What exactly is Journey South Africa?

Journey South Africa (Journey SA) is a faith-based, charitable organization whose mission is to provide a spiritually safe place for people to talk about their lives and receive the love of God and others. We do this through prayer, offering intensive discipleship courses, training and equipping church leaders, and partnering with churches and denominations.

What denomination are we?

Journey is an organisation unaffiliated with any particular Christian denomination. Journey works with partners from various denominations and local churches, from Pentecostal, Charismatic to Reformed Evangelical.

Who comes to Journey?

Journey helps people from many walks of life. Our primary goal is to help people deepen their spiritual lives and we think anyone would benefit from what we have to offer. People often come to Journey with areas of their lives where they’ve experienced significant shame - from sexual abuse to addiction, from anger problems to low self-esteem, from sexual identity to divorce.

Are Journey programmes a form of counselling?

While drawing on the insights of psychology and therapeutic practice, the Journey programme is primarily a spiritual ministry focused on community and prayer. Journey is a grass-roots ministry facilitated by local churches and led by trained volunteers. Journey SA does not offer public or private mental health services, nor does it offer individual counselling, psychotherapy, group therapy, etc.

Statement on conversion therapy - 1 June 2018

Journey SA is a discipleship ministry that is focused on helping people understand their identity in light of their Christian faith. As a discipleship ministry, we do not seek to change the sexual orientation of the people who participate in our programs.

Journey SA understands the painful legacy of conversion or reparative therapy for sexual minorities. This means that while we are firmly committed to a traditional Christian understanding of sexuality, we reject any program that promises change in sexual orientation or makes orientation change a goal. Additionally, Journey SA does not engage in any sort of public advocacy around issues of sexuality. Our focus is entirely on supporting people's personal faith in community and in assisting individuals and the church in joyfully pursuing Jesus and His plans for them.

A critical part of what Journey seeks to provide to our participants is a safe and supportive environment where they can connect their faith to their experiences and we always regret any situation where this has not turned out to be the case. We are confident that most of the people who have been involved with our ministry over the years have felt that their experience has been worthwhile and that they have encountered Jesus' love and care for them in a way that honours their personal dignity and respects their autonomy.

Does Journey SA serve individuals who identify as LGBTQ+?

Journey SA has been a ministry for Christians of all backgrounds facing various relational and sexual experiences, including unwanted self-identified same-sex attraction.

Does Journey SA try to change participants’ sexual orientation?

Journey SA is a discipleship ministry and therefore does not seek to change same-sex sexual orientation/attraction. Read more about Journey South Africa’s position on sexual orientation change efforts.