Anabaptist Community Explores Healthy Masculinity

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

In 2025, the authors began facilitating a series of discussions on healthy masculinity at the Lancaster, Pennsylvania YWCA. They approached the topic not as experts, but as explorers grounded in their own personal journeys, aiming to create a space for others to discover new perspectives on masculinity. The discussions involved pastors, therapists, teachers, feminists, and men, exploring what healthy masculinity means and how to foster it in families, workplaces, and communities.

Why it matters

The growing movement around healthy masculinity reflects a broader societal reckoning with toxic masculinity and the need to redefine masculine identity beyond traditional norms of strength, bravado, and domination. For Anabaptists, this presents an opportunity to address the history of male-dominated leadership and exclusion, and to create congregations that can be 'cells of liberation' around healthy masculinity.

The details

The authors facilitated monthly public discussion groups, aiming to use welcoming language that doesn't turn off potential participants with a more traditional understanding of masculinity. They also worked to address concerns that the focus on masculinity excludes women's perspectives, and to acknowledge that masculine and feminine identities may not fit for all. The discussions identified practicing healthy masculinity in families, at work, and in friend groups as key priorities, particularly for those who lacked positive role models.

• In 2025, the authors began facilitating discussions on healthy masculinity at the Lancaster YWCA.
• Starting late in 2025, the authors began hosting monthly public discussion groups on the topic.