The Man Church
| 01 September 2009
You may have heard pastor Craig recently refer to our church as "the man church". To avoid any confusion on what this means, and ensure you are aware of one of our church's deepest convictions, you need to know the following:
- According to research conducted by the Barna Group, 60% of all Christians are female.
- The percentage of male Christians attending church is annually declining.
- Statistically, the people least likely to attend church are young men in their 20's.
This indicates to us that the modern-day church is predominantly female and effectively reaching the female population. While we praise God for this, we also can see that the church is lacking in masculine presence and not reaching the male population. This should be of concern to us because, biblically speaking, men are the leaders of the church and home (1 Timothy 3, 1 Peter 3). If the church is lacking in proper male leadership and starving for ambitious young leaders, then the foundation of the church is undermined. Men tend to follow men, but if there are no men in the church (or none worth following), then we can be sure the next generation of quality young men will be putting their skills to work outside the church.
Consider: where are most men on Sunday morning? They are out building companies, erecting buildings, working on their trucks, watching football and NASCAR, or at the gym working out. Many of these men are capable leaders. They might make great church planters and pastors. But instead of building the church, they are out in the world accomplishing other things.
What exactly is it, then, that is keeping men out of church? The likely answer seems to be the lack of masculinity in the church. Christian men are often stereotyped as soft-spoken, weak pushovers. Too often this stereotype is true. At Bible Fellowship, we are fortunate to have many quality men, both young and old, who are examples of godly masculinity. However, don't think that this is just a coincidence. You'll notice that almost everything about our church is feminine-masculine balanced, and intentionally so. The decor, the music, the sermon: all of it is geared toward accommodating masculinity.
The stereotype of wimpy Christian men could be linked to the same stereotype portrayed of Jesus. Do a simple Google Image search of "Jesus" and notice how he is portrayed in almost every painting: slender, long feathered hair, soft beard, rosy cheeks, wearing a dress and holding a lamb.
This over-feminized portrait of Jesus is far from accurate. Jesus was a carpenter - he had calluses on his hands and sweat on his brow. The Gospels record Jesus as being a leader of men, confronting people, overturning tables and chasing other men out of the Temple. He called political leaders "foxes" and church leaders "snakes". He was tough, "a man of sorrows" yet never complained. He had his beard plucked and his head battered. He carried his own cross to his own public execution. Oh yeah, and he atoned for the sins of the world.
Jesus was a man.
He is our perfect model for masculinity. Christian men should look to Jesus for developing their manhood. One preacher said Jesus was "the manliest man who's ever manned".
Consider other Christian hero's of the Bible: Paul, Gideon, David, and Samson. These are men known for slaying other men. I would imagine they carried a godly masculine presence.
The church desperately needs men. Men who will lead their families and their churches. Men who can stand for truth. Men who confront sin. Men who can love their wives. Men who can raise godly children. Men who can execute church discipline. Men who know their Bibles, who pray, and who take responsibility.
Bible Fellowship is a church that welcomes masculinity and desires to guide it in a healthy direction. We want to produce godly men who can train younger men and challenge ungodly men to repent of their sin. That's why we are the man church.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems,
and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure,
were following him on white horses.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations,
and he will rule them with a rod of iron.
He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:11-16
