Laurence Koo: A Call for the American Church to Welcome Single (LGBTQ) Believers

Laurence Koo was born and raised in the Netherlands and studied dentistry in Amsterdam. While in college, he met the Navigators and became involved as a student leader. After graduation, Laurence served on staff with the Dutch Navigators and in January 2017 moved to the U.S. to join the missions department of the U.S. Navigators in Colorado Springs, Colo. He now serves as the director of iEdge, a program that sends out teams of young adults into the nations to do cross-cultural discipleship ministry. Laurence is also an international speaker and consultant on the topic of sexuality.

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Other Podcasts in the LGBTQ and the Church Series

Juli Slattery: This Is How the Church Can Begin the LGBTQ Conversation

Gregory Coles: It’s Possible to Be Same-Sex Attracted and Fully Surrendered to Jesus

Mark Yarhouse: How to Pastor Someone Who Has Gender Dysphoria

Ed Shaw: How God Has Used Same-Sex Attraction to Equip Me As a Pastor

Sean McDowell: Scripture Is Very Clear About God’s Design for Sexuality

Rachel Gilson: How Jesus Helps Me Say No to My Same-Sex Desires

Caleb Kaltenbach: Do You See the LGBTQ Community Through God’s Eyes?

Preston Sprinkle: Jesus Left the 99 to Pursue the One—And That Means Trans People

Key Questions for Laurence Koo

-What was your relationship with God like growing up, especially as you came to realize your were attracted to the same sex?

-Many single Christians feel that the gift of singleness is actually more of a curse. What would you say to that?

-How have you navigated having healthy relationships with both men and women?

-What advice would you offer to church leaders regarding ministering to people in the LGTBQ community?

Key Quotes from Laurence Koo

“I grew up in the Netherlands, born and raised, from parents who were immigrants from Indonesia.”

“This is one of my core struggles in my life, that I don’t belong. So I started to look at other people, and especially other men kind of like, what does it mean for me to belong?”

“During that same time [I had encountered porn for the first time], 11, 12 years old, I really took Jesus seriously. I wanted him in my life. I wanted to follow him, and I think the whole journey of my teenage years was seeing my spiritual life grow and pursuing Jesus and, at the same time, seeing my sexuality going a certain direction that I didn’t want to go.”