty is not only in what to say; but also in how to overcome the fierce hostility that many GLBT persons feel toward evangelicals. Let's face it, we the Church have rejected them; we have limited our ministry to fighting their activists; we have preached from the pulpit about compassion towards them but the media has often publicized the more hateful voices attributed to Christianity. To put it lightly, we have a credibility problem...

FOTOS Founder Bill Henson says, "When we share, they expect to hear hate. And so we need to first publicly apologize for the way the Church has often treated GLBT persons. Then, we should share the Gospel in a personal and authentic way that does not drive people away from Jesus, but rather attracts them toward the Savior who loves them as much as He loves us. And in a way that reveals our own imperfections so that it is clear we are not judging them. Above all, we should listen to their stories and seek to first understand GLBT people and their needs. In short, we should encounter them with the value that Christ feels for them...the same value He feels for you and I."

Much of the GLBT Community will not come to our churches. If we want to reach them, we have to "fish on the other side" and GO to them. And of course that is Christ's call to the Church - "Therefore GO..."

VISION PRINCIPLE 2 - Care for families in our churches who have GLBT loved ones.

Many Christian parents of GLBT children suffer in silence and isolation. The Church - at least in the past - has either overtly or seemingly conveyed that homosexuality is experienced only by those outside Christianity. Historically, some parents in the Church have sadly been told to "cut off" or "limit" relations with their GLBT children. Even today, many Christian parents feel that as a "good" Christian they must limit interaction with their GLBT children so as to not convey affirmation of their "lifestyle". But for those of us that have come out of homosexuality, we know that the last thing that ANY child needs is further rejection! And the last thing that ANY parent needs is aloneness and the isolating sense that no one understands.

We, the Church, need to create an accessible yet confidential meeting place where such parents can come together to encourage one another and discuss ways to maintain strong relationships with their GLBT children. A generation ago, the Church could ignore this need because it was supposedly "outside" the Church. But today, we all recognize that it's no longer just "their" children who are gay...it's "our" children too!

We must let parents know that the Church and the Bible encourage them to love, accept and actively connect with their children. Bill adds, "If it were not for a strong relationship with my parents, I might not have been able to hear the Lord's still, small voice..." Bill is clear to say, "We make NO promises that someone's child will surrender their sexual/gender identity to Christ - but whether they live out their identity or surrender it...we as parents are called to love our children as the Father loved the Prodigal Son. After all, we're all prodigal children and yet He loves us. He loves our children too..." 

Parents in our churches need encouragement and support. It's time we "fish on the other side" and give families a safe place to meet with other parents in similar circumstances. And of course that is Christ's command to the Church - "Love one another..." Check out our Family Care Seminar which ministers to families with a special half-day, confidential workshop.

VISION PRINCIPLE 3 - Offer healing to those in our churches seeking such help.

Many of our largest Churches lack healing ministries to the sexually and relationally broken. Yet today there are numerous programs (see Resources) that provide prayer, fellowship, worship, teaching and small group interaction to those seeking such help.  

While as little as a decade ago such programs ministered exclusively to gay men, a quiet revolution has been underway and today such healing ministries positively touch the lives of men and women, homosexual and heterosexual, of all kinds of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Bill Henson says, "We in the Church have an epidemic of sexual immorality. And it's not homosexuality. It's online pornography...a functional addiction that allows men to act out in the privacy of their own home. What's sad is that it's not like these men want to be in this place - they want out but are trapped. They simply can't find freedom because they desperately fear rejection if any other Christian knows about their struggle. They are hiding in the shadows when what they really need is the bright and loving Light of Christ. Healing ministries provide the opportunity for Christ's Light to heal and set free those in the shadows."  

We the Church need to rise up to protect our fellow brothers and sisters! Only in the Light of Christ can these powerful addictions be broken - it is the responsibility of the Local Church to provide a safe place for those who have a heart to repent and surrender to Christ. They will need all the love and acceptance that the Body of Christ can possibly give to find the freedom that Christ promises!

Many men and women in our churches - homosexual and heterosexual - need the Light of Christ to shine into the shadows of their hearts as they seek to surrender and receive healing for various forms of sexual and relational brokenness. It's time we "fish on the other side" and minister Christ's healing touch to those who are seeking such help. As Jesus promises, "So if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed."  

PRINCIPLE 4 - Protect all people who are touched by homosexuality.

We as the Body of Christ are called to care for those who are weak; for the fatherless; for the needy; for the young; and for those who are ostracized by society. This call is not based upon the "goodness" of people or else Christ surely would not protect us. No, this call is not based upon "goodness" - it is simply a call to love, care and protect all who are weak. Our last FOTOS principle is to do just that - to protect the value and dignity of all GLBT people (including those who experience unwatned same-sex attraction)who are touched by homosexuality and to defend their right to live life free from harm and intimidation.

The first group of people affected by homosexuality are those who identify as GLBT and live in same-sex relationships. We must sufficiently convey a deep love and respect for them and never lose sight that Christ's invitation to salvation is freely and inclusively offered to them - indeed, we are to offer this salvation to them as ambassadors of Christ. Jesus asks us to "remove the log from our own eye so that we might help our brother who has a speck in his eye." Jesus further says, "Do not judge or you too will be judged." Romans 2 further humbles us before we speak about the eternal status of others. And so we want to offer GLBT persons the kindness of God and dialogue civilly about our respective differences in belief and interpretation of the Bible. It is only by God's patience, tolerance and kindness that any of us are able to come to Him in full surrender of our deeply held frailties and failures - our lusts; our gossips; our greeds; our loves of money, materialism and consumerism; our oversights of poverty, the fatherless and other social justice issues. Yes, Romans 2 is right when it says that we do "the same things" as those we are most prone to judge. This cuts both ways of course. Thus, let evangelicals and GLBT persons actively engage each other in the pursuit of Biblical truth...yet let us always do so with love for one another as Christ commands.

The second group of people affected by homosexuality are Christians who do not consider themselves to be homosexual by "identity" but nonetheless struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions. As much as those who live out their gay identity deserve respect, dignity and a life free of harm and intimidation, so do these Christians who are at times caught in a no-man's land between evangelicals and the GLBT community. Such individuals should be ministered to with great care in our churches and offered the assistance they seek with regard to healing. Likewise, GLBT persons should take care to treat them with equal respect - as it would simply violate their conscience and cause them spiritual harm to embrace a same-sex relationship. The provision of healing resources for such persons should not be interpreted as forcing "healing" upon those not interested in such healing...nor should it be viewed as an effort to destroy gay culture. The provision of healing programs is simply an offering within the church for people who have a voluntary spiritual conviction that they are called to surrender this area of their life to Christ. 

The third group of people affected by homosexuality are children. We have within the last decade entered into a new era where adults debating tough issues like homosexuality are taking such debates into the classrooms of children as young as six (6) years old. All of us who identify ourselves as Christ-followers are clearly aware of the warnings Christ gives to those who prematurely interrupt the innocence of these little ones. We should jointly work to remove this adult debate from elementary classrooms and curricula to ensure that children too young to understand sexual issues are not victimized by lost innocence. No matter what each of us believes the Bible says about homosexuality, we jointly stand before Christ with a serious obligation to protect the young.

The fourth and final group of people affected by homosexuality are young adolescents and teens in vulnerable stages of sexual development. This is our Safe Families - Safe Churches Initiative. We should promote "safe" families where Moms and Dads are physically and emotionally present in our children's lives to promote strong, confident, and healthy gender and sexual identity in our children. A "safe" family is one where the messiness and confusion of sexual development can be openly discussed and where children are cared for passionately and loved unconditionally. We should also promote "safe" churches where our pastors and parents can give our youth permission to be vulnerable with their doubts, confusions and struggles in regard to sexual development. It is only in this "safe" place that our youth can be cared for so that they securely know they are loved and accepted for who they are by their church family. We want our children to know that whether they face heterosexual or homosexual sexual purity struggles, that we as their pastors and parents are there to walk with them through such struggles caring for them with great compassion and loving them without condition. We want them to know that our churches are their home no matter what they face. Whether our children grow up heterosexual or homosexual, safe families and safe churches can eliminate years of deeply painful repression - a significant contributing factor behind teen suicide. We want our teens to know they are WANTED: ALIVE and FULL OF LIFE! Knowing they are deeply loved...and that God has an incredible plan and purpose for their life! One suicide is one too many.       

A Call to Evangelical Christianity...

FOTOS Ministries is charting a new course for Christian ministry to GLBT persons and their families. The Church ignored the GLBT Community when they were powerless. The Church ignored their families too. Now that they have power, many para-church movements engage the GLBT Community principally in what we refer to as the "Culture War." Although many evangelical pastors preach compassion and love towards GLBT persons in our churches, the voices broadcast by media as ambassadors of Evangelical Christianity often do not convey this love and compassion. Still other minority and very extreme voices convey outright hatred toward the GLBT Community as they purport to represent Evangelical Christianity. In short, we have a significant credibility problem...

Beyond the Culture War, Christ is Calling...

It's time we GO outside our Churches to clarify the message of the Gospel and share the love of Christ within reach of GLBT Communities; it's time we care for their families in our churches; it's time we welcome healing ministries into our Churches for all people seeking help with sexual and relational brokenness; and it's time that we value and protect the dignity of all who are touched by homosexuality. It's time we...

"Fish On The Other Side."   

Will you join us?

You can reach FOTOS Ministries toll-free at (877) 683-6867

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