Today I find myself in a surprising position.
Normally I’m frustrated with the lack of support and advocating for women in ministry. Am I willing to stand up and support and advocate for men when resources for them may be lacking?
Today I’m over at A Life Overseas with my monthly contribution. One of the editors read my piece to check for typos and commas (as we know, my eternal weak point!) and she emailed me: “And also, in a world dominated by men (and I’ve read that women are often harrassed online), it’s strange that in the christian service world, it’s women leading everything. Makes you wonder what’s going on here, doesn’t it?”
It does.
I received the following email from a man I’d met at MTI’s Debriefing and Renewal. Brian, his wife, and I were in the same debriefing group.
I was recently talking to a former M friend of mine who was going through some tough times in his re-entry to the States despite the fact that he has landed in a great job and community. His talk about loneliness stuck out to me and got me thinking a little bit. Do you know of a ministry like yours that focuses on mentoring, coming alongside and creating community for men throughout their missionary journey? Any links, suggestions or resources you could pass on would be great.
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What stood out to me then, and I saw reflected in my response to my friend, is how very female heavy these resources are. Oddly, when so much of the world seems to have started out male dominated and has needed to create a space for women to be heard, we seem to be the opposite. Please continue reading at A Live Overseas.
I’ve never been in the mission field, but i do know that men can be lonely. We simply deal with it in other ways. We are less likely to go online to spill our souls, and would prefer one on one interactions. As a Christian online blogger for a decade now, I can attest how few people even read men online. And very few men comment. I would say that we are more relational when it’s something we can see and touch.