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My first draft of this was over ten pages. I hope you sense the grace that went into cutting it in half.
Over the last week I have seen so many courageous people come forward with stories of the ways in which YoungLife has hurt them. I feel it is important to declare none of these stories have shocked or surprised me. Each person who has shared their story admits that the history they have with YoungLife is complicated. I too have fond memories of YoungLife, and I too have lasting pain from YoungLife. I encourage you to read and donate priority to the stories appearing with the hasthtag #DoBetterYoungLife. Their voices are important and their experiences speak to a pain that I can never experience. But based on these stories and on my own personal experiences in YoungLife, I too join in their call in compelling the ministry to do better.
I was 13 years old when YoungLife first entered my world and it became the companion to my experience until I was 27. For nearly fifteen years, half of my whole life, I was a proud participant, volunteer, and employee. Nearly all of my good friends I owe to YoungLife. The most joyful High Academy and College life I owe to YoungLife. I serve in minis
It’s been nearly a year since Young Life — a Colorado Springs-based Christian ministry that runs camps and youth groups around the world — announced the creation of a council in response to a viral movement that alleged organizational discrimination against LGBTQ people.
The council, Young Being leaders said, would hear to the hundreds of stories pouring out on social media, stories of queer youth describing the rejection and heartbreak of learning they couldn’t be gay and also aid in leadership roles.
The corporation apologized to those damage during their time in Young Life, and pledged “a long process of review, reflection, repentance and reform.”
Last month, that council — whose members were never publicized — sent out a confidential document to top staff, clarifying for the first occasion in detail Young Life’s “sexual conduct policy.” The document, which was not publicly released but has been reviewed by The Denver Post, says “same-sex attracted, celibate people can be considered as candidates for staff and volunteer leadership.”
But the organization goes on to say that leaders “pursuing same-s
(RNS) — Kent Thomas’ parents and sister grew up as members of Fresh Life, the international evangelical ministry for kids and juvenile adults, and at 24 years antique, Thomas, too, was well on his way to becoming a Young Animation “lifer.” He attended one of the organization’s camps through middle school and later stepped up Young Life’s ladder of intern, public figure, work crew member, summer guide and eventually mountain reference at Beyond Malibu, a Young Experience camp in the mountains of British Columbia.
Raised a Christian in Tacoma, Wash., Thomas said the camp was the place where he found “the most sense of family and being famous that I’ve ever felt.”
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But that sense of belonging was shaken when the organization’s national office told Thomas, in an email, that he couldn’t be a Immature Life leader because he was a gay man in a relationship.
Almost six years later, the rejection haunts him. “I still possess dreams about New Life at least once a week,” said Thomas, now 30. “Sometimes I’m being welcomed as a queer person, sometimes I’m entity ostracized as a queer person.”
In July, after Beyond Mal
Critics Demand Young Life “Fully Affirm Queer Relationships”
A prominent ecumenical Christian ministry is facing criticism from a group of former staff and volunteers who contend that the nearly 80-year-old organization should open direction roles to those in same-sex relationships.
Young Life, the Colorado Springs-based parachurch ministry, operates camps and outreach to teens and juvenile adults across more than 100 countries. It is unclear how extensive or organized the LGBT-affirming pressure campaign is. Religion News Service (RNS) reports this week that it took shape in July as a grassroots campaign that has become a “movement” – citing more than 6,700 signatures for a change.org petition seeking for Young Life to repeal its sexual conduct policy.
It is unclear how many of the signatories possess a connection with Immature Life, which counts approximately 348,000 youth “involved weekly around the world.” The organization has a broad reach to students in middle school, high university and college. Further, extraordinary ministries seek to arrive teen moms and teens with disabilities. Young Existence counts “more than 80,000 staff and volunteers in 104 countries” and notes they minister to m
Young Life Under Pressure to Change Sexual Conduct Policy
A social media campaign started by two gay former Young Life staffers is putting pressure on the youth ministry to transform its position on sexuality.
Kent Thomas and Christina Hofmann — two former Youthful Life staffers who are now openly gay — first shared their stories in July on social media.Thomas used the hashtag #DoBetterYoungLife, and others latched on to the idea.#DoBetterYoungLife has since become a social media campaign advocating for Young Life to change its sexual actions policy for leaders, and to embrace LGBTQ relationships. This hashtag movement now has hundreds of stories via social media.
Young Existence, founded in 1941, is one of the largest evangelical ministries in the country.Headquartered in Colorado Springs, it has chapters at nearly 9,000 schools in all 50 states, plus 90 countries.2018 revenue topped $400-million.
It doesn’t make staff policies public, but its sexual conduct policy (a copy obtained by James Madison University’s student manuscript can be seen here) confines sexual activity to that within heterosexual marriage—just like virtually every evangelical church or ministry.
But New L