The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-02-07
THE CHURCH IN THE soth CENTURY.


men and boys III CnflSClan cOngfega-
lions and church membership compared
with that of women and girls IS not al
together a new thing; but the disparity
between the sexes in this respect is
more marked than formerly, and in
most American communities it is on
the increase. One Of the most import
ant questions relating to the mission
and progress of the Church in the morn
ing of the new century is, How shall
the Church increase its hold on men?
1t has always been easiert to save women
than to save men; but the men as we'll
as the women must be saved if civiliZa-
ton is to progress and the kingdom of
God is to triumph.
= AT this point some one may suggest
that the disparity between the sexes in
church attendance and church member
ships not so great as to be ground for
! anxiety. For years the writer of this
article has been specially interested in
religiously reaching men. AS pastor
he has given special attention to men
and boys; and if he were to speak of
only the congregations which have been
un Ter his own care he would not
have great disparity to report; but
his special endeavor to arrest the atten-
ton of men and to increase the influence
of the Church over men has led him to
realize the strength of many of the in
duences that tend to draw men away
from the Church and from Christ: and
during the last year he has sought in
formation from both preachers and lay
men of various denominations in differ
ent parts of the country, and in towns
and villages as well as cities, concern
ing the relative proportion of men to
women in church attendance and church
membership The replies received to
his letters of inquiry have been remark
able for their similarity. The proper
lions usually given are one to two, one
to three, one to four. In some cases it
is one to five, and in few the proper
ton is even smaller. No letter has
told him OF an even proportion.
The nature of most of the replies Ge-
ceived will be indicated by extracts
| from some of them. A young business
man, earnestly religious, who has tray
eled all over the land, writes: From
general observation [ would say that
| two-t thirds of the congregations are
made up of women and girls. In our
own church the proportion of men
attending the morning service is even
less, or one to five Another says:
'Four-ffths women" A prominent
| journalist and author writes: '1n
Protestant churches in Boston, | should
say that the congregations are compos-
ed of two women to one man.
These are fair samples. The proper
ton of men who attend prayer meetings
is smaller than that of those who attend
preaching services The average ratio
of men to women in the membership of
the churches seems to be somewhat less
| tha1, n II 700 &c india ~ cd INV
of nv letters. as well as by personal eX-
animation of a goodly number of church
rolls. These letters also indicate that
the disparity between men and women
in church attendance and church mem
berShip is on the increase in the many
communities reported.
Among the chief reasons given why
so few men relatively attend church are
the following: The intense rush and
pressure OF business: the great develop
ment of clubs, unions, lodges and other
social organizations of men, the diminu-
ton of helpful maternal influence over
| boys, owing to whist clubs, ETC.; the Sun
day newspaper and Sunday amusements,
the decay of reverence; the neglect of
acquaintance with men and of effort for
men by ministers; the loss of the manly
element in preaching. l am not now
! weighing these reasons. | am simply
reporting the most prominent ones that
have been mentioned to me by my cor
respondents. An active Christian lay
man, who is also a wide-awake business
man, says his pastor has greater influ-
i ence and is more popular with the
women and girls, and has little if any
influence with the men," Another lay
man says: "When men realize that it
is not dictation but teaching which they
receive at church, they will be there
more frequently"
With these two extracts from lay
mems letters put the following from
| two able and successful minister's Il
think the men do not come because
they are not specially interested in the
sermon. 1t so often deals with the re-
mote past or the remote future, while
men live in to-day" Il judge powerful
the excessive adaptation of all church
matters to women and children. The
manly ideal is COINCIDENCE the awful
result. Too much is made of saving
ones soul, too little of public ends.'
Too many ministers seem content to
60 on in the old rut, preaching mostly
to women and girls, and continuing their
pastoral, work mainly to visiting from
house to house. The minister who is
not greatly interested in winning to
Christ those of his own sex will not be
likely to attract men and boys. If he
is greatly interested in getting strong
hold on men and boys he will take pains
to do it. If he really goes for them he
will be likely to get them. He will
have wide acquaintance with the men
of his community and will know the
boys by name He will find opportuni-
ties to manifest an interest in the daily
work and trials of men, and in the in
nocent, manly sports of lively and ath-
letic lads.
The sermons of many ministers would
be very different if they were set on
obtaining an audience of men. They
would study the mans way of looking
at things. They would bring the Cos
pei into practical touch with the life of
to-day. Their aim would be direct.
their earnestness intense. They would
keep their eye on the men in the deliv-
cry as well as the preparation of their
sermons, and would study means to Sc
cure their interested attention.
If the preacher has an active mind
and great heart and his spirit is full
Of love of Christ, he will somehow win
men to hear him even in these DAYS.
when so many influences tend to keep
men from church and out of the king