Nancy Alcorn
Information Nation recently spoke with Nancy Alcorn, Founder and President of Mercy Ministries. A nationally recognized speaker and author of several books, Nancy Alcorn left the Tennessee Department of Corrections in 1983 to launch Mercy Ministries. In this interview, Nancy Alcorn speaks with Information Nation about the success of Mercy Ministries’ faith-based counseling for young women in crisis.
Information Nation: Nancy Alcorn, welcome to Information Nation and thank you for your time today.
Nancy Alcorn: My privilege. I am glad to speak with anyone about the continuing work of Mercy Ministries in the lives of young women.
Information Nation: When we were reading the biography of Nancy Alcorn it seems you became disillusioned with the governmental system corrections department, in its programming and handling of female juvenile delinquents.
Nancy Alcorn: It was not so much disillusionment, as it was awakening. In my several years in the corrections department work, I realized that clinical and secular interventions in the lives of young women just were not enough.
Information Nation: It was only part of the solution? In the opinion of Nancy Alcorn…
Nancy Alcorn: …Correct. I could see where clinical and secular intervention was a necessary part of helping young women, but it was only part of the equation.
Information Nation: And in your opinion, what was missing was the faith-based part, correct?
Nancy Alcorn: Not just my opinion, but also in my personal experience. I believed that what was missing was the message of redemption. And yes, that through the Bible, through biblically-based approaches, young women could be impacted by that life changing power.
Information Nation: And so in 1983 you launched Mercy Ministries?
Nancy Alcorn: Yes, by that point I had seen it affirmed over and over again that the spiritual component was missing from helping these young women. So in ’83 I launched, with just a vision, Mercy Ministries.
Information Nation: And since then, Nancy Alcorn has worked on the front line of addictions.
Nancy Alcorn: It has been an amazing journey. Mercy Ministries has developed a curriculum that combines a Christian-based approach to counseling with interventions of best-practice.
Information Nation: And from what we read, Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries has an ultimate goal.
Nancy Alcorn: We do. We want to empower and enable young women to find lasting peace. We want young women to have a solid foundation in which they can build their lives.
Information Nation: And Nancy Alcorn, what do you believe is that solid foundation?
Nancy Alcorn: I believe that a solid foundation upon which to build life is Jesus Christ. He is the author of life and freedom.
Information Nation: So in twenty-five plus years of experience, what has Nancy Alcorn seen change when it comes to addictions?
Nancy Alcorn: Well, I have seen an increase in the number of young women affected by addiction and abuse. However, while there may be changes or even new forms of old addictions, there are always commonalities with addiction.
Information Nation: The success of Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries has been outstanding. Thousands of girls treated, a high percentage rate of women saying their lives where changed, and today Mercy Ministries is an international organization. Why?
Nancy Alcorn: Plain and simple, God has led the way, opened the doors, and put us down a path that thirty years ago would have seemed unimaginable. To Him, I give all credit and glory.
Information Nation: Nancy Alcorn, thank you for your time today. As well, thank you for what you and Mercy Ministries continue to do in the lives of young women.
Nancy Alcorn: Thank you to both you and your readers for this opportunity to share about the continuing growth of Mercy Ministries.
Nancy Alcorn is the Founder and President of Mercy Ministries. Working with thousands of women since 1983, Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries help restore the lives of young women. Mercy Ministries utilizes nutritionists, licensed Christian Counselors and a biblically-based curriculum with the emphasis that true freedom from addiction and life-controlling issues is possible. All of this is free of charge for the women. Nancy Alcorn reports that in a recent survey of former Mercy Ministries graduates, 93 percent responded that Mercy Ministries six-month residential counseling program had transformed their lives and restored their hope.
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About Nancy Alcorn
During her five years working for the state of Tennessee, at a correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls, Nancy Alcorn developed a passion to impact the lives of hurting young women. Time and time again, Nancy Alcorn watched as the young women she worked with at the juvenile facility passed the age of eighteen and ended up in the women’s prison system because they never got the real help they needed.
During the next three years, as Nancy Alcorn investigated child abuse cases for the state of Tennessee, she saw firsthand why so many of these young women were angry and hurting. Working with juvenile delinquent girls and investigating alleged cases of child abuse gave Nancy Alcorn the opportunity to interact directly with secular rehabilitation programs and the girls impacted by those programs. It was during this time that Nancy Alcorn realized that these programs were not producing permanent results that exemplified changed lives.
Following her tenure with the state, Nancy Alcorn accepted an appointment as Director of Women for the Nashville Teen Challenge. Through all of these experiences, Nancy Alcorn began to realize that true transformation would never come as the result of any government system. Nancy Alcorn understood that only Jesus could bring restoration into the lives of girls who were desperately hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their hearts.
Nancy Alcorn began to sense that God was unfolding a plan prompting her to step out in faith. God called Nancy Alcorn to help hurting young women find freedom and have their lives transformed. With her experience to assist her and God to guide her, Nancy Alcorn would prayerfully make a giant step of faith to help hurting young women.
In January of 1983, Nancy Alcorn relocated to Monroe, Louisiana and established Mercy Ministries of America. Nancy Alcorn was determined that the Mercy Ministries program would bring about true-life change in the lives of young women. With that in mind, Nancy Alcorn knew there were three guiding principles to which she must always remain faithful. First, Nancy Alcorn committed that Mercy Ministries would accept girls free of charge. Second, Nancy Alcorn committed that Mercy Ministries would donate ten percent of all donations to other organizations and ministries. Third, Nancy Alcorn made the decision that Mercy Ministries would never accept any state or federal funding. In no way did Nancy Alcorn want any money that might interfere with the freedom to share Christ.
Since 1983, Mercy Ministries, under the leadership of Nancy Alcorn, has seen exponential growth and impact. Establishing locations in Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri and California, Nancy Alcorn has seen her God-sized dream impact numerous women ages 13 to 28. Nancy Alcorn has seen Mercy Ministries grow beyond the borders of the United States with home in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.
Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries help young women seeking freedom from physical and sexual abuse (including sex trafficking), eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addiction, depression and unplanned pregnancy. Mercy Ministries, with Nancy Alcorn serving as Founder and President, assists young women through a non-conventional approach to healing that allows them to stop and break destructive cycles of behavior. Nancy Alcorn continues her commitment to helping young women recognize their self-worth and reach their full potential.
For more information about the services offered by Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries, visit the Mercy website online at http://www.mercyministries.com.
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