Why women’s ministry always wins

  • Man at PKIn 1990, two men founded Promise Keepers. From an initial gathering of 4,200, PK exploded during the 1990s, filling stadiums and arenas across the country. In the peak year of 1997, more than a million men attended a Promise Keepers’ event.

    But in recent years PK (and other similar men’s organizations) have struggled to draw 2000-3000 men to a church auditorium. In 2012, PK will offer a total of five conferences in small-to-midsize venues.

    Meanwhile, a parallel organization, Women of Faith (WOF), continues to grow. This year WOF will sponsor 23 arena events, each with the potential to draw more than 15,000 women. In addition, WOF offers 16 one-day events in smaller venues and 9 Revolve Tour events, which target teen girls.

    Even though Women of Faith was launched six years after Promise Keepers, it has the potential to outdraw PK by almost fifty-to-one this year.

    Why is this happening?

    The numbers are with women. The average church in America draws an adult crowd that’s 61 percent female. Women comprise two-thirds to three-quarters of church volunteers. There are simply more active Christian women in the population (nothing like 50-to-1, but it’s definitely easier to find them).

    Women will gather to gather. Whereas men only gather with a purpose in mind, women love to gather whether they have a goal or not. Women love to see friends and make new ones. A conference is the perfect venue for that.

    Women are better suited to listening and singing. Studies have shown that women possess longer attention spans and superior verbal processing capabilities. And women tend to be less bashful about singing aloud in public – just look at the gender composition of your church choir.

    PK lost its focus on men. A few years ago, Promise Keepers’ core message became Christian-Jewish reconciliation. A lot of men lost interest. Now, PK has returned its focus to men, according to this video posted by the organization.

    Feminine reputation. Conferences can be quite emotive. In the 1990s, PK got a reputation among some men as an event where guys hug, hold hands and cry. That frightened a lot of guys. But this was no barrier to Christian women, who don’t seem to mind when tears flow.

    Been there…done that. Men think, “I’ve been to Promise Keepers. Why would I go again?” Women think, “I’ve been to Women of Faith. Let’s go again!”

    The money is in women’s ministry. Women buy about 75% of Christian products. A women’s event will always draw more sponsors than a men’s event – not only because more people attend, but also because women outspend men on Christian products.

    So here’s the $64,000 question: what can organizations such as Promise Keepers do to attract more men? How can they convince guys to part with $59 and a weekend to gather with other men? Can PK ever regain its former size and influence? Or is the Christian men’s arena event something of the past? Comments are open.

     

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    April 19th, 2012 | David Murrow | 16 Comments |

About The Author

David Murrow

David Murrow is the director of Church for Men, an organization that helps congregations reach more men and boys. In his day job, David works as a television producer and writer. He's the author of three books. He lives in Alaska with his wife, three children, two grandchildren and a dachshund named Pepper.

  • Jeff Kisiah

    I attended a PK Conference every year from 1995-2008…Stand In The Gap was one of the Top 10 days of my life…we gathered in football stadiums…then basketball arenas…and finally, mega-church auditoriums.  I miss those days of assembling under the “big tent.”  We now have a multitude of regional men’s ministry gatherings in the hundreds or sometimes a few thousand, but nothing like the mid-late 1990′s which was the zenith of the massive crowds.  In our own local church, guys began to adopt a “been there, done that” mentality.  Now, we host our own in-house PK-type rallies every fall and spring to give men a place to recharge their batteries.  We take delegations to the regional gatherings.  Sure would like to relive some of the memories from the late 90′s, however…

  • Dgsrvs

    Money has a lot to do with it. Remember when PK started it was free. A lot big names came and offered their services. Now it is hard to even get a local pastor without shelling out a chunk of change. Dale

  • HasdrubalMaximus

    I attended PK events. It was great, as a mid-20 year old. But looking back now, it really made wimpy men. If church was a bit more like the armed forces, things would change for the better. I bet there are millions of men who act reserved and un-natural in church, yet are themselves when not. I am one of them. And I know of others. It’s quite sad.

  • http://www.churchformen.com David Murrow

    Ppp

  • Chris

    It seems that the PK events were a great way to get men together and renew their vision. The problem was that many of them returned to their home church where there was no vision for the men. I recently asked a Pastor of a local church of about 600 members what his vision was for the men in his church. His answer was a very honest one he said “I have no vision for the men of our church” Here lays the problem. No vision, no plan, no goals, no direction, no ministry. I know there are many fine Pastors who would love to have some men help him with a ministry to men. The reality is that it only takes 1 man in the church with Gods vision for men and the passion to see His will done to get a men’s ministry going. I know this to be true. Are you that man for your local church?

  • Andrew Walsh20

    John Eldredge leads a fabulous ministry, Ransomed Heart. It is not specifically a mens ministry but the material as presented speaks wonderfully to the masculine heart.

  • Tcarney

    Hmmm…..Some words used: No vision/military/ recharge batteries. Perhaps something structured with a vision that would recharge those batteries. I can only think of one thing, it’s not fixing the car though works related ministry is good, it’s training our men in the art of spiritul warfare. We need not fear this, but men need to step up and into their spiritual position…..perhaps now is the time to make war….spiritually. Just a thought.

  • Greg Teegarden

    I think one of the main issues is being overlooked; “the outpouring of the Spirit.”  Clearly there was something more happening than a clear cut vision for men.  If you read any of the initial books or heard the initial founder (name escapes me-Colorado football coach) speak.  These were men who came together to “Pray” for an outpouring of the Spirit.  The need was obvious; men who walked away from their responsibilities (at home and at church).  These initial men felt the heavy burden of the need, then prayed for the Spirit of God to fall fresh upon men’s hearts both saved and unsaved!
    Clearly a strong vision must rise again.  But the need must also become a great burden once again.  From the burden come determined prayer to see God’s Spirit fall again.
    But revivals are a mysterious thing.  And I clearly believe Promise Keeps was a genuine revival.
    “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot
    tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone
    born of the Spirit.” 
    John 3:8

  • http://www.churchformen.com David Murrow

    Yes, as I always say, God’s spirit is the most important thing. Yet we Christians tend to dismiss the practical things. It takes both.

  • JamielCotman

    I think the organization lacks business leadership. Charging for the events should be reconsidered. Changing the ‘Promise Keeper’ business model to one that depends more on donor support would pressure them to better promote and market their vision.  Also, they need to be more viral. I don’t see any webinars or downloads offered. It may seem small but that stuff is key in reaching the next generation of guys.

    The CEO admits that they failed to focus on men for the last two years or so.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-hLv3vpHM

  • http://www.churchformen.com David Murrow

    They tried a donor model in 1998 and it absolutely gutted attendance. If you don’t charge men money for an event they usually won’t come.

  • Tempestlight

    I agree with what Chris posted earlier. I live in Sydney, Australia and we have the same problem as you guys. The one real mega church in our city holds and annual mens and womens conference. The womens conference draws up to 30,000 and the mens conference only 1,500-2,000. I don’t bother going as i know that when I get back to my own church the men really have nothing to do as there is no clear vision for what a Christian man looks like in the church. I think it is a reaction to the growing tide of feminism and the shift from male leaders to female. In an effort to rid the church of overbearing male leadership to appeal more to culture we have thrown the male ministry distinctives out the window. The empowering of women (which im all for) has come at the cost of the disempowerment of men. Even though i have grown up in a pentecostal denomination (AOG) i have come to realise that complimentarinism and male eldership are probably the only way to go if we want to empower men to lead, and it is biblical as well.

  • Chazirish

    PK’s decline started when it, bowing to pressure by women’s groups both within and outside the church, went from being a ministry of challenging encouragement and empowerment, to being yet another “men step up or we’re all doomed, why won’t you step up” festival of beating up on men for their failings.

  • Ralph

    It’s not just Promsie Keepers! As presented in Why Men Hate Going To Church, we need a purpose. We are visual and need to see as weoll as enjoy what we are doing. Going to church is not something that “Real Men” do because most of us are doing it to keep the wife happy. Maybe the Church needs to find a way to keep the husband happy! Men’s small groups are all like sewing parties or pray and cry meetings. We are to met to serve a need for for others. Not to have own needs addressed which is, at least in part, what the ladies are doing. Men’s small groups should be include playing golf, participating in or going to sporting events as spectators, playing cards, working together on each other’s projects. And no prayer is required or expected! Let’s show each other that men of God can be guys and have fun together outside of the feminine guidleines of Sunday School, home small groups, and Church services. I believe in God. I do not think He expects for me to give up the pleasures of His creation.

  • http://www.facebook.com/eldergreg Elder Greg Madden

    Just a follow up to this blog. When you posted it, our church was looking into revamping our womens ministry. It had fallen off to nothing (which for a womens ministry is strange). Anyway, our pastor asked his wife to take the lead and asked me as the men’s director, and one of his elders, to help her get the ball rolling. I used this very blog to help her realize that once the ball did get rolling in the women’s ministry, it would be an avalanche… And I was right. They are going like gangbusters! Anyway, just thought you might want to know.

  • http://www.churchformen.com/ David Murrow

    Thanks Greg. Say hi to the women for me.