In Reaching Chinese Worldwide, I wrote, “For several reasons, it seems to me that those who want to reach Chinese worldwide with the gospel of Christ in a lasting fashion must consider the strategic importance of concentrating at least some of our energies upon reaching men” (Page 147).
I went on to explain why this is so. For one thing, many – perhaps most - of the problems that women face stem from the absence of loving leadership from men. Another reason is that women outnumber men almost two to one in many Chinese churches; there are not enough Christian men for them to marry.
Not only so, but Chinese Christian men lack examples and role models, so they don’t really know what godly manhood or Christ-like leadership looks like. They need instruction, mentoring, and prayer.
Multiple Means of Encouraging Men
Biblical instruction
With this in mind, I wrote Jesus: The Complete Man, to show how Jesus sets a pattern for men to follow in the family, the church, and the world. A much shorter discussion of A Real Man based on Titus 1:6-9 can be found at A Real Man.
Stories of real men
Though we did not do this intentionally to exclude women, when we were choosing subjects for the brief biographies in Builders of the Chinese Church, we ended up with nine men who laid the foundation for what became a church numbering in the millions. These brief biographies provide enough detail to offer models for Christian men today.
Likewise, for a variety of reasons, most of the stories in the online Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity deal with men. (I have tried to address the gender imbalance by composing very long and comprehensive articles on outstanding women like Maria Dyer Taylor, Jennie Faulding Taylor, Emily Blatchley, and Madame Chiang Kai-shek.)
All observers agree that the lack of mature men is perhaps the greatest weakness of Chinese churches around the world. The biographies found in the BDCC and in Builders of the Chinese Church are portraits of what godly leadership could look like.
Encouraging, mentoring, befriending
Books can only do so much, of course. We need living examples, coaches, and friends. The lockdowns of the past year have severely restricted personal contact, but we can thank God for the technology that enables us to converse with people thousands of miles away, and even to see them.
Personally, I treasure fellowship with a number of men of all ages who continue to cheer me along the way, and whose counsel corrects me when I need it.
At the same time, I treasure the opportunities God has given me to come alongside younger men and to share with them some of what I have learned from my many mistakes.
Over the past few months, I have “met” virtually with China Institute Partners and Global China Center Associates; friends and former students in Taiwan and China.
Please pray for me
To be honest however, despite my good intentions, I must confess that I have often failed to be a consistent presence in the lives of the men for whom I pray. All too often, I have allowed other things to keep me from calling them.