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The Call

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. – Matt. 28:19

Someone has said, “I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.”  Our ministry sees the battle for men’s souls as just such a cause.  We are excited and honored to play a part in helping men find Christ.

The evolution of men’s ministries is similar to the development of youth ministries over the past 30 years.  The main difference is that we can’t wait for three decades to develop effective men’s ministry strategies.  If adult male leadership does not take a more proactive role in developing Christian character in families, churches, and communities around this nation we will lose an entire generation of young people

Comparatively speaking, the advent of dynamic youth programs was something that churches could quickly assimilate. For the most part they were fairly easy to manage.

Unfortunately, in most churches we find a lack of financial resources and intellectual experience to properly plan, develop, promote, and evaluate discipleship programs specially directed towards men.  Discipling men (mentoring, coaching, accountability, teaching, training, and encouraging) is an under-managed area that can offer a greater return on labor and capital than any other ministry.

Dr. Patrick Morley, who has authored many books on men’s ministry, expressed this belief, “We need to disciple men, because the church desperately needs what discipled men have to offer.  Men who love and follow Jesus become leaders.  They typically don’t divorce their wives, they don’t neglect their children; they donate more money; they volunteer for more service; and they make a bigger kingdom impact in the community.”

When Jesus challenged his twelve disciples with the words “follow me”, he directed them to relationship. Christ desired them to have relationship with God and then their families and communities.  When you consider that only one in 18 men are involved in discipleship, and that 66 million of the 108 million American men over the age of 15 make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ, it’s not hard to agree with the fact that if we reach our men we will change a nation.

The call from our Lord to become “fishers of men” rings just as true today as it did in the First Century Church.  What’s keeping us from implementing that call?  How can we become more effective “fishers of men, women, boys, and girls”? 

God asks us to be willing, obedient, and available to follow His plan and purpose for our lives.  Sounds simple, but it takes most of us an entire lifetime to figure it out.  Have a good week!  Blessings Jim