In domestic churches, the majority of full-time workers or volunteers are Christian women; in some churches, female pastors serve as church leaders. While many churches and pastors hope to nurture more Christian men and see them take on leadership roles, male ones often make up a minority of congregants, and even fewer are willing to pursue full-time ministry.
Pastors have explored the general reasons why it is more challenging for male believers to enter full-time ministry. For example, men tend to be more rational, while women are often more emotional; women are more likely to embrace faith and respond to God's calling ascribed to being moved by the Lord’s love. Additionally, practical challenges play a role. In contemporary Chinese society, a preacher or pastor is often misunderstood or even disrespected in some places. Moreover, men face greater pressures related to marriage, work, and support for their families. The financial support churches can offer to male workers is usually limited, making the decision to pursue full-time ministry daunting for them.
Recently, a Christian woman named Meng’en, born in the 1980s, shared the efforts of her church in addressing this issue with the Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian Newspaper.
She explained that her church places great emphasis on training male believers. Although the church still has more female members than male ones, and the older generation of church staff is predominantly female, years of effort have led to a significant shift. Among the millennial pastors and staff workers, men now outnumber women.
This achievement is the result of a decade of dedication from the church’s pastors.
To nurture male believers, pastors in her church first sought to break the church tradition of avoiding discussing money.
In the past, many senior pastors served solely by faith, without relying on material support from the church. As a result, they often instilled in the next generation the idea that ministry must be pursued by faith alone, with no dependence on financial resources. This left many ministers in extreme hardship. Consequently, many Christians, even those moved by a calling, didn’t dare to dedicate themselves to God. Some who entered ministry were forced to take up secular jobs to support themselves and their families.
Meng’en noted that while many churches are willing to invest in large-scale projects, such as building constructions, and ministries, they hesitate to invest in workers. This reluctance, she believes, hinders the involvement of both Christian men and women in ministry, particularly male ones, who bear greater financial burdens in supporting their families.
Her church’s pastors broke away from this traditional mindset. They not only dedicated time and energy to developing young believers but also invested significant financial resources.
“To train excellent ministers and pastors,” Meng’en shared, “the church established a seminary with diverse training and educational programs. The church encourages its members to study theology, giving them salaries as soon as they enter seminary. Even though their initial salaries might be modest after graduation, they gradually improve with time and experience, being paid about the same as those who work in the secular world. This ensures that male Christians can serve without financial concerns.”
The second key effort in her church is placing men in leadership roles during church activities. “Through practical work, male ones can gain experience, take on accountability, and develop leadership skills,” Meng’en explained.
While it may seem unfair to gifted and capable female members, Meng’en believes this intentional effort benefits the church and families in the long run. The church does not neglect female believers; instead, it focuses on preparing them for supportive roles. Meng’en is being trained as a future pastor or leader, though the church prioritizes training women for auxiliary roles.
Additionally, her church places significant importance on male members within their families. Through pastoral care, female members have cultivated humility and willingly taken on supportive roles, with more male ones being nurtured to be leaders in the church.
As a result of these efforts, Meng’en’s church has successfully fostered a growing number of male leaders.
- Edited by Katherine Guo & translated by Abigail Wu
