God Needs Men

In an age of cultural confusion, spiritual apathy, and moral compromise, one truth remains timeless and unchanging: God wants and needs men. Not because God is lacking or insufficient, but because He chooses to work through willing vessels—men who will stand firm in faith, fight for truth, lead in righteousness, and embody the strength of Christ in a world desperate for direction.

The Scriptures are filled with the call for men to rise up and take their place in the spiritual battle.

Consider the challenge in 1 Samuel 4:9: “Be strong and conduct yourselves like men… that you do not become servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men and fight!”

This verse, though spoken by the Philistines, echoes a universal truth—manhood involves responsibility, courage, and action. The modern church, however, seems to have drifted from this image. Many churches today are filled with faithful women, while men sit passively, disinterested, or entirely absent. This imbalance is not just demographic—it's spiritual. And it's not just unfortunate—it's dangerous.

One weakness for the church is the absence of a definition of ‘manhood’ or ‘what exactly is a man?’ After speaking to a men’s group, I had a man to come up and tell me where I could hear a true definition of a man. Certainly, this was a secular, humanistic view of manhood, but Robert Lewis gave an outstanding definition of a man in his “Men’s Fraternity” teaching. He said, “A man rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects a greater reward, “God’s Reward.” This is the definition of the great need in both church and culture today.

A Church Without Men

David Murrow, in his eye-opening book Why Men Hate Going to Church, brings this issue to the forefront. He observes that most churches unintentionally create environments that feel more suited to women than to men. Soft music, emotional language, passive expectations, and relationally driven ministry often clash with the way many men are wired. As Murrow writes, “Men don’t see church as a place where they can win, compete, or take on a meaningful challenge.”

In other words, the church has too often forgotten the biblical call for men to be warriors, leaders, and defenders of the faith.

This loss is not trivial. The spiritual disengagement of men has a ripple effect through families, communities, and the culture at large. When men are absent from the church, they are often absent from their homes, emotionally or physically. Statistics show that when a father takes his faith seriously, the rest of the family is far more likely to follow. When he does not, the spiritual future of his children is in jeopardy.

The Biblical Call to Manhood

Scripture offers a very different picture than the passive or domesticated male figure often seen in modern church culture.

Look at Joel 2:7: “They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; everyone marches in formation, and they do not break ranks.”

This image of men as soldiers, disciplined and strong, is how God often describes His people. He does not call men to passivity but to purposeful action, bravery, and unity. God wants men who will stand their ground, climb the obstacles, and stay in formation—even when the spiritual terrain gets rough.

Likewise, the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 16:13 offer a crystal-clear directive: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

There is no vagueness here. These are commands—not suggestions—for men of faith. Be alert. Stand strong. Embrace masculinity. Exhibit strength. The Greek word for “act like men” (andrizomai) literally means to conduct oneself in a courageous way. God is calling men to rise in boldness, not shrink back in fear.

Rediscovering the Masculine Journey

David Murrow’s second book, The Map: The Way of All Great Men, takes this conversation deeper. In it, he lays out a framework for masculine spiritual development, built around the metaphor of a map—a hero’s journey—that all men are meant to walk.

Murrow,  explains that men are naturally drawn to a story—a quest. The Christian life, properly understood, is not just about attending church services or avoiding sin. It’s a great adventure, a battle between good and evil, and a mission that requires grit, perseverance, and sacrifice.

The three-fold journey he outlines involves: Submission, Strength, and Sacrifice.

These stages echo the lives of biblical men like David, Joseph, Moses, and of course, Jesus Himself. They began in obscurity and often brokenness, were strengthened through testing, and ultimately laid down their lives in service to God’s call.

Where Are the Men?

The crisis of absent men is not just anecdotal; it's measurable. In many churches today, women outnumber men by significant margins. An AME elder was asked about the ‘gender disparity’ in his congregation and his initial response was, “About 50/50.” After doing an actual Sunday worship count, he discover that, in the adult attendance, women outnumbered men by 5 to 1! He went on to say that he was embarrassed that he had not noticed the difference. Do not take from my words the wrong message but hear me clearly: While women’s faith and leadership are vital and invaluable, the absence of men creates a vacuum that leads to imbalance.

Many pastors are left wondering: Where are the men? Why do so many seem bored, disengaged, or completely disconnected from spiritual life?

Part of the answer, Murrow argues, lies in how we present the Gospel. If it’s only about being “nice” or “safe,” then it doesn't tap into the masculine heart. Men want purpose. They want a challenge. They want something worth fighting for. And the Gospel—when properly understood—is exactly that. Here are the big truths: 1) The Bible speaks of ‘acting like men,’ 2) Jesus didn’t call men to safety, rather, He called them to carry a cross and to be risk takers for the Kingdom.

The Need of the Hour

Today, the need of the church and the culture is strong, godly men. Men who will take responsibility for their families. Men who will lead with love, stand with courage, and walk in holiness. Men who will rise early to pray, go to war in the Spirit, and build up the church with strength and humility.

God is still asking today, as He did in Ezekiel 22:30: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land... but I found none.”

Will He find such men in our generation?

A Call to Action

I end this article very simply. Let us not be content with comfortable Christianity. Let us rise with courage, integrity, and purpose.

God needs men.

Men of prayer.

Men of courage.

Men of action.

 

And now—more than ever—is the time to answer the call.