Mark Driscoll: Manly Men and the Point being Missed

Mark Driscoll: Manly Men and the Point being missed.

Remember this quote?

"The problem in the church today is just a bunch of nice, soft, tender, chickafied church boys. 60% of Christians are chicks and the 40% that are dudes are still sort of…chicks. It’s just sad. We’re looking around going, How come we’re not innovative?Cause all the innovative dudes are home watching football or they’re out making money or climbing a mountain or shooting a gun or working on their truck. They look at the church like that’s a nice thing for women and children. So the question is if you want to be innovative: How do you get young men? All this nonsense on how to grow the church.

One issue: young men. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. They’re going to get married, make money, make babies, build companies, buy real estate. They’re going to make the culture of the future. If you get the young men you win the war, you get everything. You get the families, the women, the children, the money, the business, you get everything. If you don’t get the young men you get nothing."


Now, notice the phrases mark used…

1. “chickafied church boys”


2. “They look at the church”


3. “All this nonsense on how to grow the church.”

The thing that is missing is Jesus… I see Him no where in the quote… If you want to get “young men” to church… you need to live life with them… and show them “Christ in you”.

The real issue to me and the thing that has been bothering me is Mark is out to grow a “manly church”. Good for him… go for it!! Yet, while he does this… I see that real men realize they need Jesus. That is the question Mark should be asking… not:
“ So the question is if you want to be innovative: How do you get young men? All this nonsense on how to grow the church.”

So Mark, be real… and admit you are just out to “market your church”… and may need to refocus on Living Christ’s Life through you. I see that so many are so focused on “church growth” that they lose sight that many might be interested in Jesus, yet not on “church” as they see it and we let them slide straight to hell.

How do we live our lives in a way that will bring “manly men” to Christ? To me Mark is still failing to see and is falling into the trap of being “chickified” if his focus is on church growth. The focus is reaching these young men… with Jesus, then seeing the innovation Mark is asking for. He is putting the cart before the horse.

So what do we do… hire John Jacobs and his Power Team crew to break a few bricks with their heads, (which is pretty cool btw). Do we organize Christian Hunting ministries? How about we have a Christian Monster truck rally? I mean how much more manly is that!?!?

Really maybe we should live our lives and as we do share our faith, values and lives with our “manly men” friends… in that they can see something genuine that will not be taken as “chickified” or worse as just something of being another number in you church growth chart…

Manly men truly care for their families… they work hard… they address real issues… Really, I see that some of the things Mark described are “escapes” from the empty life they really lead. Manly men desire to be a hero… to live their lives in a way that would allow them to be a hero… and the Greatest Hero in History is Jesus…

So manly men, lets go out and introduce more manly men to Jesus… who gave His Life for us, to give His Live to us, to Live His Life through us… to be heroes with our family and communities… then let’s worry about how big our churches are.

Blessings,
iggy