In early April, 2016 Transform Minnesota and Bethel University hosted a church summit called “Holy Sexuality in Today’s Society.” Our Holy Sexuality in Today’s World Church Summit was so popular at Bethel University, it reached capacity, so we hosted a second summit in Cambridge, MN and had over 100 attendees. Evangelical scholar and psychologist from Regent University, Mark Yarhouse presented on how to unpack LGBTQ, how to understand gender dysphoria in our culture, and sexual identity from a Christian perspective. Biblical scholar Dr. Paul Eddy of Bethel University, presented on the Biblical theology of human sexuality, and the emphasis God puts on covenant relationships.
Dr. Paul Eddy defines covenant as a committed, community-based, kinship-creating, agape love relationship. But he says it can be simplified down to two simple words: love formalized. Dr. Eddy believes studying covenants gives believers a better sense of God’s heart for how He shapes relationships. At his Covenantal Theology training at City Church on July 13, Dr. Eddy shared how we can improve our marriages by accurately viewing them as Kingdom-oriented covenants. Through that Kingdom-oriented lens, sex within a male-female marriage becomes the sign of the covenant. He urged church leaders to teach Kingdom Marriages, that put the Kingdom community and the imaging of the triune God at the center of it.
A newly-launched Super Run 5k walk/run in Minneapolis is responding to the harsh reality of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation that is happening on our streets EVERY DAY - and as law enforcement prepares to see a surge in sex trafficking coming to our city on Super Bowl weekend 2018. Led by a group of churches, ministries, organizations and businesses, the Off the Streets Super Run is planned for the Saturday before Super Bowl LI in 2017 and Super Bowl LII in 2018, held in Minneapolis.
On July 19, 2017 Transform Minnesota hosted 140 people at Wooddale Church for a seminar called “Uncovering Hidden Shame,” offering resources and expertise on the slippery slope of sin that leads to prostitution, the spiritual dimension of treating sexual addiction, and why evangelical Christians need to develop a theology of healthy sexuality in church. As many churches work to ramp up anti-trafficking efforts, make your church a place of restoration and redemption. We believe churches should resource and help restore men and women involved in sexual addiction, prostitution and pornography.
“Typically people want to engage this trafficking problem in a really visibly meaningful way. They want to give themselves something to assess, report, measure, like recovering victims or mentoring victims. The problem with that thinking is that it generally means people want to be involved in the knee-deep place of pulling victims out of sex trafficking. Think about how impractical most of that work is for the majority of people," said Sgt. Grant Snyder of the Minneapolis Police Department’s Human Trafficking task force. Sgt. Snyder shared some assessment tools in how to best help in anti-trafficking efforts, including the importance of prayer and prevention work.
4 Questions to Ask Ourselves Before We Start Doing Anti-Trafficking Justice Work. This list was presented by Sgt. Grant Snyder, of the Minneapolis Police Department’s Human Trafficking task force at our Anti-Trafficking: Post-Game Plan Breakfast on March 5, 2018.
On Thursday August 23rd, 2018 we launched our fall “Reexamining Sexuality” workshop series with teachings on reexamining our view of God (Imago Dei). In the first (of three) workshop session, Becky Patton lays the foundation for the interwoven nature of spirituality and sexuality.
Before we could start reexamining sexuality, we examined the value of having a healthy view of God: as the creator of sex, desire, gender, mind, body and spirit. Next, we focused on reexamining our views of ourselves and others as image bearers of God. Finally, we embraced God’s good design for having a healthy view of sexuality and of being sexual and spiritual beings. Transform Minnesota believes in the power of diving into the complex issues surrounding sexuality in today’s society. It is only through having a healthy view of God, ourselves and others that our society can hold a healthy view and experience of sex.
Pastor Peter Haas writes a pastor's column on God's plan for sexual brokenness. He writes "all of us have sexual brokenness. Yet, God’s plan isn’t to oppress us but set us free." This blog also acts as a resource for various questions Substance Church has received about marriage and sexuality, along with Bible and research advice.
Pastor Terry Parkman is the NextGen Pastor at River Valley Church. He writes about the importance of tying purity to God's will when mentoring teenagers. He writes how compromising purity, loses a bit of who God created us to be. Pastor Terry writes about the importance of pre-decision in a dating relationship; deciding beforehand what one's standards are, not in the midst of lust or emotion. He shares how guarding your heart begins with giving it to the One who crafted it in the first place.
On Sunday, February 24, 2019 over 450 people packed Substance Church’s downtown campus to hear world-renown Christian speaker Sy Rogers at the “God, Sex and Culture” evening forum. Sy Rogers spoke about the sexual brokenness and temptations of all humans. And offered an assuring message of the hope that God is our redemptive advocate when it comes to our struggles. The sanctuary was full of people from all ages and stages. Many youth leaders said they felt more equipped to tackle subjects of sexuality with their youth groups.
Sy Rogers, world-renown Christian speaker and communicator brought a message of encouragement to Christian leaders on February 25, 2019 on how to tackle the subject of healthy sexuality and responsible stewardship of our sexual desires in the Church. Attendees left the God, Sex and the Church leadership conference inspired by Sy’s depiction of God, and His redemptive advocacy, especially in areas of sexuality.
Transform Minnesota hosted president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, Preston Sprinkle for two sold out events early this November.
Our heart is to equip the Church in steadfast scriptural foundations while encouraging compassionate, Christ-like navigation of today’s more challenging topics.
Rachel’s testimony begins with a secular family in a conservative area of California and ends with a radical understanding of God and His holiness.
A list of helpful resources as follow up to our Sexuality, Gender and the Church conference.
Transform Minnesota remains committed to equipping leaders to apply a biblical sexual ethic to questions they navigate within their ministry.
A discussion about finding God-honoring identity language which describes the experience of individuals who experience same-sex attraction.
Dr. Greg Coles explores how the Church can apply a biblical sexual ethic for gay and straight members of church community.
Two Posture Shift Intensive Courses offered participants a model for inclusion and care of LGBT+ individuals within their ministries.
Pastors and leaders worked to understand sexuality and gender beyond personal identity and learned more about fostering belonging in churches
