Ron Brookman, who will be stepping down as the leader of Living Waters
One by one, these groups are falling. The largest “ex-gay” organization in Australia, Living Waters, has announced it will close its doors, partially due to lack of interest:
Australian ‘ex-gay’ ministry Living Waters has announced it will close its doors and its national director will resign by the end of the month.
Living Waters national director Ron Brookman made the announcement 12 March in a group newsletter, writing, ‘I sense, and the board and leadership team around me concur that, sadly, it is time to wind up the ministry.’
‘As a matter of integrity I have handed my resignation as Director of LWA to our Board, effective from 31st March. There is no longer a “national” ministry. It has shrunk to 3 groups operating in the Sydney area, extending covering also to a couple of ministries in Victoria.
[…]
Brookman said the reasons for closing the ministry included ‘change in the Church and Christian culture over the last decade,’ deficiencies in his leadership, and ‘wisdom in changing strategy to bring healing to the broken.’
Much of Truth Wins Out’s work has been focused on educating the public about the dangers of the consumer fraud known as “ex-gay” therapy. No major professional medical or mental health organization is willing to endorse the practice, citing the fact that it’s harmful and ineffective. And indeed, the Christian culture is changing, both in Australia and in the United States, moving toward fuller inclusion and acceptance for LGBT people.
Anthony Venn-Brown explains the significance of Living Waters’ closure for Australia later in the article:
‘For the last fifteen years ex-gay ministries have been in decline in this country,’ Venn-Brown, a former Pentecostal pastor and ‘ex-gay’ therapy survivor, told GSN.
‘Living Waters Australia (LWA) closure means we are near the end. The tipping point was reached some time ago but some of these organizations have been flapping and floundering, refusing to go under. What is particularly significant is that LWA has been one of Australia’s most prominent and long lasting organizations. In many ways LWA’s closure is equivalent to Exodus International in the US shutting down last year.’
We welcome this development for our Australian LGBT brothers and sisters.
