Reaching Men: The Church's Overlooked Minority
Cliff Stabler
October 1, 1983
Men aren't the churchgoers that women are. A 1982 study by the Princeton Religion Research Center shows that 45 percent of the adult women in the United States will attend church in any given week. Only 35 percent of the men will attend. The "women and kids" caricature of Christianity refuses to die.
It's dangerous these days to suggest that one sex should be treated differently than the other. Especially if it's preferential treatment. But when it comes to a strategy for church renewal, I believe discipling men is an important key.
While pastoring in Miami, I saw what a ministry to men could become.
Jim Murray was an executive and a father of six who split time between our fellowship and a Roman Catholic parish. After sweating together on the tennis court, we would converse over soft drinks, share our struggles, and pray for each other. At the time, Jim was discouraged because of his rebellious teenager.
Jim's faith grew as he saw the Lord specifically equip him to deal with his child. And the teenager began to turn around. When he asked me if he should leave the Catholic parish, I encouraged him to stay there to minister.
Then Jim faced step two in his growth. Gordon, one of his employees, was stricken with cancer. Jim was reluctant to see Gordon in the hospital, but when he sidestepped his fear and finally went, he surprised himself by grabbing Gordon's hands and saying, "Let's pray together." Each visit after that, Gordon asked for prayer by reaching for Jim's hands when he rose to leave.
...
A rabbi was present on Jim's next visit. Jim was relieved. He hadn't known Gordon was Jewish, and now he felt he was off the hook in having to witness.
When the rabbi left, however, Gordon wanted to talk about salvation, and that night ...
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