Last week I wrote a blog called, Jessica Drake is Right. You can read about it and why I wrote it if you would like. The blog and conversations around our ministry last week led me to right a few more blogs that I am going to be posting this week.
We have been exhibiting at adult conventions since the begining in 2002. If you are interested, the first 3 years of the ministry were captured in a documentary called Missionary Positions that you can get on Netflix.
A lot has changed since 2002, but one of the thing that has not changed is the fact that we love people whether they are caught up in porn, perform in porn, or produce porn. You can read and watch some stories from our convention outreach and some of our friends in the adult industry on the Industry section of the site.
We put the first convention booth we bought for outreach on a credit card back in 2002. Today we fund almost all of our outreaches through volunteers who give up their time and raise money to help cover the costs of these shows. We have a small team on staff but have had hundreds of volunteers from around the world join us on one or more of our outreaches. You can read about where all our money goes on this page.
The fact is, we do a lot of things here at XXXchurch, but at the core of it all is The Great Commission, that part at the end of the book of Matthew, when Jesus commands his people to “go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)
Go out into the world and tell people about Me.
Show them what I am like.
That’s what Jesus left his disciples to do, and that’s what He has called you and me and everyone else who follows Him to do. It’s tempting sometimes to think, “Oh, that’s for someone else to do” or “that’s for this organization that I care about to do.” And while that can be true, the fact is: we all play a part.
I often joke about being called “the porn pastor” (my mom still doesn’t understand it, but that’s okay), but the bottom line is: because I’m the porn pastor, I have a voice in people’s lives—people in the porn industry who would otherwise never hear about Jesus or see a demonstration of His love.
The reason I’m the porn pastor is not just to set people free from porn, but also to introduce and show off Jesus to the people who make it.
At XXXchurch, we do outreach in a different way than a lot of people think it should be done, but it works for us. Our hope is that we inspire others to do outreach in a way that works for them.
We don’t force Jesus on anyone. We give away t-shirts, bibles and stickers with the simple message “Jesus Loves Porn Stars”. It begins a fun conversation with most people and what people do from there is up to them. We try and be normal, not creepy and serve peope in any way possible.
I thought this week I would focus on the ways we do outreach, the people we connect with during our outreaches, and the people we inspire through our outreach. You’ll meet some of the outstanding leaders who head up our porn-show outreaches, as well as learn about a couple of other ministries who were inspired by our outreach model to dive into the separate worlds of video game enthusiasts and MMA fighters. You’ll also hear from a man who produces some of the major porn conventions… and learn what he thinks about XXXchurch.
I hope you dig in as you read this, but more than that, I hope you read these blogs with a considerate heart.
That you consider joining us on an outreach.
That you consider the ways you can reach people in your city.
That you consider how you can show Jesus to the world around you.
Enjoy!
Craig