Check this one out:
For all my curmudgeonly complaints, whines, rants, and denunciations of the chronically underachieving American church (to which I am committed), a lack of masculinity has never crossed my melancholic mind–no not even once. I have been offended by bad doctrine, terrible art, pitiful oratory, and abysmal music; but I have never left a service thinking, “Oh, it was too feminine!” In fact, much of our malaise stems from male monopolies: those doctrines and churches and parachurches that limit women’s participation simply because they are female.
< Stands up; claps hands. >
Oops; better do that differently:
{joins enthusiastically in the applause}
Believe it or not, I have left church wondering if it is getting too feminine. I am against quotas, but they could be used to boost the number of males in the choir, in the kitchen, and teaching Sunday School.
But here is what our church looks like some Sundays: female pastor, female worship assistant or liturgist, female lector, mostly female choir, or sometimes all female choir, female bell choir, and four male ushers. Female Sunday School Teachers. Female coffe servers. One male dish washer.
Doesn’t that seem a bit off?
Psalmist: Thought you might like this one. Good to see you again.
PS: I would have to say the situation you described is highly unusual?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùat least in my experience?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùand I wonder if I might not have left that church with the same questions.
DP, you know me too well! But in all seriousness, I’m glad to see a man standing up to say what the Curmudgeon did. I think that if there really is too much male or too much female reflected in a given congregation, they’re not serious about using all the gifts God has given them as a church.
PS, I’m the female music minister in a church served by a female pastor; she and I are the only compensated staff members who regularly lead in worship. The past three years, our lay leader was female (a man rotates into that position in 2007). We recognize that we could be the mirror image of how the church looked for such a very long time (only men leading) if we’re not intentional about using ALL our willing members in a variety of positions of service. We have a rotation of both men and women who serve as lay readers in our worship services. And as God would have it, our choir membership has increased by 20% the past two years, with 15% of that increase being male. (I hardly know what to do with so many basses! Dear Lord, could the next one PLEASE be a strong tenor??) I think churches can have the kind of issue you describe, and if they’re wise, they’ll allow God to help them look at themselves critically so they can make some changes.