Testosterone Teachings: Men-Only Church

By JIM ELLIS, AP ONLINE
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - No hymnals. No pews. No steeple. No stained glass windows. And no women. The Church For Men flips around the look and feel of worship and its leader says that's a good thing - guys are "bored stiff" in many churches today.

"We try to make it interesting for them. We meet in a gym and we talk about issues that mess men up," said 46-year-old Mike Ellis, the church's founder. The Church For Men meets one Saturday evening a month, drawing about 70 guys dressed in everything but straight-laced shirts and neckties. The service features a rock band, a shot clock to time the preacher's message and a one-hour in-and-out guarantee.

Ellis's church is part of a national movement to reverse a long-standing problem. Studies show that men are less likely than women to show up on Sunday mornings, and now churches around the country are reaching out to men, teaching theology with a twist of testosterone in the presentation.

One study found that the average U.S. adult church congregation is 61 per cent female, said David Murrow, author of "Why Men Hate Going To Church." The research shows women are more likely to attend church, Sunday school and small church groups.

"Going to church is perceived as womanly behaviour," said Murrow, who is based in Anchorage, Alaska, and travels the country lecturing about the issue. "We don't go to church for the same reason we don't wear pink."

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What do you think of this idea? Should we make some changes in Burtts Corner?