For the past 4 years, men and boys have enjoyed having a wild game dinner at our church. This year the dinner will take place on March 21st. I can hardly wait. Eating squirrel, elk, bear, venison, walleye, pheasant and who knows what else, is a treat for the tongue!
I usually tease our church that I drive the countryside the week of the dinner in search of road kill. The longer it’s been on the road the better. It really gets tenderized.
Another reason I enjoy this night is because half of the men that come are not from our church. In fact, many of them do not attend church anywhere. This is not a “churchy” service. We try and have our fellowship hall decorated in such a way that gives you the outdoors feel. We give away prizes and have somebody share about hunting or fishing and a testimony of how Jesus has changed their life.
I believe the church needs to do more to reach men. At least the church I pastor. The following statistics from “Church For Men” (www.churchformen.com) sounds an alarm that must wake us up to do whatever we can to reach men.
The typical U.S. Congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% female, 39% male. This gender gap shows up in all age categories.
This Sunday almost 25 percent of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands.
As many as 90 percent of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it by their 20th birthday. Many of these boys will never return.
The last statistic breaks my heart. We can’t afford to loose our boys.
At the end of the article from “Church for Men” they asked 4 questions.
What is it about modern Christianity that is driving men away?
Jesus was a magnet to men, but our churches repel them. What’s changed?
Why do rival faiths inspire male allegiance, while ours breeds male indifference?
What can we do about it?
As I challenge myself, I also challenge you to think about change. Not for the sake of change, but for the sake of being effective in reaching and keeping boys and men for Christ.
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