Church growth strategies have recently gained popularity on the internet. I wanted to throw my hat in the ring for how I believe we should grow our churches, biblically.
Men are important. Regardless of what culture says, We live in a church culture that SAYS men are important, but then DOES something totally different with their actions. The church may say that men are important, but the majority of resources and focus is on children and youth ministry, followed by women’s ministry. What we do for men is relegate them, typically, to a monthly breakfast that has bacon but no intentionality. Then we wonder why men aren’t willing to come to church.
I want to make the case that if the church focused on getting men plugged in and activated for the Kingdom of God, the church as a whole would grow by leaps and bounds. Check out these stats alone!
Did you know that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow?
If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow.
But if the father is first, there is a 93 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow.*
Did you catch that? If dad is discipled, the kids and wife are 93% more likely to attend church and be discipled for Christ. That statistic alone should motivate the church to devote a significant portion of its time and resources to making that a reality, but instead we've chosen to ignore this truth and focus on reaching children and women. Please hear me out. I'm not saying we shouldn't reach out to and disciple women and children; we absolutely should; but what I'm trying to help us understand and see is that if dad was activated for Christ, the church wouldn't have to put as much emphasis on these ministries. Here is the reality, the kids ministry would thrive if dad was plugged in and unleashed in the church. Women's ministry flourishes when the husband is activated and involved in the church.
Churches that have spiritually healthy men and a healthy men's ministry will see all other areas of ministry grow and thrive without the need for gimmicks. Why? Because when dad goes to church, the kids and wife will almost always show up with him.
Unfortunately, most churches have a focus on children and youth, and the church has largely become a glorified babysitter on Sundays and Wednesdays. As a result of this reality, statistics show that the church is falling apart. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, more Protestant churches closed than opened in the United States, with 3,000 churches opening and 4,500 closing. And I think the reason for this is because A. MEN are not leading. B. Men are not being discipled.
What would it look like if we shifted our focus and focused on the men?
I believe it would have a positive impact on your church. I believe it would help the church get back on track. The church, you see, is to be a masculine organization led solely by men (1 Timothy 2 and 3, Titus 1).
However, over the last century or so, this has shifted, and churches are now primarily composed of women. As a result, the emphasis has shifted to what women consider important, which explains why there is such a focus on and fuss about children and youth ministry. And if the men (or a pastor) try to change the structure, they are reprimanded and told not to mess with what is going on. Honestly, this is why I think most men are not in church.
Sid Woodruff (Lifeway Mens Ministry) once said ‘Men aren’t necessarily opposed to going to church. They just don’t see churches as being “male-friendly.”
This must change. Church must be a place where men are not only welcomed, but also empowered to lead.
So, how do we attract men to the church? Men must reclaim their role as church rulers or leaders, rather than serving as a token head piece. They must be appointed the roles of elder, shepherd, and teacher. They must take back dominion (Genesis 1:26-28). They must understand that they are wanted and needed rather than being an afterthought. Furthermore, when they do something for the body, they do not need their hands slapped and then told that this is not how we do things around here. Rather, men need to be unleashed with all the authority and power that God has given to them.
If you want your church to grow and become a juggernaut for God's Kingdom, empower men to do things. Encourage them to create, build, and have some skin in the game. Men who are spiritually healthy and activated for God's Kingdom will create a spiritually healthy environment for the rest of the church. As a result, your church will grow. Not only will churches grow, but cities will be transformed as men leave the church walls and seek to establish Kingdom-centered commerce and create Gospel-centered industries that will consequently better the society and culture you live in, ergo a transformed city.
Please understand that reaching out to men will not jeopardize your other ministries, but rather strengthen them. If men are reached, they will bring their families with them, creating the amazing problem of having too many children rather than not enough. If you reach the men, you'll run out of room because they'll bring their families with them. And this ultimately is God's design for the church. Men ruling and leading church as they submit and follow King Jesus!
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