While many men are quick to profess their faith, some of them are not so quick to attend religious services. Many even admit that they would skip church to watch the big game on Sunday.
While some more conservative voices have maintained that “radical feminism” and the feminization of churches are the sources of the problem; more often it may be that men feel there is no real pull to attend due to a lack of one-to-one relationships being formed between them and other male congregants.
David Murrow, a bestselling author and the founder of Alaska-based Church for Men, a nondenominational group endeavoring to attract more men to attend religious services, says the stakes are very high when it comes to what he considers an exodus of men from places of worship. The penalty of this exodus, he says, “is the obliteration of our faith.” He points out that major revivals and re-awakenings in church history have begun among a small group of men.
This worry about the decline of men in religious services is not new; Murrow’s own bestselling book on the subject was published ten years ago. Among church leaders in both Catholic and Protestant churches, its common knowledge that getting men involved in the church in a meaningful way can be a trying experience. However, many churches have started a push to get men involved in activities that have traditionally been allocated to women, including organizing Easter egg hunts, weekend fish fries and golf tournaments. Such activities encourage men to attend services more regularly, while also increasing the likelihood they will volunteer to help with other church needs. When men see other men directing parking before services or helping out in the children’s area, they also offer to help.