For years, Faith Ministries has practiced abusive conversion therapy on non-consenting minors in the Greater Lafayette Community. Despite Faith Church’s mission to “grow in love for Jesus and the people around us,” conversion therapy actively spreads hateful messaging and induces psychological trauma for unwilling minors. 

An anonymous victim said, “My sessions at Faith Baptist Church were the most hurtful, damaging and humiliating experiences of my life. I was forced to divulge any and all sexual thoughts and keep them in a journal. I was also interrogated about my masturbation habits and the sexual fantasies that accompanied them. All of this was performed by an unlicensed therapist ... It has taken years to overcome the shame and self-loathing these sessions caused. And I’m still not there yet.”

“More than three years after my sessions at Faith Baptist, I still haven’t fully recovered,” another victim said. “The things the ‘therapist’ asked of me caused extensive self-hatred and feelings of worthlessness that I still have not been able to let go of. I don’t believe that this treatment is able to do any participants any good, only irreparable harm to adolescent psyches. 

Faith has shown an unwillingness to back down in response to criticism of their practices. City councilors David Sanders and James Blanco introduced Ordinance 31-21 to ban conversion therapy for unlicensed counselors seeking to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity in January 2022. In response, Faith Ministries created a separate organization called Lafayette Citizens for Freedom, specifically designed to politically combat the passage of Ordinance 31-21. Pastor of Faith Ministries Steve Viars also publicly denounced the proposed ordinance to the press and asked for donations to Lafayette Citizens for Freedom during sermons, seemingly in violation of the Church’s 501(c)(3) tax-exemption status.

Being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender is part of the natural spectrum of human identity and is not a mental disease, disorder, or illness that needs to be changed. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has found there is no therapeutic intervention that could shift a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression. ​​

Conversion therapy has long-lasting harm on our children and the Greater Lafayette community; we must stand against Faith Ministries and end their abusive conversion-therapy practices.

If you or someone you know has experienced conversion therapy or homophobia at Faith Ministries, please fill out this form: tinyurl.com/faithtestimonies.