challenges to men m2 breakfast saturday, january 5, 2013 dr. howard r. meyer, jr. m2 breakfast,...

Challenges to Men

M2 BreakfastSaturday, January 5, 2013

Dr. Howard R. Meyer, Jr.

M2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 1

Major Religious Beliefs That Have Remained Relatively Constant Since 1991

•Describe themselves as Christian 84%•Say their religious faith is very important in their life today 56% •Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still 65%important in their lives today •Believe Satan is not a living being but merely a symbol of evil 56%•Strongly believe that they have a personal responsibility to 25%share their religious beliefs with others who believe differently


Major Religious Behavior Trend Changes Since 1991

1991Today•Bible reading outside of church in a typical week 45% 40%•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 27% 19%•Adult Sunday school attendance 23% 15%•Adult church attendance in a typical week 49% 40%•Unchurched* adults (50% increase!) 24% 37%*Did not attend any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior 6 months.

•Born-again Christians 35% 40%•Believe that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 74% 67%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today•Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles 46% 38%it teaches

The only behavior that did not experience any real change was the percentage of adults who attend a church of 600 or more people.Positive Change Negative ChangeM2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 3

Major Religious Changes Among Busters, Boomers, and Elders Since 1991

Baby Busters (born 1965-1983)Major Behavior Changes 1991 Today•Bible reading outside of church in a typical week 32% 41%•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 10% 19%•Adult Sunday school attendance 23% 15%•Unchurched* adults (50% increase!) 31% 39%*Did not attend any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior 6 months.

Major Belief Changes•Describe themselves as Christian 71% 80%•Believe Satan is not a living being but merely a symbol of evil 65% 55%•Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles 46% 35%it teaches•Born-again Christians 23% 37%

Positive Change Negative ChangeM2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 4


Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964)Major Behavior Changes 1991 Today•Attend church at least once in a typical week 50% 38%•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 28% 18%•Adult Sunday school attendance 23% 14%•Unchurched* adults (78% increase!**) 23% 41%*Did not attend any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior 6 months. **Boomers are now the generation most likely to be unchurched, surpassing the 39% of Busters.

Major Belief Changes •Believe God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 73% 67%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today•Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it 45% 38%teaches



Elders (born before 1946)Major Behavior Changes 1991 Today•Adult Sunday school attendance 28% 20%•Bible reading outside of church in a typical week 54% 46%•Attend a church with >600 members increased 12%•Unchurched* adults (38% increase!**) 21% 29%

Major Belief Changes•Born-again Christians 38% 49%•Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is 66% 76%still important in their lives today •Believe God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 80% 71%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today


Key Differences in the Faith of America’s Men and Women

Major Behavior Changes for Women 1991 Today•Church attendance 55% 44%•Bible reading outside of church in a typical week 50% 40%•Sunday school attendance 24% 17%•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 29% 20%•Unchurched* women increased 17%

Major Belief Changes for Women•Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still 69% 63%important in their lives today •Believe Satan is not a living being but merely a symbol of evil 61% 56%•Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it 49% 42%teaches•Believe God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 80% 70%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today•Born-again Christians 38% 44%


Key Differences in the Faith of America’s Men and Women

Major Behavior Changes for Men 1991Today•Church attendance 42% 36%•Sunday school attendance 21% 13%•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 24% 18%•Unchurched* men 30% 39%

Major Belief Changes for Men•Strongly believe that they have a personal responsibility to 28% 23%share their religious beliefs with those who believe differently•Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it 43% 33%teaches

Among the surprises emerging from the research was the fact that despite decreases in core religious behaviors men are no less likely to read from the Bible these days than they were 20 years ago (41% in 2001, 40% in 1991). In fact, men and women are now equally likely to read the Bible during a typical week, dueto the recent decline Bible reading among women.Positive Change Negative ChangeM2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 8

Major Faith Shifts Evident Among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics Since 1991

Major Behavior Changes for Whites 1991 Today•Church attendance 48% 39%•Sunday school attendance 23% 14%•Bible reading outside of church in a typical week 42% 37%•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 26% 18%•Unchurched* whites 25% 40%

Major Belief Changes for Whites•Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it 43% 36%teaches•Believe God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 72% 65%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today•Born-again Christians 35% 41%White adults showed no significant shifts in beliefs related to the importance of their faith, their willingness to self-identify as a Christian, having made a personal commitment to Christ, believing that Satan is merely symbolic, or adopting a sense of responsibility for sharing their faith with those who believe differently.



Major Behavior Changes for Hispanics 1991 Today•Church attendance 54% 33%•Sunday school attendance 28% 9%•Bible reading outside of church in a typical week 55% 30%•Attend a church with more than 600 members 1% 24%•Unchurched* whites 20% 40%

Major Belief Changes for Hispanics•Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still 66% 51%important in their lives today •Affirm the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it 62% 32%teaches•Believe God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 88% 62%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today•Strongly believe that they have a personal responsibility to 48% 18%share their religious beliefs with those who believe differently



Major Behavior Changes for Blacks 1991 Today•Donating time in a typical week to serve at a church 38% 30%

Major Belief Changes for Blacks•Believe God is the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect 88% 77%Creator of the universe who still rules the world today

•The Barna report indicates that the segment that possesses beliefs most likely to align with those taught in the Bible are blacks. •On five of the eight belief factors, blacks were more likely than either whites or Hispanics to reflect a scriptural view. Specifically, blacks were more likely than other segments to say:•Their religious beliefs are very important in their life today•They have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today•They believe that God is “the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today”•They strongly agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches•They have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with other people who might believe differently than they do.•Also, blacks are more likely to engage in church-centric activities, such as attending church services, attending a Sunday school class, and volunteering at their church during typical week and read the Bible during a typical week. They are the least likely segment to be unchurched.


Regional Shifts in Religious Beliefs and Behavior Since 1991

Northeast (limited changes in the past 20 years) 1991Today•Church volunteerism 23% 12%•Unchurched adults 26% 41%•Likelihood of someone claiming to be a Christian 72% 82%

South (limited changes in the past 20 years)•Sunday school attendance 31% 21%•Adults who strongly agreed that the Bible is totally 60% 50%accurate in all of the principles it teaches•Unchurched adults 20% 31%•Attending a church of 600 people or more 10% 17%



Midwest (most significant changes in the past 20 years) 1991Today•Church attendance 55% 40%•Unchurched adults 24% 36%•Adult Sunday school attendance 20% 13%•Church volunteerism 30% 21%•Bible reading undertaken other than at church 49% 42%•Those describing themselves as Christian 88% 81%•Those who contend that Satan is not a living entity but is 64% 57%just a symbol of evil•Those who strongly believe that the Bible is accurate in 45% 38%all of the principles it teaches•Those who hold an orthodox view of God 65% 52%•The proportion of born again adults 32% 42%



West 1991Today•Church attendance 47% 36%•Unchurched adults 29% 46%•Bible reading during an average week 43% 34%•Those who say their religious faith is very important in 65% 57%their life •Belief in an orthodox view of God 71% 58%•Believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles 39% 26%it teaches •Believe Satan is just a symbol, not a living entity 63% 55%


Significant Changes by Faith Group Since 1991

Self-Identified Christians (~80% of Americans)Religious Behaviors 1991 Today•Attendance at a church service declined 56% 47%•Sunday school attendance 26% 18%•Church volunteerism 30% 22%•Bible reading 51% 46%•Unchurched 22% 31%

Religious Beliefs •Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ 70% 75%•Orthodox view of God 82% 77%•Believe that Satan is a symbol of evil but not a living entity 58% 53%•Believe that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles 53% 43%it teaches•Claim to be born again 41% 48%



Born Again ChristiansReligious Behaviors 1991 Today•Sunday school attendance 40% 26%•Church volunteerism 41% 29%•Church attendance in any given week 66% 59%•Read the Bible during a typical week outside church 71% 62%

Religious Beliefs •Unchurched 14% 19%•Believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles 74% 65%it teaches



Roman Catholics (~20% of the adult population)Religious Behaviors 1991 Today•Attend church services 59% 49%•Unchurched 20% 29%

Religious Beliefs •Believe the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles 34% 26%it teaches•Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is 53% 60%important in their life today •Born again 16% 24%



ProtestantsReligious Behaviors 1991 Today•Church attendance in a typical week 57% 52%•Sunday school attendance 36% 25%•Church volunteerism 37% 26%•Personal Bible reading undertaken apart from church 64% 57%•Unchurched 17% 24%•Attend a large church (600 or more people) 7% 14%

Religious Beliefs •Made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that they 78% 86%consider to still be important in their life today •Believe that Satan is merely a symbol of evil, not a living being 55% 47%•Personal responsibility for evangelism 33% 38%•Born again 53% 65%•Believe the Bible is completely accurate in all of the 61% 56%principles it teaches Positive Change Negative ChangeM2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 18

FBCW’s Statisticsas of January 4, 2013

Voting Members (not incl Hispanic church) 991

Male 416 (42.0%)…versus the national average of 43% for conservative evangelical churches

Female 575 (58.0%)…versus the national average of 57% for conservative evangelical churches


Trends On Men• In America, among evangelical churches, 57 percent of

members are women and, among mainline Protestant churches, 66 percent are women.– The imbalance is greatest in rural churches, small churches, older

churches, traditionally black denominations, and liberal churches IAW research from the 1998 National Congregations Study. It’s smallest in non-denominational and Baptist churches

• Worldwide, the church is estimated to be 66 percent women. • An exception to the gender gap in Christian churches may

be found in some Muslim countries where churches of Muslim converts are sometimes almost entirely men.


In Contrast…• The religious gender gap is distinct to Christianity, according to leading

researchers. Other religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam, seem to have a gender balance or even more men than women.

• Men’s absence is especially noteworthy, given that men were the guiding force in the early church.

• Only one Christian denomination in the US attracts men and women in roughly equal numbers: Eastern Orthodoxy. – While cynics might say men are attracted to Orthodoxy because it is

conservative, has an all-male clergy (most w/beards), etc…– an informal survey of male adult converts revealed that Orthodoxy's

main appeal is that it is "challenging" • “Orthodoxy is serious. It is difficult. It is demanding. It is about mercy,

but it’s also about overcoming myself.”• “I was sick of ‘feel-good’ American Christianity.”


Why are men staying away from church?

• Feminization of the church has been explored extensively over the past 10 years–Romantic, “love song” worship music–Focus on feelings vs facts: “touchy-feely” sharing and

teaching–Avoidance of deeper theological issues and “hard

doctrines” (hell, judgment, etc)–Marginalization of risk taking –Men’s ministries are typically the lowest budgetary

priority–Long-standing historical precedents IAW some

researchersM2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 22

Other Disturbing Trends• Percentage of Christian youth attending church

once they leave home 9%• Percentage of active Christian youth who believe

in Biblical absolutes (only one way to God, etc) 5%• Rate of promiscuity for Christian teens non-Christians• Rates of confessed cheating on tests and

alcohol and drug use by Christian teens non-Christians——————————————

• Rate of promiscuity for Christian singles non-Christians• Rate of divorces among Christians non-Christians• Christian women attending church w/o their husbands 23%


Why am I focusing on men?

• According to Promise Keepers, when a mother comes to faith in Christ, her family follows 34 percent of the time, but when a father comes to faith his family follows 93 percent of the time.• Boys and young men can ONLY be taught to be men

by men. • Girls can only be taught what a godly man is like

(i.e., what a godly man wants in a woman and how he treats a woman) by seeing godly men in action.


Making Boys Into Godly Men

• Initiation into the depths of our faith should be part of becoming a man, not something that they feel is leading them away from masculinity.• Boys (and girls) need to see godly men as examples

in ALL ministries and CE classes throughout the church.

How can we, in conjunction with our pastors, help our boys and young men grow into godly men?


Making Men into Christian FathersHaving accompanied boys along the path to manhood, the Church can then help them become godly fathers. •As a fulfillment of manhood, fatherhood requires reconnection with the domestic (feminine) world we knew left as we grew up. Many men see ‘things domestic’ as threats to their masculinity, or at least to that aspect of masculinity that they achieved by rejecting feminine safety and facing challenges and dangers. Jesus, however, came to SERVE those He loved.– Not sharing “home workloads” and child rearing causes marital stress.

•The role of protector or provider is a significant challenge that young men must take on to avoid getting stuck in the stage of adolescent thrill-seeking. – Young men who experience Christianity as a challenge are more likely to

embrace it (take the challenge).– If a young man doesn’t see Christianity as a threat to his masculinity

(“religion is something for women and the weak”), he may more willingly accept its guidance in becoming a father of a Christian household.


Making Men into Christian Fathers• Our teaching should not avoid uncomfortable topics. – Christianity is a matter of infinite seriousness, far more serious

than economics or politics. Christianity can give the true initiation into the mysteries of life and death, of heaven and hell, of spiritual warfare and the destiny of the human race. • Hell and judgment are realities, and it does no one any good to

forget them.–Men need training in spiritual discipline, and will think it

worthwhile if they see the importance of Christianity. • We must remember that the church’s purpose (commission) as given

by Jesus is discipleship — training qualified laborers to fulfill the Great Commission. Anyone who has tried to do this knows that it is a battle and that the Church needs more than just a few good men.


What will it take to get men into church?

•Men need to see the greater purpose — their role in the advancing the kingdom of God.•While some churchgoers are satisfied with feel-

good Christianity, I think many Christians—men and women—yearn for a more costly, demanding, life-changing discipleship.

How can we, as the men of FBCW do this?


Backup


Making Boys Into Godly MenOn the whole, boys and young men learn differently from girls. •They are far more physical than girls •For many boys, Sunday School classes may be a continuation of the five-day torment of “sitting still” (at school).•Should physical activity/training be joined to religious training? – For older boys and teens, the Scouts provide an excellent vehicle

because they can easily incorporate “initiatory rituals.” For example, one church in Baltimore adopted a “knightly initiation.” The scouts pray all night in a darkened church, and in the morning they receive a sword and their scout uniforms in a ceremony before the whole congregation.

– For later teens, participating with us in men’s activities (including MINISTRY) could be extremely valuable.

How can WE as the men of FBCW do this?M2 Breakfast, 1/5/2013 30

challenges to men m2 breakfast saturday, january 5, 2013 dr. howard r. meyer, jr. m2 breakfast,...

Documents

major religious changes

major religious beliefs

religious events

ult church attendance

religious faith

todayattend church

school attendance

typical week49