Let me begin this article by saying that what I offer to you is not written to alienate women. It is not offered to ‘give offense? to wives and mothers. It is not a challenge to the leadership and service Christian women provide in churches across America today. It is offered, however, as a ‘wake-up call? to Christian men who are steadily disappearing from churches across America.
‘The typical U.S. congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61 percent female, 39 percent male. This gender gap shows up in all age categories.
‘This Sunday almost 25 percent of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands.
‘While more than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christians, in 1992 only 42 percent of American men attended church regularly.
In 1997, only 28 percent of American men were attending church regularly. By 2005, this number had dropped to less than 25 percent.
Where are the ‘Spiritual Men?? Where have they gone? Why aren’t they in churches the way they used to be?
David Murrow provides disturbing patterns and challenging insights in his 2005 book titled ‘Why Men Hate Going to Church.? Murrow states that today’s church has developed a culture that is driving men away. Almost every man in America has tried church, but two-thirds find it unworthy of a couple of hours each week. Why? According to the men, most worship services and worship-oriented activities are simply not ‘masculine? enough.
The rugged, hard-working, go-getting, ‘outdoorsman? who sees himself as the provider for the family and enjoys kicking back with his buddies with a cold beer and snickering at jokes shared privately sees those two hours spent each weekend at church as a waste of his time. There’s nothing in it for him.
Other responses include the observation that churches are more and more becoming a club for women. More and more leadership roles and committees are being filled by women. (Well, let’s be honest here, if the men are not going to step forward and serve, the women will step forward and ‘fill the gap? and serve well. Men, wake up!)
So, is there anything churches can do? I recommend reading David Murrow’s book to discover so much more that he has to offer including more than a dozen suggestions to churches of how they can reach out to their male members and stimulate their interest and participation in church once again.
The Christian organization called ‘Lutheran Hour Min-istries? is just one of many groups spearheading such efforts to reclaim God-fearing men back into America’s churches.
LHM cites the following data as an incentive for churches and missionary agencies to reach out to men and call them back to the church:
? When a child leads the way in commitment to a church, 3? percent of families follow.
? When a woman leads the way in commitment to a church, 17 percent of families follow.
? But, when a man leads the way in commitment to a church, 93 percent of families follow!
Clearly, without male spiritual involvement families, churches, and our witness all suffer. When men are spiritually ‘active? everyone benefits ? including men!
John Lennon titled his 1971 album ‘Imagine.?
Imagine if the husband and father of each Christian family took the lead going to church each Sunday morning, led the family in prayer, bible study, and devotion during the week, and led the evening prayers before bedtime.
Imagine, just imagine what our homes, our families, our churches, and our country would look like if this word from God were lived out in each Christian home, ‘Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.? (Eph. 6:4)
Yes, it’s been long in coming, but ‘Thank You!? to women and mothers.
‘Thank you? for ‘stepping up? in your service to the church and for willingly and capably ‘filling the gap?.
You are truly a blessing to our churches and to our homes!
May God bless us all as we continue to grow into the spiritual leaders we are called to be. Imagine ? just imagine!