Searching for Tom Sawyer: How Parents and Congregations Can Stop the Exodus of Boys from Church

by Tim Wright

The Story of BoysLost in the Twenty-first

70% of all Ds and Fs go to boys
85% of stimulant-addressing medications prescribed in the world are prescribed to US boys
Boys are falling behind girls in virtually every area of life
70 -90% of boys will leave the church in their teens and early twenties

Searching for Tom Sawyer offers parents and church leaders a compelling vision and practical principles for how, together, they can change that storyline by forging boys into heroic men.
More than 70% of the young men who are raised in church abandon it during their teens and twenties Tim Wright examines the problem and offers real solutions to one of the greatest challenges facing the church today.
David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church
No one who cares for boys, and equally no one who cares for kids and families should miss Searching for Tom Sawyer.
Leonard Sweet, professor at Drew University and George Fox University
Tim Wrights diagnosis of why most of our congregations struggle to connect with guys is eye-opening and stunning As the father of three boys, I wish Id had this book years ago. As the pastor of a congregation, Im glad I have it now.
Pastor Jeff Marian, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Burnsville, Minnesota

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2013

About the author

Tim is the co-host of the Wonder of Parenting Podcast: A Brain-Science Approach to Parenting, along with Dr. Michael Gurian. He and his wife, Jan, have been married since 1979. They have two grown children and five grandchildren. Tim lives in Glendale (Phoenix), Arizona. He enjoys riding his recumbent bike, reading, Disneyland, British Mysteries, Fantasy novels, and roots for the Arizona Cardinals.

Reviews

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How parents and congregations can stop the exodus of boys from church” reads the subtitle and sums quite nicely the theme of “Searching For Tom Sawyer” by Tim Wright and published West Bow Press. You read much these days about how men are shunning the church, and even some about what we might do to make our churches more palpable to men. This volume looks to solving the problem before it begins–with boys.

Mr. Wright begins by presenting a solid case for males and females having distinct differences designed by the Lord, even though both are of equal worth to Him. He repines our culture’s mistaken emphasis on sameness at the expense of differences. These differences must be considered if we are to have a church that reaches men and women.

He even digs into the differences in how our minds are wired. Boys develop a little slower than girls and most Sunday School classes are geared more toward girls. Girls begin reading earlier so boys naturally don’t like getting called on to read and be embarrassed in front of those same girls. As time goes by, boys are by their Creator’s design likely to squirm and hate being forced to sit still. Again, we often set things up this way. So, boys start hating church at a very young age. The author makes some suggestions about setting things up differently. Whether we would exactly follow his instructions or not, these are issues worthy of much thought.

I appreciate that in his recommendations he discusses lower-cost ideas for those of us who don’t have massive budgets. The model of mega-wow factor simply won’t work for us all. The book ends with a few sample lessons designed to appeal to boys.

Our culture almost seems embarrassed by manhood. No amount of indoctrination, however, will ever remove how God made us. It is particularly ridiculous to organize church against what we know to be true! This is a helpful book that we should consider carefully.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .

[Tim Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I read the book. Gave good information, and more importantly - good resource material! If you're raising a boy, teaching boys, or care about the future boy that may marry your daughter...this is a "must read," imo.