No hugs please, we’re men

Hugging, handholding and discussing feelings are big turn-offs for male churchgoers, a new survey of 400 men reveals. Three-quarters said they wanted worship to challenge them intellectually and spiritually and almost the same proportion chose the sermon as their favourite part of a service. Sixty per cent said they enjoyed singing but preferred ‘proclamational’ hymns to emotionally-based songs. Findings of the research, conducted for Sorted magazine, will be discussed in a seminar on men in church at next week’s Christian Resources Exhibition (12–15 May). The Sandown, Esher event is expected to draw up to 13,000 people from all denominations.

Sources: Daily Telegraph (5/5); Methodist Recorder (7/5)