Twenty Years of Gospel Impact
In 2006, when most of the evangelical church was still debating whether to engage the LGBT+ conversation at all, Posture Shift launched a missiological vision rooted in a simple, radical conviction: that the church cannot reach people it will not love, and it cannot love people it has not learned to understand.
"A gospel of exclusion has no power to reach already-rejected people."
Founded in Boston, Massachusetts, Posture Shift set out to train leadership teams, equip parents and families, foster safe churches and homes, and protect LGBT+ people from harm. Over twenty years, that vision has expanded from a single training curriculum into a global movement touching 49 states, 5 Canadian provinces, and communities across the UK, Colombia, Kenya, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand.
This is the story of those twenty years.
Posture Shift
Mission & Vision
Identity
Our History: Two Decades of Faithful Presence
2006–2012 | The Early Years: Laying the Foundation
A First-Mover Mission is Born
Posture Shift is created in Boston, Massachusetts, and receives its 501(c)(3) ruling from the IRS. Its mission is clear from day one: to reach LGBT+ people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through inclusion, acceptance, protection, and care — at a time when few evangelical organizations were willing to enter that space.
Lead Them Home Radio
Posture Shift launches a daily 15-minute radio program called Lead Them Home, broadcasting practical guidance to families and churches navigating LGBT+ relationships. The program runs through 2009 and establishes the organization's pastoral voice in the broader evangelical community.
The Curriculum is Written
A comprehensive missional training curriculum is completed and published — the foundational text that would become the Posture Shift Intensive course, experienced by over 300,000 pastors and church leaders. The same year, Dr. Preston Sprinkle first reaches out to learn about Posture Shift, beginning a relationship that continues to this day.
National Platform Recognition
Posture Shift earns invitations to URBANA 2009 and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary — early signs that the broader evangelical world is beginning to trust Posture Shift as a credible voice. These platform opportunities fuel the rapid growth years ahead.
The Navigators Partnership
Posture Shift establishes a formal training partnership with The Navigators, training their national office and every regional team across the US and Canada. This marks the beginning of a pattern: once a national leadership structure experiences Posture Shift, they bring it to every level of their organization.
2014–2020 | High Growth: Earning the Credential
IVCF, CRU, and YFC
Posture Shift is invited to train the national staffs of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, CRU, and Youth for Christ — leading to "top-down" training of entire leadership structures across most regions of the United States. Posture Shift quickly becomes the trusted, go-to course for executive and governance teams in the evangelical world.
The Pulse Nightclub Shooting — Orlando
On June 12, 2016, a gunman kills 49 people and injures 53 others at Pulse nightclub in Orlando — targeting the LGBT+ community. Posture Shift is selected as the go-to training for Orlando pastors. Ninety days after the shooting, Posture Shift trains 2,500 church leaders in a single day. Bill Henson visits the site, still wrapped in crime tape, and commits that Posture Shift will show up every year. See the full Pulse section below.
The Seventh-day Adventist Partnership
The SDA Church — which rarely seeks external expertise on controversial topics — hires Posture Shift to train their North American board of directors and executive team. They approve Posture Shift as the go-to training for their regional and local churches, and purchase the rights to publish an Adventist Edition of Guiding Families, now available in five languages and distributed at no charge within their denomination.
Guiding Families, Second Edition & Global Reach Begins
The second edition of Guiding Families of LGBT+ Loved Ones is published. Posture Shift also begins funding the college education of Anthony (20) from Bangladesh — who goes on to build an accounting career in Australia and pays that investment forward by helping the next young person in need.
Denominational Partnerships Multiply
Training partnerships expand across multiple denominations throughout the United States and Canada. Posture Shift's curriculum is now trusted by parachurch organizations and evangelical church bodies alike as the most credible and practically effective resource for equipping their congregations.
2022 – Present | Wide Reach: A Global Movement
2022 SDA Signs Third Royalty Agreement
Guiding Families, Fifth Edition
The United Kingdom
Pakistan — and the World
Exiles 2025 — Minneapolis
Stories of Impact:
The People Behind the Numbers
IMPACT STORY · KAJARI
“Kajari is alive because God directed a suicidal 18-year-old to our ministry.
Kajari was about to take his own life after being disowned by his parents. In a last effort to live, he searched “faith and LGBT” on Facebook and found Bill Henson’s public posts about families accepting their LGBT+ children. That search saved his life. Years later, the young man Posture Shift helped now helps protect and fund the education of the next young person in crisis — a chain of grace that began with one family’s willingness to shift their posture.
IMPACT STORY · HAYDEN
From 15 to 23 — A Prodigal’s Return
"During those 8 years after meeting with Posture Shift, I slowly grew more and more blind to the Holy Spirit. I chose to ignore my convictions and lived a worldly lifestyle, chasing and idolizing people, instead of God. I was left broken and unfulfilled by the world. Then one evening driving home from work, I felt nudged to click “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe on Spotify. During this song, I realized that God is my almighty Father! I also knew He hadn’t left me for a single moment."
IMPACT STORY · MASON
"Despite all this, I can still feel God's love."
IMPACT STORY · ANTHONY
A PARENT’S TESTIMONY
"He is alive when he could have taken his life.
IMPACT · OVER 100 TESTIMONIES
"Alive Today Because of God Working Through Posture Shift"
Pulse Nightclub & Posture Shift's Response
June 12, 2016
On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida — targeting the LGBT+ community on Latin night. It was the deadliest mass shooting in US history at the time, and a moment that forced every church in America to ask: do we know how to love these people?
Posture Shift was selected as the go-to training resource for Orlando pastors in the immediate aftermath. Within 90 days of the shooting, Bill Henson and the team trained 2,500 pastors and church leaders in a single day — equipping them to care for victim families and the broader LGBT+ community in ways the church had never attempted before.
A gospel of exclusion has no power to reach already-rejected people. We will not let hate win by staying silent."
PULSE RESPONSE STATS
Pulse 1-Year Memorial (2017)
Memorial · Year 1:
Bill Recalls the First Pulse Visit (2021)
Reflection · Year 5:
Pulse Survivor Stories (2021)
Testimony:
The Pulse Memorial Wall — High Quality (2021)
Memorial Wall · Daytime:
COMING IN 2026
The 10th Remembrance Trip
Date: June 12–13, 2026 | Orlando, Florida
20th Anniversary Donor Partner Dinner | Pulse Club 10th Memorial Visit
Twenty Years of Measurable Impact
Growth Timeline
Curriculum Published
The Navigators
First national parachurch partnership — US & Canada
IVCF · CRU · YFC
3 major national staffs trained across US regions
2,500 in One Day
300,000+
Lives Protected
Education
Multiple
Housing
Many
Geographic Reach
From one city to a global movement — 20 years of expansion.
Latin America
Colombia
Asia / Pacific
Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand
Africa
Kenya
Guiding Families
Five editions · Five languages · 50,000+ in print.
Edition 1
2008
Edition 2
2018
copies
total
Missional Goals
Four pillars driving every program and resource.
trained
books distributed
lives saved
Faith Identity
Global
reach
Wide Reach
A Global Movement
2025 · Lahore, Faisalabad & Multan
Pakistan
In 2025 Posture Shift trained hundreds of Christian leaders across three Pakistani cities. At a dinner banquet that followed, the team met 35 homeless trans friends — including a 6-year-old child who had been disowned and left on city streets.
Our youngest homeless Pakistani trans friend was just 6 years old — disowned and dropped on city streets.
The United Kingdom
In 2024 Posture Shift expanded into the United Kingdom with training events across all three nations — opening a new continent of gospel mission to LGBT+ people through the local church.
Colombia & Guiando Familias
Posture Shift has trained church leaders in Colombia. The Spanish-language edition of Guiding Families — Guiando Familias — now equips Latino leaders and families in their first language. Available in the Extended and Essential editions at guiandofamilias.com.
What Leaders Are Saying
"Bill Henson's outstanding teaching was a game-changer for our pastors and leaders. His eye-opening content was not only biblical, just, and grace-based — the workshop format generated deep dialogue, empathy, and compassion for our LGBTQ friends, families, and neighbors."
Tim Lucas
"Bill Henson's team at Posture Shift has been a godsend for our movement. When it comes to LGBTQ+ outreach and engagement, the Posture Shift seminar is simply the best learning experience available for a general audience."
Michelle Sanchez
"Guiding Families is, quite simply, the best resource I've ever read when it comes to navigating the often-complex relationship between Christians and their LGBT+ loved one. Guiding Families will help you love well without sacrificing your convictions."
Dr. Preston Sprinkle
"This seminar allowed our leaders to see the need for a change in our approach or 'posture' toward LGBT+ individuals. We believe your church or denomination will benefit from Posture Shift."
Kyoshin Ahn
Celebrating our 20th Anniversary
June 12–13, 2026 · Orlando, Florida
We celebrated with a donor partner dinner and a 10th remembrance visit to the Pulse Club memorial — on the anniversary of a tragedy that still shapes who we are and why we do this work.
