Dangerous Men
I've written a good bit about how the church has dulled men down into compliant, dutiful and nice creatures - and then wonders at some point, "Where are all the men?" The men get enough of this and either check out emotionally from the church or just decide to hunt or play golf on Sundays. Men weren't created to be women. We aren't designed to sit around and share our feelings and have a large circle of other men that we call to check in on every few days. We aren't homemakers and generally aren't cooks. We change the channel a lot. We don't talk very much and most men don't enjoy a nice phone conversation. Men are different animals and thank the Lord for that. God made men and women very different for a reason - it is a beautiful design that only He could have dreamed up.

So why is it that the church has seemingly dulled men down into complacent, tame creatures? What would the church have to gain from telling men that they are supposed to be nice, dutiful creatures? Control. The church wants to control "the situation" at all times. Oftentimes, that means that even the Holy Spirit isn't even welcome. Where the Spirit is working, there is naturally a lack of control and a lot of Pastors don't want to risk losing control. Consider this from Eldredge's daily email;

"That strength so essential to men is also what makes them heros. If a neighborhood is safe, it's because of the strength of men. Slavery was stopped by the strength of men, at a terrible price to them and their families. The Nazis were stopped by men. Apartheid wasn't defeated by women...this is simply to remind us that God made men the way they are because we desperately need men to be the way they are designed. Yes, a man is a dangerous thing. So is a scalpel. It can wound or it can save your life. You don't make it safe by making it dull; you put it in the hands of someone who knows what he's doing.

If you have spent anytime around horses, you know a stallion can be a major problem. They're strong, very strong, and they've got a mind of their own. Stallions typically don't like to be bridled, and they can get downright aggressive - especially if there are mares around. A stallion is hard to tame. If you want a safer, quieter animal, there's an easy solution: castrate him. A gelding is much more compliant. You can lead him around by the nose; he'll do what he's told without putting up a fuss. There's only one problem: Geldings don't give life. They can't come through for you the way a stallion can. A stallion is dangerous all right, but if want the life he offers, you have to have the danger too. They go together."

Wow. This hit me right where I am. I have been in two management situations recently that speak to this. One is in business (and I've written about it) and the other is in the church. In the church case, it is a situation where the men/leadership of the church have not been led. The men have been castrated. Those that dared to be a stallion and say "Wait a minute, I don't agree with this" have been taken out and belittled. Anything that challenged the Pastor's authority hasn't been welcome. Total and absolute control is the number one priority of the ministry. The Pastor hasn't trusted his leadership and as a result has turned the men into geldings. They are good men. Really good men. But, the Pastor hasn't adopted a servant leadership model - he hasn't made it his mission to raise up and train the men of the church. He hasn't helped the wild young stallions grow up into the fully mature, fully useful stallions they were designed to be --- bold and wild and powerful tools for God's kingdom.

Imagine a church where the Pastor set out to build his men into the stallions God intended. Imagine if he made leadership and specifically, servant leadership, one of the key foundations of the ministry. Imagine a church that made it it's business to raise up, train, equip and then empower men to lead. Imagine a church that had programs for 6th grade boys, high school boys, young single men, newly married men, 40-something men, etc. that tought the men at each step what it means to be a stallion - a man of God. Think of what this would mean. Imagine what that church could do in the community. Think about how many men would be at that church to grab this message. Think of what it would do for the women. Don't they crave this? Don't women crave real, strong, powerful, visionary men of God? Don't women want to led? Don't they admire men that are bold in their manhood? Imagine what this would do for families? Men of God trained up all along the way in God - what kind of Dad's are these guys going to be? What kind of husbands? It would shake the foundation of the church.

This is possible. The road map is right in front of it. Imagine. Just imagine.

Soar!