How to capture the imagination of men?

At a Family and Religion forum held last Thursday, the question was posed to the panellists on what more the Church can do to attract more men and young boys into their fold.

Reverend Gary Harriot, president, Jamaica District Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas

The church needs to engage them, to care them, and then to see how what you offer becomes a response to what the needs are.

Reverend Stevenson Samuels - senior pastor, Escarpment Road New Testament Church of God

I would say that we are attracting men and boys in the church, but there is far more that we can do and we must sit and reflect and strategise for greater impact.

Dr Patrece Charles - chief executive of the National Parenting Support Commission

I think that the church need to be able communicate better with these young men, and you say hear them and then listen to them.

Marcia McCausland-Wilson

General Secretary - National Parent Teachers' Association of Jamaica

I believe that the Church can make an impact through Inter School Christian Fellowship.

Pastor Dwight Fletcher - Transformed Lives Church

We spend tons of time just doing that, researching the type of generation - XY generation, or the millennials - how they think and what are their felt needs and we spend a lot of time designing sermons to answer these questions and I think they are reaping benefits.

Reverend Errol Bolt - Pastor of the Kencot Christian Fellowship Church

I think that we need to continue doing what we are doing and increase it and invest more in it. I think the Church is reaching out to men, but it is not as impacting as it could be because programmes need to be increased to appeal to men and boys.