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SummaryCan you visualize what your church might “look like” if men of the church were no longer on the sidelines of spiritual life and leadership, but were actively applying their spiritual gifts to the ministries and mission of the church? How can you start or grow a vibrant Men’s Ministry in your church that will attract the men? How can you get them to come? Remember, some key steps in starting/growing a Men’s Ministry are to: 1) Gather interested men, 2) Pray and plan with your pastor, 3) Select called leader(s), 4) Survey the men, 5) Schedule major events, 6) Communicate well, and 7) Trust God to deliver the men. A well thought out, prayed over and agreed upon Purpose Statement should be clearly communicated to all men of the church. Accordingly, when first forming, restarting or revitalizing a Men’s Ministry in the church, all men should be called to this ministry to simply join together to help each other to grow in Christ. We recommend that an invitation go out by letter from the pastor to all men, with specifics from the Men’s Ministry leader(s). The letter highlights the importance and key elements of the Men’s Ministry and invites them to a special men’s fellowship and kick-off meeting. The letter should be followed by a phone call by the Director and others to add a more personal touch and answer any questions. Follow-up letters and flyers should announce your first monthly gathering. A Sunday service announcement and bulletin insert reminds men of the meeting. Some of the letters to the men go to the heart of the commitment and involvement issues. Many men have reasons (and excuses) as to why they cannot participate. Every effort ismade to answer each question concerning what the Men’s Ministry is and what it isn’t, and to remove any and all obstacles preventing men from participating. Subsequent growth is generated through “multiple entry points,” like
special dinners with a speaker, golf outings, fishing tournaments,
Super Bowl parties, PK conference, regional rallies, mission fairs,
construction projects, small groups, etc. If the new kickoff meeting
is well planned, it will result in attendance immediately jumping.
This group will continue to grow by using multiple entry points. Men’s Ministry Action Game Plan for Your Church
Starting and/or Growing a Vibrant, Christ-Centered, Life-Changing, Men’s Ministry in Your Church By following these ten steps, you can create a male-friendly and balanced Men’s Ministry or revitalized your existing Men’s Ministry to include “ministry to men” as well as “ministry by men.” Step 1: Form a weekly prayer group, comprised of the pastor
and a few men, to seek God’s direction for uniting men in
ministry and for the men who are to be the leaders. What to Avoid
The following are common pitfalls in Men’s Ministries. Experience has shown that they will result in setbacks. Avoid the following:
Example: Men’s Ministry Letter from Pastor
Beach Road Baptist Church
Ray Webb June 8, 1997 To the men of Beach Road Baptist Church: You have heard me say many times that we, as men, are called to be the spiritual heads of our households and to grow in our commitment to serve the Lord in ministry in accordance with the spiritual gifts our Lord has given us. Our Lord has left no Christian man out in His distribution of gifts and talents to do His work. While some gifts may seem more important than others, I assure you that our Lord makes no distinction. The trouble is, while all men are called to Christian leadership and to grow in their walk with Christ, only a few study and apply God’s Word and put their God-given abilities to use to build up His kingdom. I believe the time has come to call all men of our church to come together to support and help each other grow spiritually and to reach out to others through our Baptist Men’s ministry. Please carefully read the enclosed letter from Mel Cornillaud, our new Men’s Ministry Director. I strongly support and encourage this broadening of our Men’s Ministry and fellowship, through which we will support and strengthen each other in prayer, study, discipleship, and Christian service. I ask that you to pray about your participation, and hope you will join with us as we work together to serve the Lord. Love in Christ, Pastor Ray
Example: Men’s Ministry SurveyBrief Men’s Ministry Survey Name_____________________ ______I would like to participate in the men’s Prayer Ministries. I would like to help the Men’s Ministry by participating
in one or more of the following ministries: Please circle areas
of interest: (Prayer Team, Discipler, Handymen, HFH, Brunswick
Jail, In state mission project, Foreign mission trip, Visitation/outreach,
Calling Team, Men’s Newsletter, Bulletin Board, Sports Outreach
Leader, Men’s Meeting Teacher, Wednesday Night Class Teacher,
Men’s Ministry Speaker at other churches, Men’s Treasurer,
Meeting Music/Praise, Food & Hospitality, Meeting Set up/Clean
up, Youth Support Leader, RA Support Leader, PK/Special Events
Coordinator, Other____________________________) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example: Men’s Ministry DescriptionMen’s Ministry at Beach Road – Building Men for Christ The Men’s Ministry at Beach Road Baptist Church in Southport,
NC is a very active and well-attended Christ-centered fellowship,
ministry and mission outreach, due in large measure to a solid
balance of spiritual development and mission work. The Beach Road
Men’s Ministry has effectively incorporated the “ministry
to men” ingredients of Promise Keepers with the various “ministry
by men” programs of Baptist Men. This men’s fellowship
and ministry is open to all men, has multiple “entry points” and
has established the following objectives:
Men of all ages, backgrounds and giftedness have joined together in Christ to simply help each other grow in spiritual maturity (Proverbs 27:17). As the men grow in Christ, they are motivated by the Holy Spirit to put their unique gifts to work for Him in the mission field. This ministry has grown to approximately 55 men, over 40 of whom actively participate in mission/ministry work, and who regularly attend our monthly gatherings. The men meet twice monthly -a Tuesday night dinner meeting and a Saturday morning prayer session. Each Tuesday meeting includes fellowship and dinner, praise singing and prayer, a personal testimony, a teaching from God’s Word, small group prayer and sharing, plus reports and discussion regarding our various mission work and ministries. Several of our men have attended various Promise Keeper events, and more men are now involved in our various outreach efforts, including handymen, disaster relief and recovery, international missions, prison ministry, visitation, RA leadership, youth ministry, etc. Major projects included the construction work on the Ebenezer Baptist Church, several Habitat for Humanity houses, and mission trips to Honduras. We were selected by the State Convention Baptist Men’s Staff
to serve as a model for other churches that want to start or revitalize
their Men’s Ministry. Our ministry is described in a Mandate
video distributed by the State Convention to NC churches. We lead
men’s ministry rallies and statewide training conferences.
Our written material has been broadly distributed, and we are currently
working with area churches, many of who regularly attend our meetings. Example: Spiritual Commitments:Spiritual Commitments As Christian men and spiritual heads of our households, we are to:
How Can We Keep These Commitments?
Example: Vision, Purpose, and Objective StatementsVision and Purpose Create opportunities for men to build Christ-centered, trusting relationships in which they help, encourage and equip each other to:
Men’s Ministry at Beach Road Example: Covenant for Men’s Ministry LeadershipA COVENANT OF EXPECTATIONS FOR THE “MEN OF LIBERTY” LEADERSHIP TEAM I understand that my leadership role in this ministry is important for the growth of God’s kingdom. I understand that God has called me to assume this leadership role for a two-year commitment, and I am totally dependent on Him for guidance, direction, sensitivity, and spiritual discernment. Therefore, a committed prayer life is a necessity. I understand that God has raised up a generation of men He wants to use in creative and mighty ways to reach others for Christ. Recognizing my total dependence on God, I will seek to do the following:
Signed __________________________________ Date __________ Signed __________________________________ Date __________ ResourcesMany resources are available to help your church start or revitalize your Men’s Ministry, as outlined above. Contact Ike Newingham for resources and/or assistance. We have developed several PowerPoint presentations, which can be made available to you. For other resources, go to the Men’s Ministry and Resources sections of the NC Baptist Men’s website www.ncmissions.org. A Few Good Additional Resources Faith Cycle Ministry……………………………………..www.faithcycleministry.org Among the many available resources, I recommend “Drawing Men to God,” an excellent detailed Men’s Ministry manual by Sid Woodruff (LifeWay). It describes the specific ministry and mission concepts and building blocks used in our effort to grow our ministry and get our men active in outreach, discipleship and missions. Let’s join together to revitalize and strengthen the ministries to men in our churches and rebuild families for Christ in our communities. . Small Group Exercise
A purpose statement provides focus and direction. It helps you screen out distractions and hone in on priority activities. Men want to be a part of something going somewhere. How have you been frustrated in the past by being part of a group that seemed to lack direction and purpose? What are some concrete ways to avoid this in your Men’s Ministry? (a) (b) (c)
Too often, local church Men’s Ministries have been driven by events rather than purpose. We schedule events —monthly men’s breakfasts, an annual retreat, etc. — and before long men perceive that the events are the ministry. We become discouraged when men don’t attend events because that is how we measure the effectiveness of our ministry. Yet, often men do not come because there isn’t any larger purpose to the events. Have we made this mistake? Yes No What should you do to avoid becoming event driven? (a) (b) (c)
The foundation of a successful Men’s Ministry is building relationships. Without real and deep relationships, men will feel no sense of community with one another. If we only call men together to “do” there will be no glue to hold them together when the planned event is over. Events attract men, relationships make them stick. Have we made this mistake? Yes No What should you do to avoid sending the wrong message? (a) (b) (c)
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