Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sex Sells ... Especially in Church
Sex sells. Yes, even in church. Especially in church.
That's what the folks at Relevant Church in Ybor City, Fla., are finding. After brainstorming with church leaders about how to help couples struggling with issues of sex and money, pastor Paul Wirth launched a challenge to those in his Tampa-area congregation this past Sunday: For the next 30 days, have lots of sex. In fact, have sex every day.
Ultimately, the point of his "30-Day Sex Challenge" is to help couples purposefully create time for increased intimacy, which will then make way for better communication and improve their relationships. As for singles in the church, they're urged to refrain from sex for the month (hopefully something they're already doing on a continual basis) and concentrate on going deeper in their own relationships without getting tripped up by physical issues.
"When you talk about sex, everybody expects the church to say God hates sex," Wirth says. "That's just not true. I really believe that God wants us to have great sex. ... Relationships are at an all-time low, and no one seems to have a handle on how to make them work right." He's arguing that his church—and this challenge—can help.
I had planned on blogging about this Monday morning, as it had sat on my radar for a few days prior. Then it became a story within a story, something not only incredibly indicative of our times, but also worthy of discussion that goes beyond the catchy sex tags. Here's why ...
As you can imagine, the media has eaten up this story. I've watched as it's quickly gone from a three-paragraph blurb on a small Tampa news site to Fox News, to the AP, to a two-page spread in the St. Petersburg Times, to every type of media outlet around the world. Definitely viral ... and the wordplay potential has certainly made attention-grabbing headlines. Meanwhile, church marketing blogs I regularly read have applauded the efforts of this small, hip downtown church full of 20- and 30-somethings. Doesn't every young, hip leader love it when you can stop a crowd mid-bustle and hold their attention for the required 0.2 nanoseconds with something that remotely, maybe, just might have to do with God or church or something?
I'm not trying to sound facetious. (OK, at least not too much.) I like what Relevant Church is doing with this, and I know the intention well because it rings true in every pastor's heart. We do whatever helps people so that, ultimately, they can step further aside and watch God move in their lives. I'm also in agreement with marketing guys who say churches shoot themselves in the foot most of the time by being irrelevant, lacking purpose and fumbling both the packaging and delivery. Hey, at least Relevant's leadership was smart enough to launch a Web site to coincide with the series (which, by the way, has apparently received so many hits it blew up—last I checked the site was still down).
So my objection? It's not an objection, not even a concern ... just a thought. I wonder if there will ever be a time when marketing isn't a church function, when we don't have to reek of "whatever gets your attention." A time when God is relevant by Himself, sans the cool sermon series, edgy Web designs, promotional videos and rock-band intros. Obviously, this is the age we live in, and we must reach people where they are, just as Jesus did, with whatever means it takes. So maybe I'm being religious by wondering in the first place. Maybe I'm just still in rant mode. Or maybe at this point, in a culture that has filled each second with 100,000 options and declared God's relevancy irrelevant, it's a moot point.
That's what the folks at Relevant Church in Ybor City, Fla., are finding. After brainstorming with church leaders about how to help couples struggling with issues of sex and money, pastor Paul Wirth launched a challenge to those in his Tampa-area congregation this past Sunday: For the next 30 days, have lots of sex. In fact, have sex every day.
Ultimately, the point of his "30-Day Sex Challenge" is to help couples purposefully create time for increased intimacy, which will then make way for better communication and improve their relationships. As for singles in the church, they're urged to refrain from sex for the month (hopefully something they're already doing on a continual basis) and concentrate on going deeper in their own relationships without getting tripped up by physical issues.
"When you talk about sex, everybody expects the church to say God hates sex," Wirth says. "That's just not true. I really believe that God wants us to have great sex. ... Relationships are at an all-time low, and no one seems to have a handle on how to make them work right." He's arguing that his church—and this challenge—can help.
I had planned on blogging about this Monday morning, as it had sat on my radar for a few days prior. Then it became a story within a story, something not only incredibly indicative of our times, but also worthy of discussion that goes beyond the catchy sex tags. Here's why ...
As you can imagine, the media has eaten up this story. I've watched as it's quickly gone from a three-paragraph blurb on a small Tampa news site to Fox News, to the AP, to a two-page spread in the St. Petersburg Times, to every type of media outlet around the world. Definitely viral ... and the wordplay potential has certainly made attention-grabbing headlines. Meanwhile, church marketing blogs I regularly read have applauded the efforts of this small, hip downtown church full of 20- and 30-somethings. Doesn't every young, hip leader love it when you can stop a crowd mid-bustle and hold their attention for the required 0.2 nanoseconds with something that remotely, maybe, just might have to do with God or church or something?
I'm not trying to sound facetious. (OK, at least not too much.) I like what Relevant Church is doing with this, and I know the intention well because it rings true in every pastor's heart. We do whatever helps people so that, ultimately, they can step further aside and watch God move in their lives. I'm also in agreement with marketing guys who say churches shoot themselves in the foot most of the time by being irrelevant, lacking purpose and fumbling both the packaging and delivery. Hey, at least Relevant's leadership was smart enough to launch a Web site to coincide with the series (which, by the way, has apparently received so many hits it blew up—last I checked the site was still down).
So my objection? It's not an objection, not even a concern ... just a thought. I wonder if there will ever be a time when marketing isn't a church function, when we don't have to reek of "whatever gets your attention." A time when God is relevant by Himself, sans the cool sermon series, edgy Web designs, promotional videos and rock-band intros. Obviously, this is the age we live in, and we must reach people where they are, just as Jesus did, with whatever means it takes. So maybe I'm being religious by wondering in the first place. Maybe I'm just still in rant mode. Or maybe at this point, in a culture that has filled each second with 100,000 options and declared God's relevancy irrelevant, it's a moot point.
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"A time when God is relevant by Himself"
God IS relevant by Himself, if we realize that we are sinners in need of a Saviour. Unfortunately, that's not considered PC in most churches...
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God IS relevant by Himself, if we realize that we are sinners in need of a Saviour. Unfortunately, that's not considered PC in most churches...
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