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Faith Church in Lafayette, Indiana, is a remarkable example of a church strategically impacting its zip code, and Faith’s Biblical Counseling Ministry is considered a flagship in the United States and beyond. Further, Pastor Steve Viars recently made the national news due to his opposition to a proposed conversion therapy in West Lafayette, Indiana. In this interview, I asked Pastor Viars about the history and ministries of Faith Church, how Faith developed its Biblical counseling ministry and community centers, and the full story of the now withdrawn conversion therapy ban.
Note: During this interview, we had some technical/audio issues with a mic on our end. This did not affect the content of the interview or Pastor Viars’ audio, so we decided to publish the episode. This issue has been corrected for future episodes.
Key takeaways:
- The remarkable history of Faith Church and its strategic approach to community impact.
- The launch and continuing impact of its Biblical counseling ministry.
- The development of three separate community centers.
- The opposition from some community members (especially in West Lafayette) and how Faith navigated that opposition.
- The full story of the gender conversion ban in West Lafayette and Pastor Viars’ and Faith’s response.
- The website for Lafayette Citizens for Freedoms, where you can find a copy of the ordinance and other resources.
- How other churches and church leaders can learn from and apply Faith’s model.
- Pastor Viars’ book, Loving Your Community: Community Practices for Community-Based Outreach Ministry