I was once told, “if you want to shrink your church talk about money, if you want to grow your church talk about sex.” So is our conversation about sex a church growth experiment?
Yes AND No.
First of all Yes.
I said on Sunday that I unapologetically want to see us grow up as mature followers of Jesus. I want to see us enjoy God’s presence more. I want the good news of Jesus to inform more and more of our lives. And for our lives to continue learning to run the True Story as our iOS not just an app. This means we can’t NOT talk about sex. If we are going to be faithful to the commission of the gospel in our cultural moment we MUST dialogue regarding our sexuality and how sex finds both it’s origin and purpose in God’s Story.
But... Why?
Great Question. First, we need it. Yes, us. The adults. That’s why on March 26th we are inviting everyone 16+ to be a part of this conversation. Many of us are struggling with sexual addictions, the haunting residue of our sexual history, and mourning the misinformation or lack of information we were given regarding sex. Single. Married. Dating. Human.
Many of us grew up in environments that were either extremely silent about sex OR that were significantly shaped by overt sexual sin. Many of us have learned about sex from ill informed friends, locker rooms, and secret internet searches. And this is destroying marriages, relationships, friendships, personal integrity, and joy in the presence of Jesus. But good news... There is a better way.
Secondly, our kids need it. We have 20-40 little image bearers who are being raised up in the ways of Jesus as part of our community right now. We have a class full of 5-8 year olds about to graduate into a world most of their first exposure to pornography will statistically happen between the ages of 8-11. A world telling a story where sending nudes is the norm for dating relationships in Jr. High. A sexualized story is ALREADY being told implicitly if not explicitly to our children. This isn’t to scare us, but is to open our eyes. What if their first exposure to sex wasn’t a website, but loving, shame free, conversations from people who love them? We have the opportunity to tell many of our kids story first and better. This conversation is part of the plan for us to step into that responsibility.
What if we could give them the gift of shame free conversations about God’s design for sexuality? What if we could create environments of grace for failure BUT also a better picture for human sexuality than what they’ll find in the school books and internet searches? What if we could be for them what so many of us wish we had as we disciple them in ALL the ways of Jesus?
Yes, this is about growth.
But Here’s the No. When I was coached to talk about sex to grow the church it was gimmicky. It was about more people in seats, not more depth in the story. It was a bait and switch. Talking about sex to get more people to show up is part of the problem, not the solution. This isn’t to prove that we are hip, trendy, or cool. This isn’t for more instagram likes, Snapchat stories, or facebook shares...
To be absolutely clear- this conversation is not clickbait, but is to better equip us as followers of Jesus and participants in God’s True Story. I hope to see you there.
Following Jesus With You-
Kevin