Porn use is at epidemic levels among the next generation of Christian leaders. Many church leaders openly acknowledge this reality. Still, most of these new pastors are stepping into churches that have a punishment culture—those with an ongoing porn addiction fear being fired.
To highlight this tension, the Barna Group performed a survey that revealed a stark contrast in views on whether pastors found using porn should be terminated. Only 8% of pastors agreed, while over 40% of members did. Such statistics are in line with the fact that many pastors themselves are struggling with porn use.
Pastor John Piper’s comments on these figures, “both figures are appallingly low,” highlight the punitive culture that characterizes many churches, inadvertently encouraging concealment over repentance.
This tension that many pastors or church leaders struggling personally with porn sets them up to live double lives and compartmentalize their porn use and ministry. And this compartmentalization, when coupled with the pressures of ministry, often increases stress and fuels porn consumption. As porn consumption increase
s, so does their fear of being fired. It’s a vicious cycle, and the whole church suffers.
Restorative Culture
A restorative culture is where repentance and recovery from porn addiction are promoted without the threat of termination.
Restoration doesn’t guarantee that every pastor will maintain the same position.
Restoration follows the command given by Paul to the Galatians: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Notice that restoration is the goal for ‘any’ transgression.
If you haven’t committed any illegal acts or engaged in inappropriate conduct with another person and are dedicated to recovery, you can seek assistance for your porn addiction without fear of punishment. If not communicated clearly, staff typically assume the existence of a punitive culture. This results in them staying in the shadows instead of repenting and getting help.
Once a restorative culture begins to flourish, it enables the church and ministry to set hiring standards reflecting its sanctity. It’s crucial to decline potential hires based on certain sobriety standards (ie. Six months of sobriety), explaining the reasons and offering support if they want help establishing the sobriety. This sets the bar for new hires, adhering to the biblical holiness expected of spiritual leaders.
Restorative Policy.
Dr. Ted Roberts has worked for more than thirty years, helping pastors and denominational leaders navigate porn addiction. He suggests that churches adopt the following policy because it reflects a restorative spirit.
As long as you haven’t done anything illegal or with another person and you are committed to recovery, you can get help for your porn addiction without the fear of punishment. The goal is restoration.
Each case is different, and each leadership team must determine what is best for their church. A church cannot guarantee that restoration will always mean a full return to the previous position, but that is the goal. Once a pastor is in recovery, it may become clear that the ministry isn’t the healthiest place for them.
There is a spectrum of severity in porn addiction. So some ministers might stay engaged in ministry while they focus on recovery, while others may need to take a leave of absence to get more intensive help. A restorative policy allows church leadership to make those decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Finally, to remove all doubt, a restorative policy should only apply to those who have not done anything inappropriate with another person. Abuse allegations and instances of sexual misconduct involving another person must be reported immediately.
Does this compromise biblical standards?
Some say it is a compromise of the biblical standards of leadership to establish a restorative culture. But the opposite is true when half of churches currently do not have leadership meeting the biblical standard because their pastor is using porn.
A restorative culture encourages pastors to repent. It enables them to start moving toward the biblical standards of holiness expected of leadership. A restorative culture requires the pastor to be committed to recovery. It allows people to get help instead of the current enabling environment many churches have where leaders stay stuck in their sin.
Biblical Restoration.
The apostle Peter offers us an example of restoration. Peter denied Jesus three times shortly after vowing his allegiance to Him. Yet, his confession and vulnerability paved the way for his restoration and service to Christ. Failures didn’t disqualify Peter, proving that even those who commit grave sins can serve God when they exhibit confession and vulnerability.
Even people who have committed the worst sins are still able to be used by God when they act in vulnerability. And though certain sins can disqualify a person from positions of leadership in the church (i.e., adultery), even the most sexually broken can be restored to fruitful service in the Kingdom.
Implementing a restorative policy is more straightforward if you’re in a senior leadership role. But what if you’re not? Here are a couple of suggestions to promote a restorative culture:
Pray:
Ask God to help your leaders see the importance of creating a restorative culture.
Lead others to freedom in their recovery from porn addiction:
Start helping those in your church find freedom from porn by leading a Freedom Fight group in your church.
By adopting these strategies, churches can transition from a punitive to a restorative culture, better serving their congregations and reflecting the Bible’s teachings on restoration.
Your Journey Towards Addiction Recovery from Porn.
Looking for help in your journey with porn addiction? Desiring to experience a restorative community and recovery? Sign up for The Freedom Fight’s 30-Day Challenge.
