The diocese of Oxford hopes to tackle the shortage of men who attend church. The diocese has joined Men and the Church (MATCH) to host a one-day conference on 5 February, “offering resources and ideas for churches wanting to reach unchurched men with the gospel, exploring why so many men leave the Church, and [encouraging] new strategies for evangelism to men”, a statement from MATCH said.
The Church of England’s head of research and statistics, the Revd Lynda Barley, said that about two-thirds of regular worshippers were women. The Revd Paul Eddy, founder of MATCH, said that, in many churches, the ratio was one man to every four women.
Clergy across the diocese, both male and female, were “very conÂcerned” about the shortage of men in their congregations, he said, and had asked for “resources and support” to help attract them.
[blockquote] Clergy across the diocese, both male and female, were “very conÂcerned†about the shortage of men in their congregations [/blockquote]
I wonder what thoughts the Rev. Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, or her spouse, has on the matter.
Check out the official Episcopal Divinity School video, where one of their trustees brags about the fabulous diversity, where 3 out of 4 of the students are women, and most of those are lesbians, and most of the men are gay. That should pack the pews with men!
http://www.eds.edu/video.asp
Click on “current videos” on the right side.
Pick “Bob Brooks Alum Days” for the video.
Enjoy!
Frederika Matthews Green has a fascinating piece about how Orthodoxy (the Real Thing) seems to attract husbands before their wives. I find that much of what she says rings true in my household.
The answer is clearly to ordain more women. And homosexuals.
[Comment deleted by Elf – please raise the bar]
# 3
What is the link??
I suppose it is politically incorrect to say this, but the parishes I’ve attended with man-rectors who act like a man and not a yoga instructor seem to have be thriving all-around, and laymen jump in and participate. Not saying it can’t work another way, but that’s what I’ve observed. I’m not against women priests either. Just saying. And I’m not saying these man-priests are not “sensitive,” either. Actually, I think it has more to do with the following things than with their gender: 1. They’re authentic, not trying to be all things to all people, but just being who they are. If they’re not funny, they don’t try to be. If they are funny, they joke freely. If they’re not good teachers, they don’t try to be. They leverage the gifts they’re given and don’t fret about their weaknesses. 2. They’re comfortable with talking about what they believe, and let the chips fall where they may. But, they’re not looking for a fight either. Take a stand, then move on, rather than fret about everyone’s little personal theological twist. That’s what a grown up man does. He speaks his mind and lives it out to the best of his ability and if others follow that’s a plus, but he doesn’t waste time worrying about it. Unfortunately, men who act like this, though they can have great influence in the lives of their parishioners, will have very little influence in wider church. You have to be a disgruntled politically savvy rabble-rouser to influence the direction of the wider church, and that kind of thing just doesn’t play at the parish level.
#6. Although the question wasn’t directed at me, I have read Mathews-Green’s book _Looking East_, in which she makes the statement, and I’ll take a swing at answering it. I certainly welcome the additional comments of Nikolaus, or anyone else who has read her comments on this matter. In essence, M-G makes the observation that men seem to be attracted to orthodoxy because of the following (my structure, not hers):
1. Orthodoxy is a demanding tradition. With its marathon liturgies, frequent and severe fasts, and other restrictions on the typical Western lifestyle, its customs draw the believer out of his normal daily life. Therefore, it is an accomplishment to be a faithful member of an Orthodox community. Orthodoxy is not going to bend to accommodate the whims of any single person, or of a multitude of persons living at a single point in time, in the form of contemporary social movements/fads. It is the exact opposite of the “Whatever” attitude of some liberal denominations. I don’t remember if she made the comparison to the Marines, or if that is a gloss that I put on her writing. However, I remember thinking, as I read this part of the book, that she seemed to be saying that the Orthodox are the ecclesiastical equivalent of the Marines, and that this rigor and challenge appeals to men.
2. Men are attracted to Orthodoxy, according to M-G, because it is something bigger than them, and not formed by or dependent on them. It is a belief structure that existed long before them, and will endure long after the life of any particular man. Therefore, when a man becomes part of Orthodoxy, he extends his existential being.
Interestingly, F-G did not say that men are attracted to Orthodoxy because they resent the leadership of women as found in Anglicanism and in the Protestant churches.
When I say in paragaph 2, above, that by becoming an Orthodox adherent, a man has the impression that he “extends his existential being”, I am referring not merely to the soteriological sense, but also in the sense of participation in the life of the Church Militant.
Friends of mine who have traveled in Eastern Europe have told me that in some of the Orthodox Churches, such as Greece, the number of men at liturgy equals or exceeds the number of women, contrary to the experience of most Western Churches, whether RC, Anglican, or Protestant. I’m not sure how that works out in the American manifestations of the Orthodox Churches.
I looked at the video referenced by #2. Staggeringly [i]exclusive[/i].
We have this:
[blockquote] If both father and mother attend regularly, 33 percent of their children will end up as regular churchgoers. If the father is irregular and mother regular, only 3 percent of the children will subsequently become regulars themselves. If the father is non-practicing and mother regular, only 2 percent of children will become regular worshippers.
In short, if a father does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions, only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper.[/blockquote]
Why did Jesus only choose men as disciples?
No. 10, something missing in the quoted passage is the case where the father attends regularly and the mother irregularly. It happens (happened in my childhood). Of my parents’ three children, two of us were regular worshippers (one is now deceased) and one was not.
I might add to #3, that I’ve seen several examples of couples who have become Orthodox laymen. The odd thing is that while the husband may first have done reading and studying, the wife was the one that actually moved them forward. It seemed the husband was enthusiastic and began more or less dragging the wife to some services where she rolled her eyes and wondered what he had got them involved with. Then a few months later it was she who became the more interested party and was heard to say “What are we waiting for? Let’s get the show on the road.”
Another historical note. Around 30 years ago I knew an Episcopalian cleric who taught in a diocisan school of theology. When women began taking classes in the mid-70’s, he said virtually all the men left. He was teaching all female classes. He didn’t draw a lot of conclusions from this but he said it was a dramatic change and very fast. The decades have been very unfriendly to the organizations that ordain women. That is a sign the theology has taken a downward turn. There are precisely zero examples of the opposite.
A feminised church is not going to attract men.
A weak church is not going to attract men.
A fuzzy church that does not stand up for beliefs will not attract men.
Yesterday 3 men were ordained into a stronger, male only priesthood that stands up for the Gospel. I intend to follow them.
So that is at least 4 more men walking out of the wet, feminised Church of England that seems more intent on appeasing the modern culture and pushing outdated secular notions of political inclusivity than in preaching the faith of Christ crucified.
#13 RPP
If you really must go, and it is very sad indeed if you really must, I wish you well and we will miss you, and hope you can move forward without bitterness and I trust you will avoid the temptation to slag us off.
Anyway, you will find plenty of old women in the Catholic Church as you can imagine from reading some Catholic correspondents on the Telegraph blogs; and then there are those Catholics who occupy themselves for hours discussing the finer points of their favorite saints in the way that Guards officers discuss their tailors. So you will find plenty to keep you entertained.
God bless.