Visit any church in Jamaica and many other countries, and it would be the norm to see a wide gap in the ratio of men to women. It would not be unusual to see an average of about 30–40 men on the register for a church of about 400 members.
David Murrow highlighted this reality in his book, Why Men Hate Going to Church. He noted in an article on Crosswalk, that Christian churches in North America draw an adult crowd that’s 62 percent female. Judging from the sentiments shared by pastors today, it appears male absenteeism in the church still remains high.
Murrow, who was leading a pastors’ training session in Illinois, USA 10 years ago, had asked attendees to indicate how many had more active men in their church than women.
The pastor was surprised when a lone female hand went up, that of Jennifer Wilson, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in LaSalle, Illinois, a community of around 10,000 people.
The church was facing declining membership until Wilson took charge and implemented subtle changes that were given in a book Murrow penned.
“To get more active families, she knew that she had to engage men. To do that effectively, she needed to create an environment where these men felt comfortable, not repelled, when they walked in the door,” the
article noted.
“She didn’t get rid of the pews. She didn’t get rid of the stained glass. She didn’t replace hymns on the organ and piano with a praise band complete with electric guitars and drums. Instead, Wilson implemented more subtle changes designed to make Grace more attractive to the men of the community,” he pointed out.
Murrow then shared some of Wilson’s ideas that were tried and proven.
Choosing a décor that appeals to both men and women is a wise decision. Many sanctuaries are adorned with quilts, banners, and bright colour shades, sending an invisible but powerful message to men that church is for women—and in particular older women, Murrow reflected. Wilson shared how she went about changing the aesthetics of her church.
“Recognising that some of the women of the church had made the quilts and banners, Wilson went to the women’s group in the church and explained that she was trying to make the building more man-friendly. Once the women understood the direction, they were all on board. The quilts and banners came down. Pinks and lavenders were replaced with army green, rust, and the colours of the field,” he explained.
“Even the background images on the TVs in the sanctuary got a makeover. Flowery images were replaced by outdoor scenes—mountains, streams, rivers, rocks, hikers—that appealed to both men and women,” Murrow said.
Sermons are the food pastors feed their flocks to nurture their souls, and it is for that reason that Wilson, who saw transformation in her church where male memberships are concerned, said she chose sermon topics that appealled to men.
She preached on power, money, and, of course, sex. “I think preachers generally would rather preach on tithing than sex,” Wilson stressed. She said these were a hit with the men.
When it came to worship songs, Wilson highlighted that she stuck with traditional hymns on organs and piano.
“A lot of smaller churches think that they have to adopt contemporary worship,” said Murrow, “So they gather a few middle-aged and older musicians and tell them to do contemporary rock-‘n-roll in a space that’s not really conducive to that type of music. It can fall flat.”
Among the songs Wilson brought back to the church were ‘battle songs’ such as “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
Wilson also altered the service liturgy to make it more man-friendly. “I write my own liturgy,” she said, “So I began to look at liturgy through the eyes of a bricklayer, a mechanic, and a local farmer. And I began to use imagery that would resonate with them.”
She stopped using gender-neutral Bible translations and opted instead for Scripture that refers to God with male pronouns.
The results: men began inviting their co-workers, friends, and sons; and became active in growing the church.
“The more active men you have in your church,” says Murrow, “the more likely it is to grow.” That’s exactly what happened at Grace. The church had to knock down the wall between the sanctuary and the narthex to create more seating in the sanctuary. It had to expand from two Sunday worship services to three. It also began to add new ministries and missions.”
Seeing new men at church became a pattern. Men did more than just attend worship services. They also became active in the life of the church.
As the Jamaican church community struggle to have more male involvement, attention can be given to Wilson’s ‘subtle’ introduction of changes that captured men’s interest without making a major case of it.
The pastor hastily noted that the goal was not to leave women out of the picture, but she recognised that reaching men is critical to the growth of a church. According to her, most men feel sidelined at churches. “The minute you engage them,” she said, “not only do you engage the men, you engage the family, you engage generations with them.”