Why should Men’s Ministry be important in the church?

The “Men Problem” in America:
Startling Statistics
  • The typical US Congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% Female, and 39% male.
  • On any given Sunday there are 13 million more adult women than men in America’s churches.
  • This Sunday almost 25 percent of married church-going women will worship without their husbands.
  • Midweek activities draw 70-80% female participants.
  • 75% of volunteers are women.
  • The average ratio of men to women in Christian colleges is about 1 male to every 3 females.
  • Women are:
  • 100% more likely to be involved in discipleship
  • 57% more likely to hold a leadership position in the church
  • 54% more likely to participate in a small group
  • 39% more likely to have a regular devotional time
  • 29% more likely to attend church, read their Bible, and share their faith.
  • Of the 72 million children in America under the age of 18, 33% will go to bed tonight in a home without a biological father.
  • Children who live absent from their biological fathers, on average, are more likely to be poor, experience educational, health, emotional and psychological problems, be victims of child abuse, and engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological mother and father.
  • Currently, 57.7% of all black children, 31.8% of all Hispanic children, and 20.9% of all white children are living in single-parent homes.
Tony Evans, in his book Kingdom Man, writes:
  • Roughly 70% of all prisoners come from fatherless homes.
  • Approximately 80% of all rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes.
  • 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
  • 63% of all teen suicides occur in homes where the father was either abusive or absent.
  • Virtually every adult social pathology has been linked to either fatherless homes or homes with a father and/or husband who was absent, abusive, or neglectful.
Evans goes on to write, “The inmates at the prison I visit came from different cultures, backgrounds, generations, and experiences. They had committed different crimes. But one thing that most shared was that they had either come from a fatherless home or a home where the father was absent, neglectful, or abusive.” There is a “Men Problem” in America! Regarding this issue, Dr. Patrick Morley wrote, “Based on the actual allocation of intellectual and financial resources, men’s discipleship is not a major priority in any denomination. The Christian church has failed to muster the will or strategy to address the men problem. A majority of churches are not making disciples in general, and have no intentional plan to disciple men in particular. Why is that? Many churches believe they have “tried men’s ministry,” and it doesn’t work for them. Other churches have a few men meeting for a weekly Bible study and a few other men meeting once a month on a Saturday morning for pancakes, so they think they have fulfilled the needs of men. The men problem is among the most pervasive social, economic, political, and spiritual problems of all time. As a result, men are prone to get caught up in the rat race, lead unexamined lives, and become cultural rather than biblical Christians…While there are numerous cultural, social, and political solutions offered, the Christian solution to the men problem is discipleship. The mission—the marching orders—of the Christian church is, “Go and make disciples.” Several points stand out regarding men’s ministry at large:
  • The men problem is among the most pervasive social, economic, political, and spiritual problems of all time.
  • Based on the actual allocation of intellectual and financial resources, men’s discipleship is not a major priority in any denomination.
  • A majority of churches are not making disciples in general, and have no intentional plan to disciple men in particular.
  • The Christian solution to the men problem is discipleship.
The Christian solution to the “men problem” is discipleship.
  • What is our intentional plan to disciple men?
  • What is our strategy?
  • What is our process for helping men grow spiritually and maximize their potential as a kingdom man, husband, father, provider, and mentor?
The M3 Initiative is our plan to disciple men.
 
M3 stands for: Mentoring Men for the Mission