Willow Creek cuts ties with ex-gay Exodus International

(RNS) Willow Creek Community Church, a trend-setting megachurch in
suburban Chicago, has quietly ended its partnership with Exodus
International, an "ex-gay" organization.

Willow Creek decided to sever ties with the Florida-based ministry
in 2009, Christianity Today reported, but the decision only became
public in June.

Church officials described the move as a shift in approach rather
than a change in belief. Susan DeLay, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek,
said the church continues to welcome those who are attracted to people
of the same sex.