In ministry to men – there’s an elephant in the room – and he is making a mess!

The elephant in the room is an English idiom for a problem that is very obvious but which is largely ignored because no party wants to talk about the severity of the problem.

We have a real problem. Can we talk?

Bud Searcy, founder and former director of New Creation Ministries states that 51% of Christian men are addicted to pornography and 33% of Christian men and women have on-going sexual relations with people other than their spouse.

Are you ready for this conversation?

Mark Laaser, author of “The Pornography Trap”, classifies an addiction as ‘unmanageable’. He says that this means that there have been numerous attempts to stop in a variety of ways that have been unsuccessful. This implies a repetitive behavior over time. We all know guys are struggling with sexual temptation and I have never met anyone who denies that reality. The truth is that many men in our church are way beyond temptation – they are addicted. Webster defines addiction as:‘persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful’. In this case the substance is pornography – primarily on the internet.

Where is this conversation taking us?

If there is any question on where the culture is going, take a moment and review current Internet Pornography Statistics:  http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html

If your ministry to men isn’t dealing with this area of a man’s life than you are burying a man in a hole he has dug for himself. Ignoring the widespread problem of sexual addiction in the church confirms to the addict that he is alone and that others are not struggling with this stronghold.

We must create ministry that brings light where there is so much darkness. Vision New England Men’s Ministries is partnering with The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families and Pure Desire Ministries to offer you multiple opportunities to do just that these next two months. Each one of these resources will feature Pastor Ted Roberts, Founder of Pure Desire Ministries.