Men’s Ministry
David Moore
Men’s Ministry – A Definition and Commission
One might wonder how men’s ministry is any different from a woman’s ministry or for that matter, any kind of ministry. After all, it would seem that ministry, if done in service for the Lord, is all the same regardless of the gender, age, or race of the individual serving.
Men’s Ministry is the active pursuit of men in order to connect them to God, His Word, and other men for the purpose of winning, growing, and training God’s man in Christ.
We know one thing for sure — God will use the heart and life of anyone who chooses to make himself available to Him. The Bible says, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is the great commission spoken by Jesus Himself. In other words, Jesus Christ is commissioning His followers to go into the entire world and reproduce believers. This is a big calling.
This raises a question. How do we reproduce believers? Can a men’s ministry enable a man to better understand his calling in life and how to achieve it? Can a men’s ministry challenge a man to grow deeper in intellect, emotion, and spirit? Can a men’s ministry teach men how to stay sexually pure? The answer to this question is a resounding yes!
Men’s Ministry – Begin the Process
The first step in forming a vital men’s ministry in your local church or small-group community is to decide what you want to see happen in a man’s life. Once this is determined, you will need to raise up leaders who will catch the vision and help you lead a potential army of men into a deep relationship with the Lord.
Men’s Ministry – Non-negotiables
In order to have a strong and balanced Christian men’s ministry, you will have to build a framework of non-negotiables. Here are eight biblically-balanced benchmarks for a healthy ministry to men.
* FILLING – God’s man is a self-feeder. Consistently studying and applying God’s Word independent of the church or small group is essential. To do this, a man must be taught how to study the Bible. We suggest building your frame work to support a weekly meeting with the pastor or small-group leader to teach Bible interpretation skills (1 Peter 2:1-3; Psalm 1:1-3).
* TRAINING – God’s man receives regular/weekly biblical instruction (1 Thessalonians 2:13). This can be achieved through a weekly small-group Bible study or large-group study with small-group discussion.
* PRACTICING – God’s man learns how to apply God’s Word to all areas of life. It is essential to allowing room for accountability within the men’s ministry for the purpose of consistency and obedience to God’s Word (James 1:22-25; Ezekiel 33:30-32).
* UNITING – God’s man makes it a priority to connect with other men at least two times a month for the purpose of community, accountability, confession, and prayer (Galatians 6:1-3; James 5:16; Hebrews 10:23-24).
* SURVIVING – God’s man learns to address major life temptations and/or crises according to his need and life-stage. Support and encouragement from the ministry leader and small group is essential (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
* REACHING – God’s man gets involved in some form of men’s ministry based on his gifts and talents. God has called each of us to pour out to others what He has poured into us (1 Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:11-13)
* IMPACTING – God’s man invests time and resources into the lives of other men. We suggest one-on-one connection through shared activities, spiritual mentoring, and modeling (2 Tim 2:22; Proverbs 27:17; Mark 3:13-14).
* SHARING – God’s man learns to actively share his faith in order to lead others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15; Matthew 28:18-20).
Men’s Ministry – A Challenge
* Get connected at the local church into a men’s ministry. Start with an interactive men’s Bible study where men can grow and encourage one another.
* Get help. There are many great resources to help you succeed in men’s ministry. A great source is Every Man Ministries. They are very approachable and offer practical and effective advice, conferences, resources, and training.
Learn More Now!
From: www.allaboutgod.com web site. August 2015.
The above article, “Men’s Ministry” was written by David Moore. The article was excerpted from www.allaboutgod.com.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
