Spotlight on Elijah House Ministries
Founded in 1974 in Idaho, USA by John and Paula Sandford, Elijah House began with a clear purpose: to train and equip people to minister to the wounding of the heart. What started as a school for the prophets quickly revealed a deeper need — broken people were ministering out of their own brokenness, and the Sandfords knew something had to change. Their conviction became the foundation of the ministry: broken people break people, and healed people heal people. Out of that revelation came the biblical framework now known as Keys to Transformation, taught today in eight units online and in-person around the world.
Elijah House Ministries Australia opened on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland in 1992 and has since expanded its reach across five Australian states, with more states and territories in process. The ministry's National Director is based in Sydney, and Elijah House has a global presence in 17 nations.
A not-for-profit interdenominational ministry, Elijah House fully accepts the orthodoxy of the major creeds of the Christian faith. It works closely with local churches to establish teams and regional hubs across the country — training others to be effective in prayer ministry, and offering ministry to those seeking their own healing journey.
Mission and Vision
Elijah House exists to train and equip people in ministering to the wounding of the heart, through teaching and prayer ministry, to bring restoration to broken lives and relationships — as spoken of in Malachi 4:5-6.
The vision is for every heart to encounter, be established and be transformed in God's love, bringing restoration to lives and transformation to generations and nations.
Ministry Approach
Elijah House uses the model of ministering to the root of strongholds — addressing the heart in order to see the release of trauma and the dismantling of ungodly patterns (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Rather than focusing only on the fruit of someone's present-day struggles, the ministry partners with the Holy Spirit to find the root, bring it to the cross, and receive resurrection power in its place. It is a prophetic ministry built on a biblical framework — designed to lead people into the moment-by-moment abundant life Christ died and rose to give.
Ministry Operations
Elijah House Ministries Australia delivers its work through several streams:
Keys to Transformation Training – Eight units of teaching for those with a heart to bring healing and restoration to others. Trainees walk through their own healing journey before learning how to minister to others.
Transforming Hearts Seminar – A one-day event for believers and churches. What Alpha has done in introducing the faith to the Body of Christ, this seminar does for the role of the heart in our walk with Jesus. Whole churches are taking it up.
Identity and Destiny Seminar – A seminar focused on helping people step into who God has called them to be.
Healing Trauma with Sandra Sellmer Kersten – A powerful seminar specifically focused on trauma and the road to wholeness.
Conferences – International guests are brought to Australia from time to time to minister and teach.
Regional Prayer Ministry Hubs – Prayer ministry is offered through regional teams across Australia. There is no central service; instead, the ministry intentionally equips the local church to carry this work.
Team Membership – Trained ministers join growing teams in five states and emerging regions to extend the ministry of Elijah House and serve churches across the nation.
Team members are trained by completing the eight units of Keys to Transformation, then joining teams for further training in the tools and the prophetic. They are gradually released into ministry — first as intercessors and assistants, then as small group leaders within the training units, and onward into broader ministry as they grow.
As a not-for-profit, Elijah House keeps costs as low as possible to remain accessible. Payment plans are available for those who are struggling, and donor support helps reduce the financial barrier to training.
Testimonies
One of the most powerful testimonies in recent years is the story of Peter, who had been deeply addicted to drugs for 43 years before encountering Jesus through a rehab program that introduced him to Elijah House. Through the ministry, Peter's life was radically transformed — from brokenness and addiction to freedom, purpose and a life of ministry. He now serves as a minister within Elijah House and mentors others walking the same road.
Peter's story is not unusual. The most common testimony Elijah House hears is from people who have struggled with something for years — sometimes decades — and finally experience healing at the root, leading to the lasting breakthrough they have been longing for.
"Sometimes prayer ministry can focus on the bad fruit," the team explains. "But in this ministry of sanctification, we go deeper — bringing the root to the cross, where it can be put to effective death, so that we can live in the power of His life. If the root isn't dealt with, the same bad fruit can return, leaving people feeling defeated and discouraged."
Ministry in Australia
Elijah House describes the current state of inner healing ministry in Australia as hungry and desperate. Churches are recognising that the prayers offered at the front after a service are not going deep enough for those carrying long-held struggles. There is a growing hunger to be trained and equipped to minister more effectively.
The team believes the greatest need in this space is the multiplication of leaders. Those gifted and anointed in heart-healing ministry can become so busy doing the ministry that there is little time left to train and equip others. As the need across the nation continues to grow, raising up a heart-healing army has become an urgent priority.
Elijah House partners with churches wherever there is an open door, building relationships and developing teams to multiply the ministry of heart healing across Australia. The team also enjoys healthy relationships with other heart-healing ministries nationally, is part of the national leaders' network, and has hosted joint events with Sozo. The conviction is that every ministry has its lane — and Australia needs them all swimming in their lane at full effectiveness.
Looking Ahead
Over the coming years, Elijah House Ministries Australia is focused on four key priorities:
Continuing to raise up and train city and regional hubs of Elijah House ministry, multiplying leaders and effective heart-healing ministry across the nation.
Taking the Transforming Hearts Seminar to as many in the Body of Christ as possible, opening the door to greater healing and inviting those called to grow as heart-medics for the nation.
Building the intercession base for Australia, that the hearts of parents would turn to their children and the hearts of children to their parents.
Reflecting the heart of apostolic ministry more clearly — so that through the Keys to Transformation, sons and daughters grow in Christ to become mothers and fathers in the faith.
Elijah House is calling for people willing to step in — to intercede, to join a team, to count the cost of the time and growth ministry training requires, and to financially support those who cannot afford training on their own. It is, in their words, a call to step into the Body of Christ's mandate to heal the broken-hearted and see beauty rise from ashes.
Guiding Scripture
At its core, Elijah House Ministries Australia is shaped by Malachi 4:5-6 — the foundational mandate to turn the hearts of fathers to children and the hearts of children to their fathers.
Other key scriptures that shape the teaching and ministry include Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:18 (the commission to heal the broken-hearted and set the oppressed free), Hebrews 12:15 (warnings against the root of bitterness), Matthew 17:11 (Elijah will come and restore all things), 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (the ministry of reconciliation), Galatians 6:7-8 (sowing and reaping, often applied to generational patterns), Matthew 7:1-2 (judgment and self-reflection), and Ephesians 6:2-3 (the honouring of parents and its effect on our lives).
These scriptures continue to shape Elijah House's call: to bring restoration to broken lives and relationships, and to see transformation reach generations and nations.
For more information about Elijah House Ministries Australia, visit our website or learn more about trusted inner healing ministries through the AIHN directory at https://www.innerhealing.org.au/inner-healing-ministries
If you would like to access the Keys to Transformation or attend a Transforming Hearts Seminar, check their website for upcoming dates or contact info@elijahhouse.com.au for more information.
