Should You or Shouldn’t You? Church Sex Sermon Series

Last night I was watching CNN’s Copper Anderson 360 and the latest series on “What is a Christian: Sex and Salvation” In part of the segment it highlighted a church that did a spin on Granger Community Church’s My Lame Sex Life Series and how this delicate topic is raising a lot of controversy.

I wrote a post on Is Church Marketing Going Too Far a few months ago and know that a few other blogs have discussed it as well. It is also truly amazing as I research church branding that so many churches have jumped on the bandwagon lately to offer some type of sex-related series that is sure to cause a stir.

Is this endeavor truly good for the church?

Church leaders and staff are trying to find ways to increase attendance and get noticed. Church Communication Directors and their teams (or creative types serving in churches) are called upon to generate interest about their church through a variety of media and topics. Combine these two together and you can get some really creative and outstanding stuff! I think it is great to address issues that have been neglected or shunned by many churches and I also love churches who are innovative and break the mold.

However, I am concerned that some churches quest to be the latest buzz words of “relevant, missional and authentic” will cross the line between what is beneficial and what is not for the Gospel.

So should or shouldn’t your church use these sensitive or controversial themes for marketing?

My opinion is that if the purpose is strictly for increasing church attendance or to be the coolest church on the block – then I say absolutely not! My reasons are that they will have to always push the envelope to stay relevant and this can lead a church over the line. It can also bring up issues such as the “bait and switch” technique which non-Christians despise or the argument if attractional ministry methods really build disciples or bring consumers.

If a church is sincere about educating others about what the Bible says about a particular subject and is striving to use such topics for edifying the church, then this is a great reason to use these themes. But I do think that if you are talking about sex and it’s really a hot topic in your church community – you won’t need to throw it shamelessly on a billboard to promote it - people will be talking about it and spreading it by word of mouth anyways.

My advice is to really pray about the purpose of your marketing and communication efforts to see if it brings God glory or is just another gimmick to get people in the door.

April 6, 2007 · Filed Under Church Marketing, Sermon Branding, Sermon Series