Why Men Hate Going to Church by Murrow

It’s Sunday morning. Where are all the men? Golfing? Playing softball? Watching the tube? Mowing the lawn? Sleeping? One place you won’t find them is in church. Less than 40 percent of adults in most churches are men, and 20 to 25 percent of married churchgoing women attend without their husbands. And why are the men who do go to church so bored? Why won’t they let God change their hearts?
David Murrow’s groundbreaking book has been completely revised and updated, with eye-opening research and a persuasive grasp on the facts, to explain the problem and offer hope and encouragement to women, pastors, and men. Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to the church—it calls the church back to men.

Personal Thoughts on the Book:

Recently I was invited to play key’s for a men’s prayer meeting for our network.

Let me just say I attend a network of 3 churches under the same NEW LIFE head.  We avr. Around 2,000 a week in attendance. 

So I figured, how many of these are MEN who are wanting to pray about their families, their future and their church… let’s just say there were 15 men there and 6 were in the band.  9 men showed up.

At first I blamed it all on the leadership of the church for not promoting, then I began to look at the topics, how the message was thrown together at the last second.  How they spent more time discussing the upcoming men’s work day then they did in prayer.  Not to mention that I was one of only 3 men there under the age of 50.

WHERE ARE ALL THE MEN?

I then decided to keep this discussion going with the men of our Church, the Garage.  We are a vibrant church that runs around 400 and tends to draw the 20-45 crowd.  The men there felt the same way about these breakfasts and prayer groups.  They are out of touch, not put together well, don’t start on time etc…

So I asked them how they would like to grow together… 90% of them talked about the great spiritual conversations they had on a missions trip, or a Golf outing etc..  some mentioned Sunday church but none mentioned the Saturday prayer breakfast..

I felt that this book is a true indication of the church today and as we see in movies like Courageous, if we don’t have the MEN we are nothing.  We need spiritual leaders.

So that is my Resolution.  I want to determine how best to bring our men together towards being better fathers, husbands, friends, and leaders.  We are all meant to lead.

It won’t be easy, it is trying to defeat a culture that has been ingrained in us.  It won’t be quick, and it won’t be alone.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for sending me this book to review. It has really made me think.