Church Reflections Blog
Deepen Understanding » Grow Your Church
Why This Blog?
By WP Campbell
Church Reflections aims to help Christians and whole churches think deeply about issues that are critical to our lives and to our congregations. Concerns will range from sexuality and marriage to prayer and spiritual awakening. The primary focus for the next several months will be homosexuality as it relates to our lives and to church ministry.
An author of several books related to the contemporary church recently told me, “Homosexuality will be the number one social issue to face the church for the next fifty years.” Whether or not he is right, of this I am certain: the church at large has failed to adequately address this issue in the fifty years now past.
As a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I have been researching and teaching on this topic for over twenty years, and I have come to believe that the debates and conflicts related to homosexuality have done more harm than good to our congregations and denominations. Perhaps the greatest harm has been inflicted on those who suffer quietly with unwanted same-sex attractions and who struggle to locate a church home where they can find support to live in purity and obedience to God.
We have missed a vital opportunity for ministry. For two decades I have offered a listening ear and counsel to people with unwanted same-sex attractions, but I didn’t consider this to be a possible area of ministry for my whole congregation. The issue was too controversial. Over time, however, I began to envision and develop a Christlike approach to this growing social concern. Such ministry would show compassion without distorting biblical truth.
My book, Turning Controversy into Church Ministry: A Christlike Response to Homosexuality, offers readers insight into issues of sexual brokenness and suggestions about how to bring together truth and grace around this complex topic without compromising either. After locating and studying more than two dozen churches around the world that have engaged in such ministry, I am convinced that any gathering of believers that learns to do ministry in this one area can improve its outreach and ministries in most every area. (When we face our greatest challenges, our lesser challenges become more manageable.) The second half of the book offers pastors, church leaders, youth directors, small group leaders, and all church members practical guidelines for developing such ministry.
As a supplement to the book I offer the website, Churchreflections.com, which provides tools and resources for church ministry related to homosexuality and other types of sexual brokenness. I am not suggesting this ministry will be easy. But it is the right thing to do. It is needed. It is the way of Christ.
|
