Pornography is a sensitive subject.
Not only is it unquestionably wrong, but the statistics tell us that a good deal of men are ensnared. Pastors are not ‘above it’, they are real men with real temptations. I would even go as far to say that pastors have a harder time of things. Not only is there a lot of pressure being a pastor, but there’s a spiritual element that cannot be ignored. Strike the shepherd and scatter the flock.
Here are three rectifiable reasons why pastors are more vulnerable to Internet pornography:
1. Pastors are often isolated and unaccountable.
Many pastors spend time alone far more than others and work a far less structured day. There’s no “clocking-in” and “clocking-out” like you would have with a traditional job. This may happen less for pastors who have a large church, but even then, there is plenty of “of campus” time as well as a private office. When’s the last time you ask your pastor if he’s viewed pornography lately?
2. Policies around pastors can be lax.
Most churches don’t have any accountability software on their computers or mobile devices. In fact, I would go as far to say that businesses monitor Internet usage more than churches monitor their own. Smaller churches face this even more so, as there’s generally less policies in general. Simply agreeing that pornography is sinful isn’t a policy, especially when you consider that every device connected to the Internet has access to it.
3. Pastors have few people they can share struggles with.
Let’s face it. If a pastor comes forward to say they’ve used pornography, they run a risk of loosing their job. But not just losing their job. It would be almost as bad as a lawyer losing his license to practice law. There’s a reason that Roger Charman of Focus on the Family’s Pastoral Ministries reports that approximately 20 percent of the calls received on their Pastoral Care Line are for help with issues such as pornography and compulsive sexual behavior [via].
What would you add to this list?
These are derived from Jeff Fisher’s (Porn to Purity) post on ChurchLeaders.com, 5 Reasons Pastors Are More Vulnerable to Sexual Temptation.
[via Church Leaders | Image via Remko van Dokkum]
Chad Gleavecs says
I talk with my pastor friends and 7 out of 7 that I have asked have struggled with this and have had to set up limits, accountability, and protection to escape the temptation. Thanks for the article and reminder.
Eric Dye says
This is great to hear! We need more of this.