Latest / The Rachelle Starr Podcast / The Church the Industry Needs | The Rachelle Starr Podcast Episode 8
Transcript
- Rachelle Starr: Hi, I'm Rochelle, the host of the Rochelle Star Podcast, where we equip the church to bring the hope and love of Jesus to women in the adult entertainment industry. We're going to be having honest conversations about what that really looks like. So if you've ever wondered how to engage in this space or how to do it well, you're in the right place. All right, welcome back to the Rochelle Starr Podcast. I'm Rochelle Starr. And this is my co-host, Natalie. And we are excited to talk today about engaging your local church, about starting strip club outreach through your local church. How do you welcome women into your church and all things the church, the gospel, and the industry? And so I'm really excited because the Lord has done great things through our church partners, and we believe wholeheartedly that it is through. The Capital C church that God releases people, the church into the darkness to bring the light of Christ. And so we're gonna be talking about that today. I'm so excited. I'm super excited. So as we jump into this and we're thinking about the framework of the church and what the church is called to to bring the gospel to the sex industry and to the darkness, we want to talk through a couple of things. The first thing that we want to talk through, I think, is Why the church? And what, you know, what does that look like and why is it important? Because why are we just not like focused on social work and being a nonprofit in the, you know, nonprofit sector and why are we partnering with the local church to make this possible? And so we want to talk about that. Then I want you to talk about the women and welcoming them into the church and what does that look like? Because ultimately Scarlet Hope is a parachurch organization. That is a bridge to the local church and we want women to be discipled there and welcome there. And I want you to talk about all all about that. Yeah, excited about that. And then lastly, we want to talk about how this the talking about this, whether it's pornography or the sex industry or this particular ministry from the pulpit should not be sensationalized, but it should be talked about with dignity and with honor and as a part of the gospel mission that God's created called us to. So Let's dig in. Yeah, yeah. Okay. I wanna first start by telling a story about this woman that I brought to church. She was my very first person that I ever brought to church. Mm-hmm. I was so excited because we had just started going into the clubs in 2008 and I met this woman like practically day one. ⁓ her sweet name ⁓ was her her this is not her real name, but her she went by this name Alabama. And I remember thinking, Man, she is just such a sweet woman who who has grown up in Kentucky her whole life, but she immediately came up to me and she was like, If I walked into a church, the whole entire roof would fall down. And I was like, No. I was like, is that really what you believe? And she was like, Absolutely. And so a year went by that the church ladies were showing up at her club, serving meals, getting to know her. And one day she was in a pretty significant domestic violence situation and she had come to me and said, I really want to go to church. So I said, Let's go this Sunday. I'll pick you up. I'll, you know, I'll remind you. I'll pick you up at your door and I'll take you and it'll be it'll be wonderful. The church roof will not fall in. How many times have you heard this? Yeah, it's a it won't fall in. Yeah. It or the like they think because they've sinned so badly or they're carrying so much shame that, you know, everything in the whole church will just fall to pieces because they walk in the door and That is certainly not true. Certainly not true. So I pick her up that Sunday. She had actually overslept, of course. So I just waited around a little bit. I got there like twenty-five minutes early and ⁓ she got dressed and she comes outside and you know, to be honest, I really couldn't have cared less what she was wearing. I was so excited that she was taking this brave step to to walk into a church. So I I bring her to my church and she did have a little jacket on, but she had ⁓ white jeans on and she had a purple shirt on that was bedazzled with the word B I T C H. Okay. And, you know, I know back in two thousand eight, that was just really risky to bring somebody like that to church. Yes. But let me just like think about what it took for that woman, all of the beliefs of years. I mean, she was in her forties when I met her. All of the beliefs that she had about her walking through the doors of a church, would she be welcomed? Would she be accepted? Would the walls and the roof cave in? What would it be like? And so I honestly didn't want to say anything about her clothing. I wanted her to show up just as she was. And she did. Yeah. And did the roof? The roof did not cave in, Natalie. It did not. Amazing. So I was walking through the lobby with her and an elder of the church came up to me and said, Hey, ⁓ I I heard the work you're doing and I'm assuming this is one of the women that, you know, is from your ministry. ⁓ you can't bring her hairdressed like that. And I was like, ⁓ Interesting. Got that from what Bible verse? I don't know. Maybe like clean up the outside before you can clean up the inside, that one. So I I immediately like I understood, like I wasn't trying to be disrespectful or bring somebody there to be disrespectful disrespectful. But I knew, knowing this woman for a year, what it took to get her through those doors. Yeah. And I wanted her to feel totally welcomed and totally accepted. We know that God doesn't leave us there, but also this was like day one, you know, this is day one of coming out of the darkness into some of the light, into a body of believers, and I was there for it. And so I politely had a meeting with him afterwards a couple, you know, that next week and just said, you know, if I can't bring women here from the clubs, then I don't know what this church is about. Like the church is for the sick. It's for the broken. It's for this type of woman. And Jesus has countless stories of in the Bible, the woman at the well, I mean just all sorts of things. Like Jesus did not shy away from a woman wearing a shirt like this. And, you know, they didn't really see it that way. They did not see it that way. So, you know, I continued obviously to ⁓ bring women there and ⁓ never asking them to change what they were wearing. But eventually, you know, we had to find churches that would align with our mission and it would be welcoming to them in the beginning of their journey and not shun them or shame them, but would welcome them. And so that journey is we've been on that ever since and we love to partner with the local church, but we also want to partner with aligned churches in ⁓ the gospel mission. Yeah, I'm really thankful that the Lord didn't say, Hey, you can't come here the first time I became the first day I was a believer. I mean it's amazing because like even though some of us like ha maybe know what to wear, you know, wear a nice dress and get all groomed and cleaned up for church, a lot of us carry a lot of shameful things that we've done or are doing in our p you know, in our lives that we walk straight into a church, but the outside looks nice and acceptable, but the inside not so much. And I I just think that Jesus is way less interested in that. Yeah. Do you have like a positive story and how you're like yes to the like this is the what the local church should be doing? Like this is great. I mean, so the the next church that I ended up like I ended up moving from southern Indiana to Louisville and we ended up my husband started and I started going to a church in Shelby Park, which those of you listening to this podcast don't might not know where Shelby Park is, but it's like one of the worst, you know, neighborhoods in Louisville. There's a lot of crime, it's in the inner city. ⁓ and so we started going to this church in Shelby Park and I remember walking in and like there were tons of people that looked like the like Alabama. And I was like, this is this is awesome. Like this is what it looks like to bring unbelievers together with believers so that we can reach the lost. And ⁓ and so that church I ended up being there for twelve years and I mean, just so many women welcomed and found their home at that church and it was it was really beautiful. But one of the things that I remember all the way back, and then I definitely want to jump into how do churches ex you know, what are the things that we're looking for? And so I want you to speak to that. But I also wanna share that one of the first churches I was not a part of, I didn't go to this church at the time, but you know, they were raising money to shut down the clubs and to shut down the the the establishments that were in our city. ⁓ And here I was, you know, going to the clubs, bringing a home cooked meal, getting other Christians to join us. And that was like, that was too much. You know? So you have crossed the Christian line. And the imaginary line that they drew. So I you know, I had so many conversations with this church and I understood in the spectrum of what we should be doing in this world to be lights and to be To bring justice to the poor and to the vulnerable. There's all sorts of pieces that need to go i into play. But my philosophy from day one when God called me to this is unless the hearts of the people have changed for the glory of God, it does not matter what brick and mortar you shut down, it will still exist because it's in the heart of man that this operates, that this exists and ⁓ whether it's from the demand side or it's from the survival side or whatever have you, it is until the hearts of people change. And so we stuck to our guns, we kept going into the clubs. One by one, we, you know, as the story goes, we go from one club to 27 clubs. And it would be years, about a decade of working with these churches in our community before women could just really show up, be welcomed at mi many of the churches we were partnering with and And begin to build community in the local church. And so, okay, let's talk about what does it look like for churches to welcome a woman into their church. Yeah, I love this question because I think, like you said, this is this needs to be a the local church is the place where women need to be who are hurting. And so what does that look like for a church to do? I think one of the first things is not to re exploit them. I think that's number one. So if a church knows that a woman has been in the industry, not re-exploiting her by asking her like inappropriate questions about her time in the industry, like what club have you been in? Like that kind of stuff. Like very not relevant. Not relevant, very inappropriate. ⁓ and then there are women, very brave women, survivors, who are very vocal about their story and how God has changed them and being able to give them a platform. But then also being very understanding of women who are not ready to share their story. And not forcing a woman being like, Hey, I think it would be really good if the congregation were to hear every little thing that you've been through. Like it would just really help them out. Yeah. Like not re-exploiting someone sharing their story. Like we want women who want to to share their story, but it's okay if you don't want to. Yeah. I think the other really important thing is how do we talk about women in the church? And how do we talk about sex in the church? So how do we share stories about like rehab? How do we share stories about Hagar? How do we talk about those women? In a church, how do we handle women when it comes to leadership roles, when it comes to submission? How do we talk about those topics in a way where a woman doesn't feel like I'm going from one organization that tells me to submit to men and do what they want? To another organization that tells me to submit to men and do whatever they want. And so we don't want a woman to feel like that. So it's really important how we talk about sex, how we talk about women in leadership, how we talk about submission, all those things, how we talk about marriage. I think all of those things are so important because we want women to see that the Bible is different, that the church is different, that God values them as human beings made in the image of God. And we are nothing like the industry. So I think that's really important. And then I wanted to end if it's okay with you with ⁓ a Bible verse. Yeah. Because Always. Always. ⁓ because ⁓ I think the Bible has a lot to say on this topic and I just think think it's really important to hear from God's word. And so I'm gonna look at Ezekiel thirty four, starting at verse four, and I'm gonna go to five. So Ezekiel 34, ⁓ God is talking to the prophet Ezekiel about the religious and political leaders of Israel. So this is basically God talking to the church, essentially, in that time period. And he says, God says, You have not taken care of the weak, you have not tended to the sick or bound up the injured, you have not gone looking for those who have wandered away are and are lost. Instead you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. And so that's what you don't want your church to look at. But then all the way, if you go all the way, which this is a great chapter, so you should read the whole thing. But verse sixteen says, and this is God talking still, I will search for my lost ones who are strayed away. And I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them. Yes, feed them justice. And so good when I think about what to tell a church and what to do, I think about verse sixte of verse sixteen and I think, okay, have you searched for the lost? Have you brought them to safety? Have you bandaged their wounds and their injuries? Have you strengthened them? Have you fed them justice? And so we can look right to scripture on what a church who is safe for women who are hurting and a church in verse four through five that is not safe for women. ⁓ I love that. And I mean I ⁓ That's beautiful because these are not our words, they're God's words. Literally God's. Literally God's. And I you know, it brings me back to this story where I remember ⁓ a church saying to me, Well, they d you don't need to go to these people. There's a sign outside, they can just show up. ⁓ But one of the interesting things in this scripture is like, did you search for them? Did you search? Did you go out and search for them? Because And when they show up, do you care for them? Do you provide justice for them? It's it's so interesting to me that we want the lost to come to our church, but we're unwilling to search for them. And when they show up, we act we act like we don't know what to do. And so it's very easy, you know, one of the things I think that we need more reminders of is to remind each other and one another in the church, we used to be that lost sheep. We used to be that lost individual. And through God's mercy, nothing of our own, we get a seat at God's table. And I think when we can really remember back to when we were lost and back to when we were in darkness, we can have empathy for the lost and we would wanna go out and search for them. And so obviously that's what we do at Skrull of Hope and this scripture is a beautiful, beautiful chapter to remind the church. But also it it goes into like how do we think about vulnerable people, women that are carrying a lot of shame and a lot of heartache and a lot of trauma, how do we how do we think of them? And God, you know, I think in his great mercy, it's like he goes after the one and leaves the ninety nine and there's this like little sheep that needs cared for, that needs n n nurtured back to health. And We get to do that at Scarlet Ho, but we get to do that with the church and with the body of Christ. And so one of the things that I think about and and we're gonna kind of end with is like how does the church talk about this subject? But also how does the church talk about the women? And this past Sunday, Pastor Dave Stone, who is actually gonna be on the podcast in a couple of weeks. Very exciting. I know, super exciting. He's been a part of Scarlet Hope for many, many years, but he just taught on the woman at the well. And ⁓ it on Sunday, and how he talked about her, this woman, that God, that Jesus went out of his way. He don't have to go through Samaria. But he did because he was going to have an encounter with this woman at the well. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And Dave told me. Talked so beautifully about this woman and how Jesus saw her and how Jesus handled her and how Jesus cared for her in those moments that he was at the well with her. And be and one of the things that struck me in how Jesus addressed her and also, you know, how she experienced him was ⁓ this was through, you know, Dave Stone's words, is she came to that well ashamed and isolated and broken. And she left with a spring of life. Like she went out and told the whole town what God had done. And it said because of her testimony, many came to know Christ. Well, imagine a woman coming to your church, coming to the well, your church, and getting experiencing Christ in a way that they've never experienced before. And because of Christ's transformation and grace and mercy on their life. They ⁓ they go out from your church, a spring of life, and they tell everyone about that. That is the picture that we should have of the church and a woman who is broken and vulnerable. ⁓ what can happen? So I love that. But I do think it's important though that we talk about the realities of the industry. And so what kind of inf you know, what kind of Trauma informed or enlightenment can you give ⁓ people listening that they should how they should speak about the women and the industry as a whole? Yeah, well, I think about scripture and how scripture handles talking about these issues. ⁓ for example, like the story of Rahab. I mean, the Bible says what her line of work was, what she did, but that wasn't who she was. It doesn't it was like It wa it it was a sentence. It was not even a sentence. It was just it was like one word. But what the Bible says over and over again is how she was used by God to l literally be in the line to bring Jesus into the world. And so that's how we need to talk about women who were in the industry. It's true, they're in the industry. That is a fact. But that's not the whole story. And to be able to share this is Yes, this is a fact. She was in the industry. But look at all what God has done through her. And so I think that's the Bible gives such a great example of how we should talk about the industry. As this is a fact, this really is happening. There are really women who are being exploited in establishments and online. ⁓ but that's not who she is. And in scripture we see what God can do with women who have been exploited women who have been in the industry or are in the industry, but God can do I mean, look what he's done with me, you know, as like what could he's done with all of us. And so I think that's really important to talk about the transforming work of God and not dwell on the industry itself, but talk about it more in like factual. Because I think it is important to understand the industry in itself. I also think it's really important to use like people first language. So like a woman who is engaging in the adult entertainment industry instead of like a prostitute. I think it's really important to use people first language because God created people in his image and that's they're a person, first and foremost. And so I think that's really important when we're talking about how the church should talk about it, using people first language and not labeling. ⁓ And again, like I said, using the transforming work of God and what he does through all of our lives. Yeah. And it's not just, you know, this isn't this is all of our story. I think of myself how you were talking about like the woman at the well, and I really identify with her just because I feel I kinda I kinda say I say all the time, I'm like, I am the woman who was rejected by her local town and I turned into a local town missionary. I can identify with that story. And ⁓ that's what God has done in my life, and that's what He has done in so many other women's lives. And that's what we should focus on. Amen. Amen. Well, as we round this ⁓ podcast out, we are going to I'm just gonna talk about two ways that the local church can partner with Scarlet Hope and can also ⁓ you know, bring this mission to their own city. And so Scarlet Hope is ⁓ serving in 18 cities around America. So there's likely that we have a Scarlet Hope near you. However, there's many cities in America that we are not in. And so there are really two ways that I have seen really quality partnership with the local church. One is just simply partnering with the local Scarlet Hopes. And so here in Louisville, Kentucky where we're headquartered, we have many church partners that partner with us. They provide provision, they serve, they volunteer, they provide meals, ⁓ they come do work projects. They write letters to the women. They write letters, they provide so many things. And people and provision are the two things that make this whole thing operate. And then some of our church partners actually carry out our digital outreach program. And that's been a really cool thing that if again, if you're new to Scarlet Hope, if you're just listening to this for the first time or you're a pastor tuning into this, ⁓ digital outreach is where we have a software system that identifies exploited and trafficked individuals and trains advocates to reach them through mass SMS text messaging. And churches can, it's low risk, high impact, and they can bring this program to their local church. And so ⁓ a couple years ago I was sitting with a pastor in a really big city. I will not say too many identification markers. ⁓ this i is a a good friend of mine now. But I had never met this pastor. And we're sitting across the table from each other, and I had sh come to the table with the in the entire look of what the industry looked like around his church within a two mile radius of his local church. And ⁓ and and I wasn't coming to prove anything. This is just something that we do for all of the church. Yeah. It's just facts. But also like before we partner with the church, we want to know what it looks like around their neighborhood. And so he sat across from me and he said, you know what? He goes, We don't have this here. I said, ⁓ okay. And he said, ⁓ yeah, I've never seen it. We we definitely don't have it. So this just wouldn't be of interest to us. And I said, well, and I s got out my paper and I slid it across the table to him and he said, This is my church's address. And I said, Yeah, we have the data ⁓ of everybody that's being sold for illicit services around your church within up to a one mile radius. And here all here are the clubs and here are the IMBs and here's the online ad history. And he was dumbfounded. And he said, I thought that all happened like out there. And I was like, well, that's what most people say. It happens really anywhere and everywhere and ⁓ right around churches all of the time. And he said, he said, what do you need to reach these people? And so we put a plan together. I submitted it to him and his church said, sign us up. And now they've been one of our longstanding anchor partners in the city. And ⁓ because of them, we've been able to reach over five thousand people just in their neighborhood. And it's been a really amazing thing to watch this church be skeptical and say, not not not in my neighborhood, to participating in the ⁓ in to going and sharing the hope and the gospel with exploited and trafficked people. Amen. And because of that, people have been freed. So your church can join us today. Your church can partner with us in so many ways, and we would love To have you. Thanks, Natalie. Yeah, thank you. Thank you for listening to the Rochelle Star podcast. If this conversation encouraged you or challenged you, I'd invite you to take the next step. Whether that's learning more, getting involved, or sharing this episode with someone else. At Scarlet Hope, we believe consistent presence changes lives, and there's a place for you in this work. You can learn more at ScarletHope.org.