Barna’s Beyond the Porn Phenomenon study, done in partnership with Pure Desire Ministries, makes clear the potential impact church-based programs can have on someone struggling with pornography use.
The Trend:
Based on our data, attending a church with a program specifically designed to address porn use quadruples the likelihood of a porn user having someone to help them avoid pornography (52% for those with a program, 14% without). This suggests that churches that acknowledge the problems of porn might cultivate a culture of trust and graciousness.
Despite this success, over half of Christians and churched adults (54%) say their church doesn’t have a program for helping people struggling with porn, and 37 percent say they don’t know if their church has such offerings.
This is even more alarming when we consider that, in 2015, Barna found that just 7 percent of pastors said their church had a ministry program for those struggling with porn. Today, 9 percent of pastors say this. Pornography consumption continues to increase, yet churches have made little progress in equipping both leaders and congregants to address the issue.
Additionally, for every porn user there is potentially a partner experiencing betrayal trauma. Yet most Christians and churched adults say their church doesn’t have programs to support these betrayed partners (45%) or they aren’t sure if these programs exist (39%).
The Takeaway:
The Church can and should provide a healthy place of healing for those engaged in or affected by porn use. This could look like partnerships with professional counseling resources and developing specific ministries for both porn users and affected partners. Normalizing conversation about pornography can also help reduce shame and isolation. By integrating counseling, positive community engagement and informed prayer and accountability, churches can be places of holistic support that addresses the complex reality of porn use. Data shows that these efforts, with intentionality, do make a difference.
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About the Research
General Population
A survey of 2,976 U.S. adults was conducted online from October 20–30, 2023, via a consumer research panel. Among this sample was also an oversample of practicing Christians—U.S. adults who self-identify as Christian, regularly attend church and agree strongly that their faith is very important in their lives today. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 2.3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. Quotas were set to representation by region, race / ethnicity, education, age and gender based on the U.S. Census Bureau. Minimal statistical weighting has been applied to maximize sample representation.
U.S. Senior Pastors
A survey of 462 U.S. senior Protestant pastors was conducted from September 27, 2023–October 9, 2023. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 3.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. For this survey, researchers used an online panel for data collection and observed a quota random sampling methodology. Participants are all members of Barna Group’s proprietary Pastor Panel. Minimal weighting has been used to ensure the sample is representative based on denomination, region and church size.