I was talking with a pastor of a progressive megachurch not long ago and I asked what ministries/programs the church offered in the arena of sexual addiction and healthy sexuality. His response saddened my heart but did not surprise me. He said that they teach on the dangers of sexual sin and the need for healthy sexuality once a year in the worship services. Once a year! It reminds me of my own sexual education…silence…crickets….good luck sonny!
It got me thinking: for something that is such a big piece of our created identity by God, why such little attention to it and the resulting struggle in silence about it for so many?
So I have a proposal.
I have a dream job that I would love to someday fulfill or encourage to be fulfilled in a church. The job is Pastor of Sexuality and Intimacy. Doesn’t that job title just roll off your tongue so easily. And yes I am serious. Could you imagine this pastor getting up to do announcements with his/her name and title sprawled across the gigantic screen behind him/her? I can. Can you imagine this pastor setting up a lifespan program of healthy sexual understanding conversation groups for singles, married couples, children and adolescents? I can. Can you imagine this pastor establishing support groups within the ministry of the church that provide a safe place for men, women and teens struggling with the wounds of sexual betrayal, sexual abuse and sexual addiction to come for healing and support? I can. Can you imagine this pastor setting up helpful, age appropriate curriculum and workshops to help parents begin to understand their own sexuality, talk with other adults about it, and walk their children through the same process into adulthood? I can. Can you imagine this pastor helping people come to understand how the need for intimacy has a greater essence than just the sexual connotations people often associate with the word and need? I can. Can you imagine this pastor promoting such a level of transparency in a church that it may just change the heart of an entire generation? I can.
Maybe I’m a little crazy. But this is my heart. Not that this person/pastor would do all of the work but rather would be a catalyst for such a huge need in our churches today - the need for transparency, understanding, empathy, encouragement and the freedom to talk about something so central to our souls: sexuality.
Any Takers?
Keep cutting the deck of your heart.