Just yesterday I had yet another conversation with a missionary about how to get more men involved in the leading of the church. What a great need there is for godly men who will lead. I am convinced more and more that many times the problem is that we are not pursuing our men. If you look at Jesus' ministry, many wonderful and godly women were involved in his ministry. He didn't have to go out and pursue them, but they seemingly came "naturally" when they realized who Jesus was. The men, though, his apostles, he pursued and called. There is something empowering for men when they have been sought out and chosen. I used to believe that many of the declarations in the scriptures about what is commonly called "The Woman's Role" were theological. I am increasingly convinced that this is just as much a physiological question as it is a theological one. Men, by design, need to lead and be reaffirmed as leaders. If we don't do a good job of that in our churches, we will have lots of wonderful sisters but very few men and, consequently, very few families. May God help us in following Christ's example in our pursuing, calling and empowering godly men to lead God's church.
Gary I appreciate your thoughts about the urgence of inspiring our men to lead. It takes a lot more work and patience but in the long run it always pays off. I believe the reason so many churches in China are led by women is that few are taking the time mentor and develop the men. It is interesting that women will willingly follow men but men do like to follow women. If the men lead we can reach whole families. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteDavid Finch