Why Men Don’t Go To Church

Have you heard discussions about the feminization of the Church. Well, I recently read a couple of articles tackling this issue as if it were fact. Both pointed to several factors that I think really show that the Church isn’t undergoing a new trend, it’s simply reflecting the population disparity of women to men.

One author tries to apply a broad generalization that most men don't like church because there are too many women. My personal experience has been that not many guys will feel offended, being in the presence of an abundant supply of women.

Missing Fathers of the Church, by Leon J. Podles discussed his book "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity," in the article he stated "I examine the lack of men in the Western churches, which only the unobservant doubt."

Some of his other observation were:

Men claim they believe in God as much as women do, but men go to church less than women do and pray far less than women do?

These differences are neither recent nor limited to North America.

In seventeenth-century New England, Cotton Mather puzzled over why his congregations were overwhelmingly female.

Latin men are notoriously resistant to going to church.

Christianity, is largely a feminine affair in Western society.

Outreaches For The 21st Century Male

I feel his thesis has failed to uncover any of the real reasons some men stay away from church. And I don’t think any Christian man would agree with his assumption,that it’s because they regard church as a threat to their hard-won masculinity.

The other article in question was was a news story “Face of Christianity Will Soon Be Black” where a Christian Today writer reviewed Dr Kwok Pui Lan comments to an audience, at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky.

They were told that by 2025, Africa is projected to shoot up to 634.6 million Christians, mostly women. While numbers in Latin America will reach 634.1 million, and Europe will fall to 531 million Christians.

This picture of the typical church doesn't take into account the continued growth of men's ministries. In some U S churches they're outreaches target groups of hunters and fisherman, Christian men who find it hard to chose between attending Sunday service or miss a weekend of their favorite pastime.

The church has been successfully addressing their needs by offering more non-traditional style gatherings outside its hallowed walls. This style of evangelism will spread to more parts of the world and reach more groups of men. One day, even Sunday sports fans, couch potatoes and others will be ministered to, in their comfort zones.

Fewer Men at Church But More Men Attend Church

I think these gentlemen are really missing the mark in their predictions and remind anyone who reads these articles to remember that they are loosely based on factors that can change, at any time.

I have noticed the imbalance in female participation in church and I’m receptive to the women who are being led to the clergy, by the Holy Spirit, but I refuse to accept that this has a negative affect on my psyche or that of any other red blooded male.

In fact I sense that, fewer men are turning away from faith, many just aren’t very active in the programs of the church. We men really aren’t as archaic in our thinking as these authors portray us to be. Are we? I may be wrong, but that’s just my opinion.

What’s yours?