Created in God’s Image: From Hegemony to Partnership - A Church Manual on Men as Partners: Promoting Positive Masculinities

This gender training manual, the product of a collaborative process of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), builds on the gender manual, Created in God’s Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership, which was developed and published by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) in 2003. The goal of the manual is to enable churches and social organisations to promote gender justice and partnership of women and men through the development of leaders who model good examples.

The participatory methodology for writing the manual involved a writing workshop, individual work, and a peer review of articles. It is intended to make a significant contribution to justice and transformation in church and society. As stated by the WCRFC: "The approach is not to demonize men or to instill feelings of guilt and powerlessness but to peel away the layers of gender construction which are key to understanding manhood within specific cultural, economic, political and social contexts. The overall aim is to make a difference by transforming dominant forms of masculinity which are destructive to women, men, families and society as a whole."

The main topics are: understanding gender, masculinities, identity and sense of self, sexuality, gender-based violence, leadership and power, and partnership. The concepts of masculinity and gender are aimed at enabling men to be more conscious of gender as a construct that affects their own lives as well as those of women. Masculinity is explored from the experiences and teachings of social practices, behaviours, and power constructions by which men become conscious of themselves as gendered subjects. It is designed for participants to critically and sensitively examine the socialisation of men and boys and the influence of social, religious, economic, and cultural contexts on this process.

For more information contact: World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)wcrc@wcrc.ch