Dr. Don Mingo Missionary to Missionary Care

My breakout session title for the conference was Purity in Your Digital World. The hosting pastor assigned me the title. I felt the title might reduce the attendance. To my surprise, with over 20 other breakout sessions offered simultaneously, over 30 men attended my session.

After the session, a young man his late 20s shared, “I know it’s a problem – not right – and damaging to me and my wife. I just don’t know how to get victory over it.”

At a church in Texas, I shared the availability of my book, Boundaries – 5 Steps to Getting Your Life Back, and my workbook, Get Your Life Back Addiction Workbook. After the Sunday morning service a young girl approached our missionary display table. Her words floored me:

“Porn’s been a problem since I was 8 years old. I’d like to get your book, but I don’t have any money.”

When I enquired to her age, she said, “I’m 14.” At that point, I made eye contact with my wife Kathy. She knew the sign meant, “Please come here and stand with me.” Coming to my side, we continued a conversation with the girl for the better part of an hour.

I gave her both my book and workbook for free. As she walked away, we stood there stunned. And a realization sunk in: Pornography is no longer an affliction of just men in our churches.

The Porn Dilemma

(The following statistics are documented in my book, Boundaries – 5 Steps to Getting Your Life Back.)

— Over, 90% of self-identified Christian men admit they’ve viewed porn at one time or another in their lives.

— 80% of Christian men have no filtering systems installed on their computers or smartphones.

— 55% of married Christian men admit to viewing porn at least once a month.

— 50% of pastors struggle with porn.

— 70% of youth pastors admit struggling with porn.

— 25% of born-again men erase their browser history to conceal porn.

Chuck Swindoll – noted author, pastor, and educator put it this way:

“Without your knowing it – porn – could be eating your church alive. And the scariest thing is you may not realize the extensive damage it's causing… It's ruining marriages, destroying relationships, harming youth, and hurting the body of Christ.”

In 2006, coming off the field of South Africa after 22 years of service, I sat with a call committee candidating for Senior Pastor at a church in a plush suburb outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the committee members asked, “Do you have a problem with pornography?” My response surprised them:

“Yes, I have a problem with pornography. Every man in this church has a problem with it. Women too. In fact, your teenagers as well. We all do.”

Pastors struggle with porn.

Missionaries struggle with porn.

Every person on the planet should view pornography as their problem. It is insidious and destructive, ruining lives and enslaving people around the world.

That’s why we – Kathy and I – constantly guard against it lest its devastating presence enter our lives.

We all have a problem with pornography in the church because it affects the entire body: every person, in every congregation.

The question of, “How do we deal with it?” will be addressed in part 2.

You may acquire his book, Boundaries – 5 Steps to Getting Your Life Back or Get

Your Life Back Addiction Workbook by contacting him at

donmingobooks@gmail.com

dr.donmingo@gmail.com