- Pray for guidance, and that the Lord will help
you select a few good men to plan.
- Set a date and Invite these few good men to
join you in some prayerful planning.
- Your purpose in this meeting is two fold: First,
develop a mission statement or a statement of purpose for having your gathering
of men. Keep in mind that this statement should satisfy the question, "why
a men's ministry?" Make it a short, simple, and spiritual statement
that focuses on growth and God's purpose for men.
- Do you know the art of brainstorming? If you
do, you might use it as a means to develop many good ideas. Here is the
way it works:
- Brainstorming is an exercise of offering all kinds of suggestions
(be sure you have someone to write them down; it works best if you write
them on some surface that can be seen, for instance, a chalkboard or white
marker board-and it should be someone who can write fast). No one is to
react to any idea negatively. In other words, if someone says, "Wouldn't
it be a good idea to have a skydiver drop in with a special telegram from
the governor?," you don't laugh or say, "that's silly" rather,
you just keep the ideas flowing. The faster the better, and what happens
is very interesting: the imaginative mind seems to come unlocked and a
stream of ideas gushes out. Finally, when you have exhausted the bank of
ideas and written all of them down, you then review and rank them. Begin
to list your favorites. Develop the logistics of just how the idea can
work best for your situation. Have a calendar and begin to
pencil-in events on specific dates as a "tentative or first
draft" concept. As you finesse your Ideas you will have a whole list
of possibilities and then well will never run dry for inspiring things
to do.
- If you come to a sticky point or have difficulty, simply pause and
have prayer. Pray specifically that the Lord will give you ideas which
will bless your men and lead them to a realization of their need to grow
as Men of God.
- When you finish brainstorming be sure to pause and express your
gratitude to the Lord for His presence and His gift of ideas.
- Follow whatever means your church uses to carry
out its programs. In most cases, that means plans need to be submitted
to the church board for approval. The pastor can give guidance regarding
what course to take and what he Is comfortable with. In seeking the approval
of the board (or whatever authority), be sure to explain the purpose of
the men's ministry. The impressions people form will largely be positive
If you assure and reassure that the purpose is to help men grow In their
roles as husbands, fathers, and pillars of the church.
- Next, have a time on Sabbath morning to make
a Special Presentation to the congregation. Start with the mission and
purpose. Hand out your calendar of events and make sure that each is well
planned.
- Keep it focused on the spiritual goal of making
Men of God. Make prayer and the conscious presence of the Lord a real part
of each event. Even the recreational and social events should have a rich
spiritual ingredient of prayer and Christ-centered conversation. Don't
ever take the low road by resorting to gossipy dialogs, or trivial, close-to-edge
jokes. Always lead on the high road.
- Make Christ the unseen guest at every event and verbalize it. Everything
under the sun ordained by God, either for our pleasure or inspiration,
is an occasion where we can be privileged to have His presence. Therefore,
let us practice it, and He will make His presence real in our conversations,
our mirth, and all our fellowship. It should be our goal that after every
event, each man will leave with a lighter heart, lifted spirits, and fully
encouraged by his association to live for Christ in his home and at his
work. When a church has a group of men who consistently build each other
up in their faith, a bonding of friendship takes place that words cannot
describe. Each event, each gathering of men will become like a golden chapter
in our memories.
- It is very, very important that men's ministries
not become another event that takes men away from their families. In other
words, a very positive picture is seen by the wife and the family when
there is concrete evidence that the gathering achieved its goal. The man
returns home refreshed and recharged to walk as Christ in the presence
of his family. The more the family experiences this, the more they are
going to appreciate the time he spends away with the men. It's not men
away just being boys and having fun, but rather, men who have come together
to build better men for the sake of better relationships at home.
- Develop a list of special songs to sing together.
You can have a musical person lead out with a guitar, piano, or without
accompaniment.But take the time to look up some songs that especially speak
to men about consecration, the home, sacrifice, and strength in the Lord.
You can write out your own little booklet of songs on a word processor
and print them in a neat format for your group.
- Make up a list of Bible promises that pertain
to various situations and encourage the men to fortify their hearts and
their commitments by memorizing these promises.
- Have the church purchase a few books each
month or as often as possible. These might be books that pertain to the
Christian home, worship in the home, marriage, parenting, and any other
subject that specifically addresses the concerns of men who are living
the new life in Christ. Make sure that the books have been carefully screened
and proofread. Have them cataloged and ready to loan to your men. At your
gatherings, you might have a brief time for book reports. You could occasionally
hold up a book during the announcements or even before a sermon, and make
It a regular feature so that your men would be aware of the good books
that are available.
- In harmony with No. 11, frequently speak about
the holy calling of men as priests of the home. Speak in positive ways
of the man preparing himself daily with prayer and Bible study. One minister
occasionally calls a man up on the platform during the worship service
(having arranged with him beforehand, of course) and In an interesting
way interviews him on his method of family worship, and elicits such things
as the great blessing worship is to the family. Sometimes a wife can add
a lot by simply adding how encouraging and strengthening it has been to
the marriage and family since "Jim" has been leading out with
worship. Some pastors do this often in conjunction with the children's
story. Following the children's story, sometimes a set of parents is called
up to the microphone and each offers a short prayer for every home, the
school, and each child. The simple, earnest prayer of a mom and a dad can
settle a cloud of God's glory on a congregation. Sometimes a set of grandparents,
(or just one grandparent) may be invited to come right after the story
and read a blessing for the children and each home represented in the congregation.
When men come forward and give a testimony of their priestly activities
at home it begins to spread throughout the congregation. The more we present
to our congregations these witnesses and testimonies, the more compelling
it becomes for each man to begin to think about initiating a priestly activity
of his own at home. Testimonies can be a powerful force to building godly
homes.
- Plan on a weekend camp out just for fathers
and kids. Have a team of fathers plan the whole weekend. Have a campfire
with lots of great, inspiring stories. Plan during the weekend for a time
when each father takes his own child or children for a private hike. Have
each father prepare this hike as an event to be remembered for a lifetime.
At some point in the hike the father sits down with his children and very
thoughtfully shares with them just how much they mean to him, and how much
God really loves them. He might talk about the meaning of their name and
share some of the feelings he had when they were first born and he looked
at them for the first time. Wouldn't it be nice if at this point the father
can talk with them about life and death and how Jesus came so that we could
just continue our families in heaven and live for eternity.
- Then, as the Holy Spirit leads, talk about both of them (the father
and the child, or children), rededicating their hearts to the Lord, and
as they hold hands they present a short prayer. We can talk to our children
about Disney World, football, the Atlanta Braves, and I am sure with the
special help of the Holy Spirit we can have these sacred occasions with
our precious possessions-Our very own children. Before this hike takes
place, it's a good idea to plan with each father several days beforehand
and have some very special prayer times. Also, if the mothers can be in
on it, and apprised of the approximate time that this will take place they
can be encouraged to be on their knees in prayer for their husbands and
children.
- Have a special communion service for your
men on a Friday night or early Sabbath morning, or even on a Sunday morning
following an Agape (fruit) breakfast. Talk about the significance of submission,
discipleship, and the strength of brotherly love. Have larger cups of grape
juice, and larger, thicker biscuits of unleavened bread that is literally
broken in irregular pieces (no perforations for convenience) Have an old
rugged cross set up, and have some very well selected music. Plan carefully
for an atmosphere of quiet, non-rushed, contemplative
sequence of events. Have the men read Psalms together, and maybe choose
some Psalms to be read by one side and then the other (antiphonally). Have
a few hymns printed, and sing without accompaniment "Just As I Am,"
"Not I, But Christ," "Be Thou My Vision," and choose
a few that you especially like. At the end you can sing "The Lord's
Prayer," or "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Invite the men
to give a testimony if they would like or share a brief version of their
conversion or a memorable experience of when the Lord seemed very close
in their lives. You might use the theme of marriage. The scene is the Garden
of Eden, and you can read the story of God creating Eve, in Genesis 2:21-25.
There may be those who want to share their feelings about their wife or
family and express their desire to adorn them with their love. When they
wash each others feet ask them to especially pray for each others marriage
and family. Have them take the time to share with each other specific burdens
relating to the family.
- Some time ago I read about this gift idea.
and I thought it might be creatively Incorporated into one of our men's
events. Purchase a large enough supply (52 for each man) of large size
gelatin empty capsules. You can inform the men that they should bring a
certain amount of money to cover the cost of this activity. Have a selection
of at least 52 one-liners printed on a sheet of paper such as:
- One night's freedom from dishwashing
- One pizza for the evening of your choice
- One good, long walk together
- One new outfit of your choice
- One new nightgown of my choice
Some just involve time-but each involves togetherness. Be sure you
have a sheet with the 52+ one-liners on it and a pair of scissors for each
man. Then, each man can choose 52 and roll each one up and insert it into
a capsule. Put it in a neat little bottle which should read, "RX from
Dr. [your name] for [your wife's name]" to prevent dull marriage, take
capsule every week for the next year. Half the fun is watching the wife
fight off the urge to open all the capsules at once. You might have a certain
time each week together when she opens one capsule. You might suggest that
each man write up some of his own one-liners. After all, he knows his wife
best and he might tailor his treats to the delights that are unique to
her.
Well, these are just a few ideas for getting a meaningful men's ministry
going in your church. But please do not delay, get your men started on
the upper road to becoming what God wants for them. I like the way Stu
Weber puts it:
Men, you and I need to own for ourselves that same clarity of vision
that so marked the life of Christ. We need to give ourselves up for our
brides and the Bride as He did. So that the family might live well There's
a world out there that needs some Tender Warriors. It's every man's purpose...
every woman's dream..., and every child's hope. It's the definition of a
man. I want to head up that road. My prayers are with the men of this conference
as we plan in our respective churches. I believe God has some wonderful
things in store for us and our families that will be the result.
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