Resources: Relational and Sexual Brokenness

Occasionally, I will post information about conferences, para-church ministries, and other resources that have been particularly helpful to us at NCC. One of the toughest situations we encounter as pastors are counseling issues that go beyond our education and experience.

I have lost count of the number of people who have met with me to talk about their relational and sexual struggles. Many were abused emotionally and sexually as children. Many men and women who struggle with pornography and lust. Many NCCers have struggled with sexual orientation issues. It is an amazing blessing to be involved in the lives of these people and to walk with them towards hope and healing in Christ.

At NCC, we have hosted small groups specifically designed for people walking through these issues. And we have also partnered with a para-church group called Regeneration Ministries. I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for the work that Regeneration Ministries offers to the Body of Christ.

Regeneration Ministries is a local Virginia-based ministry that runs a program called Living Waters. Dozens of NCCers have participated in this 9-month program and have found hope and healing from all kinds of relational brokenness-- pornography, lust, promiscuity, abuse, sexual addictions, sexual orientation, etc.

Living Waters is a curriculum created by Desert Stream Ministries, and it is run in different locations all over the United States. They have other programs, as well, including Salt (for men), Cross-Current (8-week introductory course), and the River (Living Waters re-engineered for teenagers and young adults). You can search for groups here. NCC partenered with Regeneration Ministries to offer Cross-Current as a semester-long small group last year.

Here are some other helpful resources:

Exodus International: Umbrella organization for ministries addressing sexual orientation issues. Regeneration Ministries is our local organization. Exodus can direct you to the ministries closest to you.

Regeneration Books: Excellent resources for those walking through relational and sexual brokenness and for those who are friends and families of those dealing with these issues. Orders are completely confidential and the delivery boxes are unmarked to maintain confidentiality.

Love Won Out Conference: By Focus on the Family. I highly recommend this conference to anyone who is a friend or family member of someone facing sexual orientation issues. I also highly recommend it to any pastor or small group leader who might encounter these situations. Absolutely fantastic teaching and Godly perspectives on this important and timely issue.

If anyone else has good resources to recommend on the issues of sexual and relational brokenness, please feel free to post them in the comment thread.