A man's influence

Research from America suggests that if a child is the first person to become a Christian, there is only a 3.5% probability that the rest of the family will follow.

If the mother is the first to become a Christian, the probability rises to 17%. But if the father is the first, there is a 93% probability that everyone else in the household will follow.

Sid Woodruff, a men's ministry specialist, said the statistics shout the importance of churches becoming more intentional in their development of ministries for men. 'If you reach the men, you reach the families', he said. 'But to reach the men, you have to enter their world.'

He went on to say that non-church-attending men are not necessarily opposed to going to church. 'They just don't see churches as being "male friendly"', he said.

Religion Today

© Evangelicals Now - May 2003
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Main Articles

• Faith on the front line
  Other stories about the war in Iraq
• Society figures?
  Some of the implications from the recent Census results
• The changing face of Christian engagement with Muslims
• WWII and Iraq
• The jogger and the gospel posters
• Real wisdom for dads
  A look at Judges 13
• Empire and Spurgeon
  Defending the preacher's honour
• The reality of wrath
  Towards a true understanding of God and the gospel
• Monthly column on the arts
  A brave new digital world
• Monthly column for youth leaders
  Tribalism
• Monthly column on student work
  With the National Union of Students
• Monthly column on hymns and songs
  The Lord's day

Other articles

• Walking with Cavemen
• The Pianist
• Forgiving Hitler - The Kathy Diosy story - first part
• The Guide to Revolutionary Forgiveness
• Access:d - Live worship in the key of D
• Children in the heart of God
• Anxious Christians - Psychological problems and Christian faith
• The only hope: Jesus yesterday, today, forever
• Worship in the melting pot
• Ministering like the Master - Three messages for today's preachers
• The 'What would Jesus eat?' Cookbook
• Bringing home the prodigals
• The next Christendom
• Mining for wisdom
• Walking with God
• A first class mob - Children in revival: 300 years of God's work in Scotland
• If I were God, I'd end all the PAIN - Struggling with evil, suffering and faith
• The art of preaching Old Testament narrative
• Deconstructing the Dutch Utopia - Sex education and teenage pregnancy in the Netherlands
• Leading a local church in the age of the Spirit
• A man's influence