Sozo prayer

What is Sozo prayer and WELS' stand on the subject? I am concerned for a family member who may be participating in Sozo. Thanks.

Sozo is the English transliteration of a Greek word meaning “to save, to rescue, to deliver.” It is a word in the New Testament that speaks of God’s powerful love for people. Unfortunately, some people have co-opted that word for a ministry about which you are rightly concerned.

Sozo ministry describes itself as “a unique inner healing and deliverance ministry aimed to get to the root of things hindering your personal connection with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. With a healed connection, you can walk in the destiny to which you have been called.” The premise of the ministry is that people have created false beliefs based on emotional wounds from the past. Healing supposedly results from sessions in which individuals recall and confess specific sins that have caused resulting problems, and identify and renounce satanic lies.

Obviously, God’s will is that we confess our sins (Luke 13:1-5; Acts 3:19), but the descriptions of the sessions of Sozo ministry portray God communicating to people and strengthening them spiritually apart from the means of grace. “The leading of the Holy Spirit” is prominent, as the individuals seeking help enter a near-trancelike state.

It is helpful to recognize that Sozo ministry originated with Randy Clark, a healing evangelist who is associated with the “holy laughter” movement.

You would do well to speak to your family member. Ask questions for greater understanding of the situation. Point out the dangers of that ministry, and direct your family member back to Scripture. If your family member is in need of Christian counseling, suggest that he or she go that route for help and not a ministry that misrepresents God and his word. God bless you.