Male UK worshippers prefer “macho” hymns – more coverage on Survey this time from Reuters

More coverage is being given to the recent survey done on behalf the christian “Lads Mag” Sorted. This time it can be found on Reuters website (Here). The survey was taken by 400 christian men in the UK and has come up with a few surprises… or not as the case may be.

75% go to church to be intellectually and Spiritualy Challenged

50% donk like dancing in church

60% disliked flowers and embrodery in church

They also said they would prefer to discuss spiritual matters in the pub over a pint rather than in a church discussion grroup.

I think I am going to purchases a copy of Sorted and see what its like.

Book Review – Wild at Heart – John Eldredge

This is one of the most important christian books I have ever read. John Eldredge looks at what it is to be a true man of God, with the emphasis on MAN. By exploring what it is to be a man, what motivates a man, how a man is wounded and whether or not he is initiated into masculinity Eldredge takes you on a journey through your own manhood.

This book has brought up some serious issues in my life and it has opened up some deep painful wounds which I had buried for most of my adult life. However it has also shown me how to work through these wounds with Father and Jesus and come out the other end. It’s not a finished work yet but i am making steady progress. I look fowardd to

1.    Fighting the Battle

2.    Living the Adventure

3.    Rescuing Beauty

A full review can be found in the book reviews section of the blog.

Band of Brothers

Much of my thinking of late has been centred on the Church and men. How do men fit into our church, what is the role of men in church, how do we strengthen and encourage men within the church and finally how do we reach out to men.

 Father has been moving me deeper and deeper into these questions over the last few months and I think he is pointing me towards a new ministry in this area.

The gender gap in our church is smaller than is typical of most in the UK but the gap is still present and probably runs at about 1.75 to 1. That’s nearly two women to every man. Why is this?

Well party it is due to the makeup of the church there are a number of single women over student age, where there are few single men in the same age group. There are also a number of women who are married but their husbands are not saved or part of the church.

The men who are in the church, bar a hand full (excluding the elders), are not that visible in the church and seem to be just coasting along for the ride rather than pushing on into what Father has got for them.

Our outreach therefore will always bring in more women than men.

So how do we change it?

That’s the prayer / thought process I am currently working on.

The first thing is to get the men in the church functioning as biblical men. To do this we need a lot of help from Father and some practice things to be put in place. Men typically need two things to motivate them

1.       A Band of Brothers

A band of brothers is a group of men who meet together, experience life together and bond into a cohesive group. An excellent example of this is the TV mini Series Band of Brothers (a must watch) about a company of American paratroopers who go through basic training and the European war of 1944 – 1945 together. They leave nobody behind and they will take the bullet for a friend but they also have a laugh and a joke. Men need these close, tight and manly relationships to help push them forward and to get them out of the action when they are wounded.

So we need to build the men up into this band of brothers. How do we build this? … at the moment I am at a loss. Much more prayer needed.

2.       A father figure

Boys learn off their fathers, the lack of father figures plays a massive part in the social breakdown in our society in the UK. It also has caused a lack of biblical men in our church. Men need older, wiser more experienced men to look up to, to be challenged by, to be lead by and to lean on when times are hard.

So we need to find these father figures these leaders to teach us men to be biblical men. Where are these older men? No idea .. again much prayer needed.

So once we get the men up and working how do we reach out to other men.

Well I think the two points listed above are a need in all men. By introducing them to our band of brothers where they can come and be part of the ‘team’ they will feel included and want to learn more about who we are, what we believe and who really leads our lives (Hint; JESUS).

Again how this will work out I have no idea, these are just the rumblings of the beginnings of the beginning.

However if you have read this and can give me some ideas please leave some comments so others can see and comment themselves

Finally as I work through all this please, please pray for me.