ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A new Lifeway Research study suggests churches with organized men’s ministries are more likely to have men who say they are being equipped for spiritual leadership, discipleship, and relationships with other believers.
The study surveyed 1,000 evangelical and Black Protestant male churchgoers and 473 men’s ministry leaders. Fifty-eight percent of the men surveyed said their church has an organized men’s ministry, while 23% said their church has activities for men but no formal ministry. Another 14% said their church has no activities specifically for men, and 5% were unsure.
The differences between churches with organized ministries and those without specific activities for men were substantial in several areas. Among men at churches with organized ministries, 97% said their church invests in and equips men, compared with 67% at churches without intentional activities for men. Men in organized ministries were also more likely to say their church trains them to disciple their children, 87% compared with 56%, and equips them to serve as spiritual leaders in their homes, 89% compared with 54%.
Scott Sullivan, discipleship catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said he is seeing a similar interest in reaching and discipling men across Georgia.
“I’m seeing a passion to reach and connect men across Georgia unlike anything I’ve witnessed in my lifetime,” Sullivan said. “There is a growing recognition that men’s ministry cannot be limited to gathering the same men for another event. We have an extraordinary opportunity to reach men with the gospel, connect them to the local church, and equip them to become multiplying disciples.”
The Lifeway findings also showed a difference in planning. Forty-six percent of leaders in organized men’s ministries said they have a spiritual development pathway or plan designed to help men take the next step in their walk with Christ, compared with 27% of leaders whose churches do not have an organized ministry.
Bible study emerged as a priority for both leaders and churchgoing men. Seven in 10 ministry leaders said they offered Bible studies for men during the previous year, and 48% said Bible study had been their most effective discipleship activity. Among male churchgoers, 40% identified teaching the Bible as one of the three most important things a church should do in ministering to men.
More than half of men whose churches offer designated activities for men, 55%, said they had experienced spiritual growth they would not have experienced without their church’s men’s ministry. Mentoring also ranked highly. Forty-five percent of leaders said their ministries offered mentoring, while 59% of churchgoing men identified younger men being mentored as one of the benefits a men’s ministry can provide.
Sullivan said the growing interest he sees in Georgia is increasingly extending beyond individual congregations.
“Across Georgia, local churches are developing men’s ministries in growing numbers,” he said. “Even more encouraging, churches are beginning to work together to reach and connect men in their communities. I believe these individual efforts can become a movement — men reaching and discipling other men, then returning to their homes, churches, and communities as committed followers of Jesus.”
The research also identified challenges, particularly participation. The median men’s ministry leader reported 20 regular participants, while 47% said 15 or fewer men regularly participate. Sixty-one percent of leaders identified lack of attendance or participation as their biggest challenge.
At the same time, 83% of male churchgoers said they attended at least one men’s ministry activity during the previous year, and 52% attended at least three. The findings suggest that the problem for many ministries may be less about getting men to attend once than about developing consistent participation.
Outreach also revealed a gap between leaders’ assessments and men’s behavior. Almost three-quarters of men in churches with men’s activities, 73%, said they had invited at least one man from outside their church to a men’s ministry activity during the previous year. Yet only 21% of ministry leaders said their ministry does at least a good job of drawing men from outside the church into Christian community.
Thirty percent of male churchgoers said they would like more help from their church in sharing Jesus with non-Christians they know. Thirty-six percent of leaders said their ministry does at least a good job of mobilizing men to personally share the gospel.
“The future of men’s ministry is bigger than events,” Sullivan said. “Events can open the door, but relationships and intentional discipleship help men take the next step. Our goal is not simply to fill a room; it is to see men reached with the gospel, connected through meaningful relationships, growing in Christlikeness, and multiplying that growth in the lives of others.”
The survey also found several areas where churchgoing men want more support. Thirty-nine percent identified mental health, 27% sexual temptation and pornography, and 25% alcoholism or drug addiction as areas where they would like more ministry from their church.
Younger men presented another challenge. Men’s ministry leaders estimated that 31% of their participants are age 40 or younger, including only 9% who are between 18 and 25. Leaders said their ministries are better designed for working men, fathers, and retirees than for single men, men without children, and college students.
Men ages 18 to 34 were also among the least likely to say their church’s men’s ministry provides a safe place to discuss struggles, strengthens relationships among men, provides leadership opportunities, or offers accountability. They were among the most likely to turn to social media, community Bible studies, and Christian mentors outside their churches for spiritual development.
Sullivan said Georgia Baptists are preparing a new effort to help churches respond.
“One of the most encouraging developments is a renewed hunger among pastors and lay leaders to build intentional ministries with men,” he said. “This fall, Georgia Baptists will launch a new cohort for men’s ministry leaders to connect, encourage, and equip those serving in local churches. We want to help leaders move beyond offering activities for men and cultivate a disciple-making culture that reaches men and helps grow multiplying disciples.”
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