Disbanded Brothers – Has a ‘Feminised’ Church Alienated Men in the UK?

4.3.2 Church Activities
One writer has referred to the ‘MothersUnionisation’ of the Church, that is to say that the
Church has taken on the characteristics of Mothers’ Unions, being composed mostly of
women and focusing on the preferences of women. Murrow generalises the fact that men
are “project oriented” and that women are “program oriented” (2005, 94); the Church, he
says, is similarly “program oriented” and this suits women more than men. It is also argued
that there are more women’s and mothers’ prayer groups, social groups and an informal
network connecting adult women within the Church. This observation is echoed by Wraight
(2003, 2) who speculates whether “the way churches function socially is more feminine than
masculine,” and therefore helps women belong more than men. 15
In the early 1990s, Derek Cook wrote about the relationship between men and the Church,
partly inspired by the fact that UK churches were losing a hundred men a day (Cook 1992,
13). He flagged up an important issue about how churches respond to allegations of sexism
by noting anecdotally how there is an over-sensitivity towards being seen as chauvinistic.
One result of this is a reluctance for churches to have male-only activities or groups (which
could be construed as ‘sexist’) despite the fact that men are more likely to attend, participate
and share within such groups – and despite the fact that UK churches have a long tradition
of women’s Bible study groups, prayer meetings, mums ‘n’ toddlers, Mothers’ Unions and so
forth.
All Men Women
Yes, 77.9% Yes, 78.1% Yes, 77.6%
No
22.2%
No
21.9%
No
22.4%
FIGURE 5. Survey Response to the Question:
“Do you believe that men-only church outreach and activities are a good idea?”
My own survey results suggests that there is strong support for men-only church outreach
and activities (77.9% of respondents), with marginally more support amongst men than
women (Figure 5). Where there is continued reluctance to organise men-only activities, it is
possible that opposition to them is overestimated by church leaders, or that their opponents
are disproportionately influential within the church. Where male-only groups and activities
are discouraged, yet women’s groups are permitted, the feminisation of a church deepens.
Whilst it has often been argued that men prefer the outdoors as their spiritual and religious
environment, and that they prefer more individualistic and less communal encounters with
God, my survey did not find unambiguous evidence that this was the case. For example,
whilst 23% of men did claim to “feel closer to God when I am outdoors (e.g. in the
Storkey refers to has all but disappeared in the twenty-two years since her book was published – a further indication of
feminisation.
15 Statistics from Christian Research substantiate this claim: in 2005, those attending midweek church-run activities
were 62% female and only 38% male. Male participation rates were as low as 31% for independent churches, 33% for
the URC and 35% for Baptist churches (Brierley 2006, Table 5.20.3).
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