Breaking the silence of pornography in the church

LYNCHBURG, Va., Sept. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The church is at a crossroads. Pornography is the number one secret problem among men in the church today. In one poll, nearly three-fourths of Christian men (70%) admit to struggling with pornography in their daily lives, and in another poll, one-half of the church-attending men and 20% of women responding said they are addicted to pornography and sexual misconduct.

According to Joel Hesch, founder of Proven Men Ministries, Ltd. and a Liberty University law professor, "Churches need to respond to the reality that most Christian men need help attaining sexual integrity. Without that support, men may leave the church in droves because they may see it as irrelevant to their real problems, or those that remain will be saddled with living double lives. They will continue to be benchwarmer Christians because they feel spiritually disqualified to be leaders."

Proven Men Ministries, a Virginia-based non-profit, is rallying to equip churches to help men strive for sexual integrity. With the goal of reaching 1 million Christian men, Proven Men^TM is launching a Biblically based study program that fills a gap in available help to Christian men who want to overcome their pornography or sexual addiction and live out Proven lives. Hesch is taking this provocative subject public via Facebook, Twitter, web videos and a targeted campaign to pastors nationwide.

"Pornography is a very real addiction. Just like drug or alcohol use, what starts off as a seemingly innocent act can quickly spiral out of control," says Hesch. "And it's having a devastating impact in our church—leading in many instances to failed marriages or lost jobs."

Proven Men offers a solution. "The program is centered upon our PROVEN acronym that represents our core beliefs," says Hesch. "In our pilot program," says Hesch, "hundreds of men broke free from their addiction. We are now launching it worldwide to meet the needs of churches and Christian men everywhere.

"We shatter the silence and offer a forum where men and the church can be open and honest about the cause and cure for sexual addictions," notes Hesch. "Men long for victory and that requires accountability and encouragement—through what we refer to as network partners. While most programs ignore the fact that men need to build community and lasting relationships, it is central to our approach."

Hesch candidly admits, "I used to be one of those statistics. After breaking free, the Lord guided me to form Proven Men and keeps filling me with passion to help other men lead victorious lives." You can read his personal story of victory over a 20-year battle with sexual addiction on his website, www.ProvenMen.org, and in his new book named, A Proven Path to Sexual Integrity: Help with Pornography, Masturbation or Sex Addiction from a Biblical Perspective.

How the Proven Men^TM Program Works 
Proven Men resources give churches two ways to break the silence and give real help and support to their congregations.

• First, we offer a comprehensive leader's guide for any man in a church to host small support groups. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to form groups and the content for each weekly meeting.
  
• Second, because a support group is not always available, we provide a guide for two men to work the study together.

Each man works through the daily study and then meets weekly in a support group or individually with another man for accountability, encouragement and instruction.

The book, A Proven Path to Sexual Integrity, outlines the Proven path for sexual integrity and explains how to include each of the six PROVEN elements into a man's life that leads to sexual integrity. For example, a man needs to become open and honest because secrets destroy relationships.

"We have an intense solution to an intense problem," notes Hesch. "This program requires each man to commit to concentrated work over 12 weeks if they really want to establish a foundation for change. But without it, you resign yourself to a life of no friends, no family support and, for many, a crumbling marriage."

Resources
Proven Men offers a full suite of resources and avenues for churches and men to work together to build sexual integrity. The Proven Men resources include a 12-week course of study, two leadership guides, and a book on sexual integrity—all available on Amazon. Its website also has many helpful articles and additional resources.

Early reviews from individuals who participated in a preview of the Proven Men program

"This really is a good roadmap to beginning to truly deal with sexual addiction."

"I had no clue how selfish and prideful I was in my life. This may be a 12-week study, but I'll be reviewing and praying with this material for a long time afterward."

"Many of us struggle with sexual impurity; I know I am not alone. For the past 12 weeks, I went through a program using the Proven Men workbook. What an awesome experience!"

To Learn More about Proven Men
Visit www.provenmen.org, Facebook (www.facebook.com/provenmen) and Twitter (@provenmen).

CONTACT: 
Joel Hesch, President and Founder of Proven Men^TM
Phone: 434.592.4251
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Proven Men