Porn is devouring Christians. It’s consuming them in secrecy and shame–and too many churches are doing nothing about it.
So, what should concerned pastors and ministry leaders do?
Every week, after the last chorus and closing prayer, large numbers of churchgoers are heading home for a porn binge.
People in the pews — men, women, children, young and old — are looking at porn. The statistics are staggering. A recent Barna survey concluded that more than two-thirds of men and over one-third of women are viewing porn on a regular basis. Nearly half of Christian families say that porn is a problem in their home and over half of church staff admit to struggling with porn. And statistics also show that Sunday is the most common day for Christians to view porn.
For over 20 years, Covenant Eyes has been equipping people with resources and software to overcome porn. We’ve walked with over a million and a half people on their journey away from porn and have worked alongside churches and other organizations to bring the problem of porn out of the shadows.
Despite growing cultural awareness of the problem, few churches are prepared to deal with porn. Many pastors and ministry leaders are overwhelmed by the issue and uncertain of what steps to take. Others choose to ignore the problem altogether. A recent survey showed that only 7% of churches had a program in place to address the issue of porn. Likewise, parents lack the resources to deal with porn in the home.
We recently heard from Dan, one of our members: “I am 57 years old, and a year ago I disclosed to my wife my early exposure to porn at 11 years old. I [was in] the binge and purge cycle for over 44 years… I was a pastor for 18 years of those 44 years.”
Dan’s story is all too common. The average age of first exposure to porn is now 9 years old. Increasingly, teens and young adults believe watching porn is acceptable and even positive behavior. Worse, porn is shaping the way our culture sees sex and relationships. But it’s not hopeless. With Covenant Eyes and a strong band of brothers, Dan told us he’s finding freedom from porn and, “For the first time in my life, I have not viewed anything inappropriate for four months.”
We understand how daunting the porn problem can feel for church leaders. That’s why Covenant Eyes has created an introductory course titled Pornography Education for Pastors and Ministry Leaders. This course includes over seven hours of educational video taught by leading experts.
This course explains the importance of accountability and why it’s critical for dealing with pornography temptation. It will also guide your staff to equip both the men and women struggling to break free from porn and help spouses and families in the fight against sexual temptation. We also supply a helpful accountability guide to walk you through the process of getting started.
The training is packed with careful research that sheds light on the problem of pornography. It explores the implications of widespread pornography use in our culture, the moral impact on our children, and the toll it’s taking on the life of the church.
Along the way, we provide practical steps you can take with the families and individual members in your church to protect themselves from the dangers of porn. You’ll find encouragement and a hopeful path forward for those already affected by pornography. Based on time-tested best practices, we give recommendations for setting up policies for your church to protect you and your staff as you confront this pervasive problem.
Don’t let your congregation go home another Sunday without help! Enroll now for a special discounted rate of $36.75!
