In January 2002 Craig Gross did something that had never before been attempted to impact the pornography industry. While some Christians protested outside the AVN Porn Convention in Las Vegas, he set up a booth inside to minister to those involved in the industry. Thus began the ministry known as xxxchurch.com. The Lookout recently interviewed Craig at his home in Las Vegas in order to help our readers develop a better understanding of xxxchurch.com’s ministry.

The Lookout: How did the ministry get started?
Craig: In 2001, I was a youth minister and noticed a bunch of kids in our group were struggling with porn. There was no one really talking about it at the time. We wanted to create a safe place online for people to get help. We never imagined the ministry would become what it has today.

How did you make the transition to working inside the porn industry?
As we saw a need to help more than just teenagers we asked, “How can we go beyond this Web site?” It’s evolved over the past several years. From day one it’s been in our DNA to reach out to the industry. On January 9, 2002, we launched at a porn show. We didn’t know if we’d be invited back, but when the invitations kept coming, we kept showing up in their world.

What was the initial reaction from your family and friends when you first told them about the ministry?
Initially people thought we were a little crazy, but the people who went with us thought, “There’s no harm in trying.” It wasn’t as fearful as a lot of people made it out to be. We just said, “Hey, here’s a need. Let’s try to do something about it.”

We had critics. We still have critics. A lot of people said, “You can’t do that.” But then we did it, and a lot of those critics said, “I guess it can be done.”

I think we’ve excelled as a ministry in places where there is no competition. A lot of people haven’t thought to go there.

What has been the primary criticism you’ve encountered?
People feel that if you get too close to the fire, you’re going to get burned. We’re trying to influence them, not be influenced by them. A lot of people just don’t understand why we spend time with sinners, but when you go through the Scriptures, that seems to be the plan Jesus laid out.

We don’t cater to those who are already a part of the church. While we want to work alongside the church, our tactics and our methods relate more with people outside the church. Some people have taken issue with our name, our tag line, our strategy. But we think a lot of success has come from those things and God has been a part of it.

What was the reaction from the industry the first time you set up at a convention?
At first it was positive, but then skeptical. We didn’t want to fake them out and then be hypocritical. Now we’ve got eight years of consistency—eight years of not saying one thing and doing another. We continue to show up whether or not ABC World News Tonight is covering us.

We could easily have gone one time to one convention and gotten the media coverage and taken that back to the church and told that story for the next 10 years, but we haven’t done that. Since then we’ve showed up at 56 conventions. That means a lot to those in the industry. Other people come and go, but we’re committed to this cause.

What’s your strategy to deal with the temptation that you might encounter at conventions?
We’re not flippant about it. No one goes on his own. This is a big deal and we treat it as a big deal.

A minister friend of mine who came to a convention said to me, “Craig, if I’d seen the things I see here on a magazine at a supermarket checkout I would have been tripped up. But I knew I was coming into this environment and I was fasting and praying in preparation.”

What a lot of people don’t realize is the devastation that we see. Three couples who are friends of mine are dealing with problems because of porn. So when I go into that convention you’re not going to convince me that this is just entertainment. Every day I deal with the devastation and follow up so we have a different perspective going in.

What are the various aspects of the ministry now?
Three things: awareness, prevention, and recovery.

Awareness. I feel that we have the biggest megaphone when it comes to this topic through the media, social media, Web sites, events, conventions, conferences, and churches. That’s all a big part of bringing awareness about the issue to the forefront.

Prevention. We’ve created an outreach for this subject that I believe will help people stay away from this stuff. X3Watch is the free accountability software that we’ve developed. We have one million people using the software now.

Recovery. People are either targeted, tempted, or in the trenches. A ton of people have lost a marriage, lost a job, or even been to jail because of pornography. They need help, so XXXchurch helps in recovery through small groups and online workshops.

We don’t just help the recovering sex addict but also the recovering sex worker. We’ve helped about 15 sex workers get out of the industry. There’s a girl right now who spent 17 years in the industry. She’s just come to the Lord and is dealing with cancer.

How is the ministry funded?
It’s funded in thirds: donations, services, and products. Donations come from individuals, churches, and foundations. We speak at church services and conferences. Then we have developed some products that we sell such as books, software, and recovery workshops.

How many people does the ministry employ?
There are quite a few people who keep this thing going. Between part-time and full-time we have seven employees, and then some outside contractors do Web work and software work.

What plans do you have for the future?
We’re expanding into Las Vegas working in strip clubs and brothels, so we’re creating a national network for strip club outreach ministry. The training, support, and ministry plan we’re providing will be under our name.

We also do national Porn Sunday every year which is a free event that allows churches to talk about porn on one Sunday. We offer simulcast videos that churches can show in their services that raise awareness.

How long do you plan to be involved personally?
My parents ask me when I’m going to get a real job and I say hopefully never. I’m passionate about helping people because I see that ultimately the issue is bigger than just porn. People want to change the world, but first you have to change yourself. So I’m passionate about helping people do that.

Don’t Struggle Alone

Pornography is not an easy subject to talk about. Because of that, many people struggle in silence with temptation. But we are not meant to struggle alone.

If you or someone you know struggles with pornography, go to xxxchurch.com to seek help and find resources. More importantly, find one person you can honestly share your struggle with and ask for accountability, prayer, and a listening ear.

Others understand what you’re going through. Speak up and find the help you need.