We have a lot of women who come to our church without their husbands. Some of the husbands came yesterday…to see their kids perform.
It is a common malady of the contemporary church, as most of us in ministry know…but what to do about it?
In my own situation our ladies have done a superb job of ministering and setting up relevant programs for women in our church, and they naturally network together. Us men…not so much. We have done some things, and are doing some more…but a mans time is not as easy to access.
Men also seem to be less reluctant to invite other men to events ‘within the saucer’, to pinch a phrase. We have had some success with our mens events, MUD, men under duress…but it seems to me that the demands on a modern father are immense. I am not for a second trying to say they are more pressing that on a modern mother….but for many of the men I know, the wheel has turned a little at least. Many of them provide financially for their families, and feel pressure to be a success at work, so they need to put the hours in, in fact, something drives them, their maleness drives them.
Then, their family also puts pressure on them, pressure they invite and welcome, but pressure none the less.
Recently we planned an event, and deliberatly started in at 8pm…..which was simply because it then gave the blokes time to get home from work, have dinner, help get the kids tucked in… and then be able to go out without feeling either pressure or guilt.
Blokes need time to be blokes….but maybe the greatest concern for me, is that we are not giving them much purpose or adventure in their spiritual lives.
