mediasalt

The population of most churches today has a disproportionally greater number of women than men.  Think about your church.  The odds are good that you have a harder time attracting and practically engaging men in the ministries of your church.  So what’s a church to do?

A Church Planter’s Story

I have had  the amazing privilege over the past five years of being part of the leadership in a new church in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  We started as a team of six people with the mission of reaching people who were not going to church.  Every church will say they are trying to “reach” people who are un-churched, but few have a strategic plan, mission, and vision built into the core of their DNA to execute such an initiative in our North American culture.

I am not saying that we were/are special, extra gifted, anointed, or smarter than leaders of other churches.  God simply assembled six passionate leaders, birthed a vision, and blessed us with resources to execute to the best of our ability his plan for this part of this city.

Manly Marketing

I want to share with you one thing that I have seen really work to reach men.  There has been much written about crafting messages, marketing imagery, colors, and themes that are more masculine.  Being a “marketing” guy through education and career, I endorse that methodology completely.  We certainly try to appeal to men in the marketing we do.  However, appealing with a more masculine design concept may get more men in the door but I have discovered how to engage them in beginning a genuine spiritual journey.

The Man Service

Men need to feel like they can contribute.  Men need to “do”.  Men engage relationally in the act of service.

I have seen it over and over again these past five years.  Guys (for the most part) being dragged to church by their wives or kids and walking through the door like a deer in headlights.  I have seen many “stunned” men in their first few visits to our church.  Church (no matter how you program it) is foreign to how most men are geared.  I will even be so bold as to say that non-churched men for the most part do not initially begin their spiritual journey though the act of attending Sunday services.

Where I have seen men begin to move forward spiritually is through the act of being invited into a team, a project, or a task.  These  initiatives can be small or large projects, but often, the smaller the team the better.  In a smaller task-based team, a non-churched, non-Christian man can begin to connect with a small group of Christian men and begin to build a few core relationships.  The guy then gets to see first-hand, real men, being themselves, doing something meaningful, and  they see applied  and integrated spirituality of these other guys.

Once they see faith-in-action, then and only then can they validate that a relationship with Jesus makes a concrete difference in the lives of everyday guys just like them.  The strategy is men working with like-minded men in hands-on meaningful initiatives.  That has better life-changing results than all the Sunday sermons your pastor can preach.

When a guy can see the practicality of spiritual principles, his curiosity gets peaked, his heart gets engaged, and many of the “religion” barriers can be broken down so he can get his questions answered and step toward Jesus to release his life into His hands.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?

What do you think?

Have you seen this type of strategy or variation of it work in the ministry you are connected with or do you totally disagree me?  Please share what your church doing to reach men — strategy, marketing, etc.

David is a summer contributor >> See all summer 2010 contributor bios