Gender Imbalance in the Pews

Recently, a thread I read regularly discussed the absence of men in our North American churches... I submitted the following:

Dear Friends ~

Thank you for bringing this crucial matter to our attention…

I believe that gender balance in our churches is important, therefore the creation of programs and support networks should be done with the needs of every group in mind. I am reluctant to argue against women’s ministries since these have been necessary in the past and continue to meet needs in the present. I also do not see value in the creation of a parallel men’s organization in the RCA at this time. There have to be more creative ways to address the ratio inequity and the involvement of men in the life of the church. After all, if one looks at the history of the RCA, a majority of efforts have been led by men with male “paradigms” as the foundation. I think it is fair to say that men have had, and continue to have, a strong influence in shaping the life of the church.

While at the “One Thing” conference in San Antonio, Texas in January I noted that a visible majority of participants were men. Not only were they men, but many were younger men who were passionate about the gospel and about growing the church/kingdom. I saw the event as a positive step toward getting people involved in Christ’s mission, many of them being men. Perhaps our emphasis should be on bringing a healthy gender balance to all facets of church life by making the focus the larger mission.

Recently I was encouraged to read the book “The American Church in Crisis” by David T. Olson (2008). In it Olson refers to David Murrow’s comments about the male – female imbalance of our churches and adds the following on his own:

“Research has also found that younger churches and growing churches have more balanced male – female ratios.” (Pg. 88)… “A study in 2000 from Switzerland provides insight on the importance of male attendance on the religious development of children in that country. ‘In summary, if a father does not go to church, no matter how regular the mother is in her religious practice, only one child in 50 becomes a regular church attendee. But if a father attends regularly, then regardless of the practice of the mother, at least one child in three will become a regular church attendee.’ The research seems to indicate that a balanced male-female ratio in a church correlates positively with growth.” (Pg. 89).

Let’s think in terms of balance and not get pre-occupied with who gets the “prodigal son (daughter)” treatment… Let’s be creative in challenging men to know and love Jesus!

Cor