What is it about men and church?

I was in a seminar a week or so back with a guy called Dave Murrow. Dave is from the states but just like the UK he has found that some men find it hard to relate to church. His question was why are there more women than men in most churches? Where have all the men gone?

I guess there are many reason why men, in the Western world at least, struggle with church. It is important for us to remember that it has not always been this way.

When Jesus was on the earth he had no problem getting men to follow him. The early church was full of men and it is interesting to see today that even when there is persecution in the church men still want to join, so it is not that they afraid of the challenge! There no doubt that as as church leaders (who ironically are mostly men themselves) we do not always make it easy for men to relate to church. I have certainly been challenged recently to take a look at how we do church to make sure it relevant to men, women, youth and children.

The message is certianly one that is relevant to everyone but my challenge is to make that message relevant. I don't think it is about changing the message - if we make sure we are still presenting the same message the Bible presents to us - the challenge is to look at how we present that message and make sure that what we do it in a way that makes sense to men and women alike.

We have some great ladies in our church, and some great men too, but my prayer is that we will have a church full of men and women excited about the message and responding to the challenge that Jesus presents to each one of us. Jesus call is, and always has been, "Come, follow me."

One thing is still certain in my mind at least, Jesus is still worth following.