Why Men's Ministry?
Why Do We Need Men’s Ministry?
As we travel around the UK and chat to churches and individuals about men’s ministry, we often hear a similar thing. A version of a men’s ministry that is boiled down to a group of Christians having a breakfast once a month; that is valid of course, but that’s not our definition of ‘men’s ministry’.
We believe that a men’s ministry is a dynamic, strategic, spiritual and missional movement of the church to introduce men to Jesus and journey with them as disciples, reaching others for Christ.
There are about 70 million people in the UK, including around 34.2 million men, all of whom need to hear the gospel and have the opportunity to know and receive Jesus into their lives. The urgency here is massive, the opportunity and the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
The invitation to ‘evangelism’ and to stand where Jesus is reaching the lost and transforming lives broken and separated from God through sin is no less urgent today.
What we also see is that for many men, church is likely to be a somewhat foreign environment. We have seen that Christian men can quickly start to feel disconnected from church, and that non-Christian men often stay outside the radar of any church building, perhaps just popping in at Christmas or for the odd wedding or funeral here and there. The mindset of ‘just open the doors and preach, then they will come’ isn’t working.
Traditional Christian church culture can be difficult for many men to get to grips with. Consider church décor, which often features lots of children’s pictures, flowers and banners, or sung worship with songs frequently based around feelings using sentimental imagery and lyrics. Teaching that often centres around idealised generic concepts rather than everyday practicalities, and volunteer jobs in the church that can tend towards nurturing, compassionate roles, more traditionally associated with being calm, gentle, meek and submissive.
For the many men (and we know this is true for some women as well) who are wired to seek adventure and practical challenge, this ‘romanticised and passive’ church culture can feel alien, and the wild and adventurous aspects of their personalities can be completely starved – they don’t feel like they belong in church, and moreover they feel disqualified because they have an edge to their lives that seeks a scrap, or they are not passive, naturally submissive characters. We can’t ignore this stuff! It is easy to focus on David in the Bible, for example, playing the harp and being a shepherd, but let’s not forget the warrior, savage heart too; the fight, the war in him that God seemed ok to embrace and journey with David.
Men Respond Differently
So, what can we do about that? At CVM, through the experience of seeing hundreds of men come to faith and journey with Jesus, we have seen that men respond to the Gospel differently from women, so we need a different approach – and that’s where men’s ministry comes in.
We have found that 'male-focused' events can often be met with resistance as they can be incorrectly perceived simply as 'men on a jolly’. However, what we have seen is that when men regularly encounter well-thought-out and delivered male-focused events and spaces, they are a perfect platform to introduce them to Jesus, and to not only see the guy's life changed, but often that of his partner and children too. In conversation with Christian Vision for Women, we have found that the reverse is also true; when women are enabled through female-focused events, the opportunities for introducing them to Jesus can be profound.
It is important to flag here that we are talking about men’s groups, using a variety of methods and approaches to share the gospel. Men’s ministry can often be boiled down to a group of Christians having a breakfast once a month, but that’s not our definition of ‘men’s ministry.’ A dynamic, strategic, spiritual and missional movement of the church to introduce men to Jesus is true men’s ministry.
A man wrestling with a porn addiction or issues in his marriage or at work is unlikely to talk in depth or with vulnerability in a mixed family meeting or event. But if that same man is plugged into genuine friendships with a core group of men who are asking the right questions with honesty and focus on the gospel, it’s a different story altogether. Men on the fringes of church without these opportunities can feel very isolated; they need a group of men around them to support, encourage and journey with them.
When women and children are not present, the group dynamic radically changes, and we see men becoming more open.
When the environment is right, men thrive on the company of other men - watching football, in the pub, out on a bike, or just sitting round a fire. Often, it’s these natural moments and events that provide the space for men to talk honestly, shoulder to shoulder. It doesn’t work trying to get guys to share from the heart at forced events that they have no interest in attending, with people they don’t know well and have no real relationship with.
We have also seen that men don’t always make friends easily - they talk about work, cars and surface detail stuff, not about the under-the-skin issues which they are actually desperate to bring to the surface. It takes time, and it takes consistent effort. That’s what we do.
A Gospel-Focused Heart
Lastly, we have a focus - it's a gospel one.
Lots of men's groups and ministries will focus around YOU knowing Jesus better - YOU becoming the better version of YOU and thriving at home and in YOUR professional life. That's all great and important, but it is missing the vital ingredient of GO!
Mobilising men to be passionate about sharing the gospel is crucial if you want to see and build a thriving men's ministry, and to reach further into families and communities. It’s crucial for young men to be trained and mentored, and for older men to step forward into their potential to reach others. Helping other men to know Jesus better and to feel equipped, resourced and plugged into the mission will cause a man’s life to flourish from a reactor core that is beating for the gospel. A heartbeat for rescue, for the lives of his mates to be touched by Jesus. Unashamed and passionate about other men knowing Jesus.
That’s our heart - we advocate for that sort of men’s ministry and those sorts of men’s groups. Even with exciting church growth stats, we still need this heart for evangelism to men in the UK. For the majority who are still needing to hear the gospel and respond to Jesus’ invitation to follow him, and to build on the work we have already begun with churches across the UK and beyond.
