Let me start my article this week by giving you some very interesting information. The following statistics are taken from the book “Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission” by Darrin Patrick and Mark Driscoll.
A typical church congregation in the United States draws an adult crowd that is 61% female and 39% male. This gender gap is true in all age categories. On any given Sunday, there are 13 million more women than men in America’s churches (this statistic includes married and single adults).
More than 90% of men say they believe in God, and 83% of those identify themselves as Christians, but only 33% of those attend church on a given Sunday. The average man accepts the reality of Jesus Christ, but fails to see any value in going to church.
On a given Sunday, almost 23% of married women will worship without their husband (24.5 million married women compared to 19 million married men). Over 70% of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it in their teens and twenties, and most of them will never return.
If you have had the opportunity to visit many other churches, you have likely observed the truth represented by these statistics. Unfortunately, in most American churches, spiritually mature male leadership is lacking. As a result, you will find that women in most churches are filling the majority of leadership, service, and teaching positions.
Allow me to say I this point how thankful I am for women who serve so faithfully in those positions; many churches would cease to exist without the leadership, faithfulness, and sacrifice of dedicated women. By focusing this article on male leadership, I do not mean to diminish in any way the generous contribution of female leadership. Here at Morningview, we are incredibly blessed by our ladies in how they give of themselves so freely to glorify Christ in our church family.
However, the proficiency of mature Christian women in the life of the church does not negate the need for mature Christian men in the life of the church. So many churches are very unhealthy because men have abdicated their role as spiritual leaders in their homes as well as their role as the key teachers and spiritual leaders in the church.
These realities make me so thankful for the men we have here. God has so greatly blessed our church family here at Morningview with many dedicated, mature Christian men. They are men who serve sacrificially, who teach faithfully, and who lead biblically. They are by no means perfect, because none of us will be perfect until our glorification with Christ, but they are true blessings.
As of late, I have been specifically thankful for how I see more and more men laboring in our preschool and children’s ministries. These are areas in the church typically dominated by female leadership, and our ladies have done and are doing an excellent job. But having more men take an interest in spiritually shepherding our young ones is a sign of responsibility, maturity, and overall health. We have had several men who have labored to teach and serve in these areas for years and years, and I am thankful for their diligence and perseverance. I am also delighted to see their ranks growing.
As a congregation, I hope we will pray for our leaders — all of them, male and female, from preschool to Senior Adults. Specifically, I hope you will pray for our men to be responsible servant-leaders, for them to stand strong against the temptations of the flesh, and for them to love Christ with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Wives, I hope that you will continue to be your husband’s greatest cheer-leader and prayer partner as he leads in your home and as he leads here at church. Men, I pray that you will be faithful to shepherd your wives and your children for the glory of Christ, and I pray that you will continue to obediently answer the call of God to serve His kingdom and His people according to your unique talents and giftedness.
