subject: What Makes Men Ineffective In the Black Church [print this page] What Makes Men Ineffective In the Black Church
You may ask the question, what makes men ineffective in the black church? There are several provocative answers to this query. First, let's examine the individual man. Below I delineate where the breakdown occurs:
1) Lack of Engagement - The heart of a man is compromised when the church prostitutes and/or exploits the innate need for individuals to have relationships with one another. It is a fundamental human need to be loved, physically touched and appreciated. The church program promotes superficial engagement where the greeters or ushers hug every member that walks through the door. This action is mostly a reflex and after seven hundred hugs and three services, how genuine can those hugs really be? In fact, the person doing the hugging will undoubtedly need a hug before the end of service!
2) Lack of Empowerment - Many men are frustrated with their lack of involvement in the church. When you think about it, what can a brother really do in church where the pastor, Bishop, Prophet or apostle is insecure, selfish and micro manages the entire ministry? There is an inherent fear that if Brother Wilson is given the authority to orchestrate the Homeless Ministry and his gifts and talents draw attention to his service to God and someone forgets to mention the Pastor, all hell will break loose. Somehow we have got to correct the cultural expectation that the pastor gets all the attention and all the accolades and redistribute the wealth of appreciation that is due to the men and women who sacrifice so much for their respective ministries. I am not afraid to say we are way past the day and time of pastors being unilaterally rewarded for not doing anything to warrant their participation or recognition.
3) Lack of Relationship - A man will endure almost anything to maintain a relationship with another man or other men in church. Many brothers seek each other out once their feet hit the church property and linger until they have been filled or touched by their spirit. A man will come to church to meet his brothers and never go inside the sanctuary to hear the sermon by the pastor.
4) Lack of Healing - When are churches going to start helping men to heal? Healing in many instances is simply talking about what is on the heart and mind without fear of condemnation or reprisal in a safe place or a place or person who will keep what is said or shared confidential.
5) Lack of the Ability To Produce Many men have an innate to contribute significantly to the financial and vertical growth of the ministry. Due to lack of employment, cash on hand, limited capital investments and/or minimal strategic partnerships many churches are facing financial hardships. Pastors have very few dynamic and influential men on their cabinet level due to huge egos and major insecurity issues.
6) Lack of Leadership - More often than not, the person leading the ministry you are serving in is the wrong person for the job. She is probably a single woman who is sold out to the pastor and is an unnatural head over a group of men. I attended a church and was ordained as a Deacon with about 30 other men and the pastor appointed a woman as the conduit between himself and the Deacons. In addition, she was the Administrator for Ministry School Training that went on for more than two years with no real agenda. Imagine a single woman with the personality of a can of paint relaying the concerns of more than 30 men to a pastor who refused several requests to meet with the Deacons he ordained. I was a Deacon for almost two years and we NEVER had one meeting with the pastor. Now, I am sure I don't need to tell you what a hot mess this was.
Pastors are the only leaders on the planet that can get away with this kind of crap! Can you think of a better example of inept leadership than this?
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