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Few pastors mention gender, but Robert Lewis of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle both see ministry to men as the future's key challenge. Lewis considers men "the lost gender," while Driscoll highlights a crying need for proclaiming a manly Jesus, lest "increasingly impotent churches [become] filled with mere handfuls of nice church boys standing around drinking decaf while the world goes to hell."

If there is a consensus, it is this: The church needs a fresh infusion of that which has made it traditionally strong. But in the current context, back-to-the-basics feel counter-cultural: Exalt the uniqueness of Christ in a pluralistic culture, reach out to men in an era of feminism, and celebrate the timelessness of Word and sacrament in a market-driven culture obsessed with relevance.

Tim Stafford | Consulted: Dale Burke, John Huffman, John Sommerville, Joshua Harris, Mark Driscoll, Michael Horton, Robert Lewis, Will Willimon, Mark Dever, John Piper.

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More Christianity Today coverage of church life is available in our full coverage area.

In the next two weeks, we'll be looking at what evangelical leaders think are the priorities for the next 50 years in 11 categories: youth, missions, politics, publishing/broadcasting, theology, culture, evangelism, higher education, international justice and relief and development.

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Christianity Today's other articles on its 50th anniversary include:

Where We Are and How We Got Here | 50 years ago, evangelicals were a sideshow of American culture. Since then, it's been a long, strange trip. Here's a look at the influences that shaped the movement. By Mark A. Noll (Sept. 29, 2006)

Sidebar: 'Truth from the Evangelical Viewpoint' | What Christianity Today meant to the movement 50 years ago. (Sept. 29, 2006)

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October 2006, Vol. 50, No. 10