Religious Outsiders: Feeling Ignored In Houses of Worship

Men:  Missing from the Pews

From the moment a man walks into a church, he gets the message that he doesn’t belong. That’s according to David Murrow, who likes to point out the “Victorian parlor motif” he often sees in church sanctuaries: quilted banners, flowers, lace doilies, boxes of tissues. And don’t forget the sermons, which in the evangelical world can present men as lost, broken souls who need to be saved. No wonder guys make up less than 40 percent of church-goers. David Murrow is the author of Why Men Hate Going to Church.

Introverts: Craving Sanctuary

There’s a certain restless energy that defines many evangelical church services. There’s the pastor with the big personality. The sharing of personal testimonies. Singing, dancing, clapping, hugging. All this activity can leave introspective worshippers feeling drained, ignored, and worst of all, less faithful. Adam McHugh, a proud introvert and ordained Presbyterian minister, is trying to change that.  Rev. Adam McHugh is the author of Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture.

The Disabled:  Becoming Visible

Laura Lee Wright says that houses of worship have long ignored the needs of the disabled. The challenges run the gamut, from non-existent wheelchair ramps to scripture type so tiny even people with normal sight can barely read it. But the barriers aren’t just in architecture and font sizes; they’re in mindsets, too.  Laura Lee Wright is the Director of Christian Partnerships at Bethesda Lutheran Communities.


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