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Check for Man in the Mirror Leadership Training Opportunities new you! |
March/April 2006 Vol. 2 No.2 Men’s Ministry Wisdom(Excerpts from “24 Leadership Ideas For Your Men’s Ministry” by Pat Morley)
“Building a Sustainable Men’s Ministry” For men’s ministry to be optimally effective, three strands of leadership are required; the support and involvement of the senior pastor, a passionate point-man for men’s ministry, and a committed leadership team. We’ve discussed finding a point man (Get in the Game May 2005) and equipping a leadership team (June 2005) Here are six ways to help increase a senior pastor’s commitment to men’s ministry:
Around the PCA Liberty Reformed PCA in Owings Mills, Maryland recently formed a men’s ministry leadership team. They sent their associate pastor, Barry Cureton, and their lay point-man, Andy Vance, to Man in the Mirror’s, two and a half day training seminar, called, “Building a Sustainable Men’s Ministry.” Gary Yagel flew down to the training with them, and conducted the following interview with them on the return flight. GY: Why did you choose to invest $750.00 and two and a half days to attend this seminar? B&A: We were looking for a way to capture the momentum from the “Called to Be Men” series of seminars you did with us the past six months. We were surprised at the large number (50-60) of men who have been coming out consistently for these breakfast seminars. There is obviously a desire for ministry that addresses men’s issues. GY: What part of the training was most helpful to you? B&A: The evaluative tool called, “The Wide/Deep Continuum.” EXPLANATION: On the wide end would be men who need Christ. On the deep end would be those who are spiritually mature and using their gifts in ministry. In between would be immature Christians (to the wide side) and growing Christians (to the deep side.) Men on the wide end are concerned for themselves. Men on the immature side are concerned for themselves plus Christ. Growing Christians are concerned for Christ plus themselves. Mature Christians are concerned about others and God. B&A: Of course the categories are somewhat contrived. However it was very useful to think about where the various men in our church would be on the continuum and especially consider where each of our men’s ministries is targeted on the continuum, and where there are gaps on the continuum, because we have no ministries targeted there. GY: What did you learn about why men’s ministries fail? B&A: Two reasons stood out. First, the roller coaster effect. In other words, men’s ministries go up and down because we don’t capture the momentum from a ministry event and build upon it. Second, the problem of raising expectations. Men’s ministry is tough, and it may take ten years for an effective men’s ministry to be built. So, pastors and leaders get discouraged, because their expectations are too high. GY: What did you think of the Man in the Mirror resources? B&A: They are very well thought out, very user friendly. They are good tools with good application. They hit men where they live. GY: To what degree did you find this training to be consistent with Scripture? B&A: It was very Scripturally-based. It was very “grace-based” and seeks by God’s grac,e to change the man by changing the heart—not just outward behavior. GY: Was the training you received worth the investment? B&A: Absolutely. This is a long term investment that will benefit our entire men’s ministry for years. I don’t mind the cost because I don’t want to be an amateur taught by amateurs! This is a dire time in our country when the bedrock of the culture—the family--is eroding. With all the temptation around, men are failing, and then the next generation of young men will be failing. We need a generation of young men who are winning, not losing. Pat is convincing when he says it is hard to imagine the country being strong without the church being strong. It’s hard to imagine the church being strong without families being strong. It’s hard to imagine families being strong unless men are strong. We agree with his conclusion: It is hard to imagine anything more important than men’s ministry. Pre-General Assembly Seminar on Men’s Ministry Christian Education and Publications is sponsoring a seminar entitled, Investing In the Spiritual Growth of Your Men: Effective Strategies and Tools for Discipling Men, led by Gary Yagel. The seminar will seek to identify the obstacles to reaching men in the 21st century, some strategies that are proving to be effective in men's ministry, and some of the resources available to help churches successfully minister to men. You might ask your pastor or ruling elder to attend.
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