Mormons, Muslims, men and church

Last updated on: May 1, 2013 at 12:01 am by David Murrow

Mormons, Muslims, men and church 2013-04-30T18:42:47-06:00 David Murrow

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Two religions that put special emphasis on men are America’s fastest growing, according to a recent study.

Mormons and Muslims are adding the most members, while mainline Protestants and Catholics continue to shed followers.

“The number of Muslim adherents rose to 2.6 million in 2010 from 1 million in 2000, fueled by immigration and conversions,” said Dale Jones, a researcher who worked on the study by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.

The number of U.S. Mormons grew by 45% over the past decade. They were the fastest growing group in 26 of the 50 states.

Muslims and Mormons would seem to have little in common, yet both have strong appeal to men. This is undoubtedly one of the factors driving their explosive growth.

Mormons give great discretion and latitude to their laymen. The Latter-Day Saints do not employ professional pastors. Each layman is considered a priest, and is authorized to preach, teach, prophesy and baptize.

The LDS church offers a formal, rigorous training program to every young man. Males are initiated into a lower priesthood at age 12, and the higher priesthood at 19. Mormons have a long tradition of sending their young men on two-year missions after high school (although women have joined this tradition in recent years).

Muslims also take pains to accommodate men. Men and women worship separately in the mosque. Friday prayers are a full-body experience, exuding an quasi-militant air. Islamic leadership is completely male dominated and female imams are extremely rare. There’s little emphasis on emotion or “feeling God.” Islam’s reputation as a dangerous, violent religion only increases its allure among young men.

As a practical matter, both Mormons and Muslims value childbearing and large families. High fertility is another reason these groups are growing so rapidly. Interestingly, both faiths are rooted in polygamy, and both promise sex in the afterlife, which undoubtedly increases a man’s yearning for eternity.

Both faiths are known for theological and social conservatism. They adhere strictly to their respective scriptures. Numerous studies have shown that high-demand churches that lean conservative attract more men (and tend to grow). Meanwhile, theological liberalism and doctrinal laxity drives men away and is strongly associated with numerical decline.

This report simply confirms what I’ve observed in thousands of congregations: laymen are the key to church growth. Faiths that are intentional about reaching guys grow the fastest. Meanwhile, churches that marginalize or drive away men are declining.

Jesus started his church with 12 common men. The original church growth strategy still works today. Recruit men. Train them. Single them out. Create special roles for them. Just ask the Muslims and Mormons how this strategy works.

Church

evangelism

religion

Previous Post

April 30, 2013

Want a Good Marriage? Share Your Rules

Next Post

May 2, 2013 Should I Just Smash My Kid's Phone?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Giveaway Book Review Bullying Career Christmas Church devotion Discipleship Donald Miller Drugs & Alcohol Easter eternity evangelism Family food giving thanks God humor James H. Pence Jonathan McKee Leadership love Marcus Brotherton marriage masculinity men's ministry men's studies movies music Parenting Pastoring patriotism persecution pilgrim politics pop culture Prayer Prison Ministry prosperity religion Saul secularism sex Social Media Television Thanksgiving Uncategorized women Worship youth culture

Select a Month December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, making them blossom like this flower and fragrant like this tree. What plant and tree are mentioned?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Rose and olive Lebanon Cedar and Lilies Lotus and palm Iris and cypress