Should men’s gatherings have singing?

Men’s ministry and singing: for decades the two were inseparable.

Men’s meetings traditionally followed the contours of a worship service. There was a greeting. An invocation. A period of singing. A monologue talk from the group leader. Then a closing prayer and dismissal.

But in the past few years more and more men’s meetings have ditched the group singing — in order to leave more time for small group discussion time.

I think that’s a good thing.

What’s the primary goal of men’s ministry? To create worship experiences? To impart Bible knowledge? Or to build friendships among men?

Guys can get the first two on Sunday morning.

But male relationships are hard to come by. We should take every opportunity to foster these relationships.

I’m not against corporate singing. But there’s a time and a place for it. I think most guys would prefer to skip the singing and go straight to the lesson – especially at 6:30 in the morning.

Here’s another advantage of a singing-free men’s meeting: it makes it easier for men to invite their non-Christian friends.

A lot of men don’t bring their friends to church because they think their friends wouldn’t like it — especially the long periods of standing and singing songs they don’t know.

Even worse – the singing is usually up front. So you’ve put your visitors in an awkward position right away – even before they’ve had a chance to hear the Good News of Jesus.

However, a well-run men’s meeting that gets straight to the lesson gives a man confidence to invite his buddies.

I recently attended a men’s gathering at a large church in Pennsylvania. The Thursday night Men’s Frat meeting at LCBC draws about 400 guys each week. There’s no singing. Instead, the meeting starts with a few funny YouTube videos, a bit of comic banter and then it’s straight into the teaching from Knights of the 21^st Century curriculum. Once the lesson is done the guys break up into small groups called “campfires” to discuss.

This is the kind of men’s gathering I would invite my friends to. It’s built around the interests and learning style of guys.

So what do you think? Should men’s ministry meetings have singing? Does singing keep men from inviting their friends? Do you think God misses it when we don’t sing to him?

Please leave your comment below.

David Murrow is the author of the bestselling book, Why Men Hate Going to Church. David’s books have sold more than 175,000 copies in 12 languages. He speaks to groups around the world about Christianity’s persistent gender gap. He lives in Alaska with his wife of more than 30 years, professional silk artist Gina Murrow. Learn more about David at his Web site, www.churchformen.com, or join the conversation on his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/churchformen. Don’t forget to share this page by clicking on the links below, or scroll down and leave a comment (right below those annoying ads that pay for this blog).