Men at Church Lately?

Today, World Magazine' Blog referred to a Wall Street Journal article entitled "Church Ladies: Women dominate America's pews.  Is that a problem?"

The statistics mentioned that the typical U.S. congregation is 61% female.  I find this rather interesting, since I'm part of the 39%.  It does go on to mention that the mainline denominations skew the most in the female to male ratio, with the more conservative denominations having more of a balanced ratio.

As one who attends a conservative congregation, I sure see the more even ratio.  Our pastor even talks about when ladies visit our church by themselves.  They comment later on the excitement they personally have in seeing so many men worshipping on a Sunday morning.  I'm honored to be one of them.

Many of the opinion posters to the World Mag Blog have various opinions as to the problem.  I offer a suggestion of my own.  Churches that attract men are ones that minister to the make-up of the male; ones that allow them to be challenged, to be builders, and to be allowed to take risks.  Take that away, and their numbers go down.  Way down, as the mainline churches have seen.

A church that attacts both male and female is a church that allows them both to operate as God designed them.  Men as risk-takers, women as nurturers.  When a church tries to mold a gender to act like the other, they all lose.

Ladies, thank you for who you are.  Maybe us men can be who we are.

--Colonel Steve