Pastors

30-Day Sex Challenge

This sermon series had unexpected benefits.

There was no excuse for saying no: the pastor ordered his parishioners to have sex. Lots of sex.

When the staff at Relevant Church in Tampa, Florida, wanted to conduct a sermon series on relationships, they chose to focus on sex. The 30-Day Sex Challenge dared married couples to hop between the sheets—and non-marrieds to abstain—every day for a month.

Some church members, especially wives, reacted with skepticism. “At first the women thought this was all about sex,” said lead pastor Paul Wirth, but he noted that most came around quickly. “This challenge no longer allowed men to come home from work and not help out around the house, not help out with the kids, and not meet his wife’s needs—and then expect there to be fireworks in the bedroom,” Wirth added.

But husbands, too, benefited from the challenge in ways that were more than physical. “My wife and I discovered that [the challenge] opens the door for communication into every aspect of our lives,” one man said, “and that is just what we needed.”

And speaking of benefits, the media coverage surrounding Relevant’s challenge helped increase attendance by 15 percent.

30DaySexChallenge.com

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal.Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

Also in this issue

At the end of the day, this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is a kingdom issue. —Efrem Smith

Diverse by Design

Getting Men into Church

The Coaching Approach to Care

A Losing Proposition

Non-prophet Preaching

Loving Salinas

Backward or Forward?

Body Politic

Does Your Preaching Touch Politics?

Betty's Secret Ingredient

A City Upon "The Hill"

From "Have To" to "Want To" Sermons

One King's Money, Another King's Men

Reaching Imprisoned Dads

The Church & Politics Quiz

Fessing Up

I Have This Feeling ...

On the Verge

What the Unchurched See in a Building

Preparing a Table

New Life After the Shootings

Top 10 Things Churches Need to Know About Zoning

The Best Zoning Defense ...?

Making the Secular Sacred

Can You Hear God Now?

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Bringing Church Problems Home

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Hide and Watch Leadership Style

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Make Me Sound Like Chuck Swindoll

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Idolizing Earthly Leaders

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Man from Church Across the Street Collecting Offering

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Speaking Wisdom to Sleeping Preacher

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Debating the Apocrypha

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