|
Q. What is the focus of C&MA Men’s Ministry?
A. The primary focus of C&MA Men’s Ministry is on “being.” That is, encouraging men to establish a dynamic connection with God. Therefore we equip leaders through Blueprint seminars that help leadership teams build men’s ministries that produce spiritually healthy men who, in turn, become the energy behind spiritually health churches.
The second focus is on “doing.” That is, encouraging men to apply their time, talents and energies to serving their family, local church, community, and the national and international ministries of the C&MA. Areas of service include short-term missions teams for overseas ministries and the Alliance Construction Team to assist churches in the US with their construction needs. Some of our districts operate missionary wheels ministries that provide vehicles for missionaries on home assignment. For additional “doing” projects, check with your district.
Q. What was behind the name change from Alliance Men to C&MA Men’s Ministry?
A. Historically, the main emphasis of Alliance Men was on service, e.g. “hammer and nail” projects on the mission field and at home. Each succeeding Alliance Men President brought a specific passion or focus to the ministry. This included sending shoes, food, clothing, and Bibles overseas and supporting international students at the Alliance Theological Seminary. In the late 1990’s, the leadership began focusing on discipleship and leadership training. For a number of reasons, movement in this direction never got off the ground.
In April 2001 a task force met in Colorado Springs to address the future of Alliance Men. The task force agreed unanimously that the most significant challenge to moving Alliance Men to the next level in spiritual commitment and service to the C&MA to was encourage men to develop a more dynamic connection with God. Key in their thinking was getting men to see God, high and holy, and hearing and responding to his call (Isaiah 6:1-12). As a result the task force developed new mission and vision statements and that the ministry be renamed (old wineskins do not hold new wine). The task force also suggested that the ministry avoid organizational language or structure since the younger generations are shying away from things organizational. The leadership team settled on C&MA Men’s Ministry.
Q. Do we need to change the name of our men’s ministry?
A. No. The C&MA Men’s Ministry Policy (A part of the C&MA Church Policy Manual) gives local churches the option of keeping Alliance Men or selecting a name that best fits what the ministry is doing and where it is going.
Q. How do I get a men’s group started in my church?
A. First, consider getting several men to commit to praying together for men's ministry and the men in the church. Invite your pastor to participate. Pastor involvement is important. As you pray, the Lord will give direction. You may need to pray for several months or a year or more before getting direction from the Lord. Be patient.
Second, men's ministry is not a cookie cutter operation. There are some good books on doing men's ministry. However, the suggestions in those resources must be tailored to the needs of your church, the church’s ministries, the culture and personality of the church, the environment (pressures on the men), etc. and obviously, the pastors vision for the church.
Any of the following resources will be helpful in establishing or energizing your men’s ministry:
- C&MA Men’s Ministry, Advancing Together, 2006
- Downer, Phil, ed., Effective Men’s Ministry: The Indispensable Toolkit for Your Church (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2001)
- Lewis, Brad, ed., Men’s ministry in the 21st Century: The Encyclopedia of Practical Ideas. Group Publishing: Loveland Colorado, June 2004.
- Morley, Patrick, et. al., No Man Left Behind, (Moody Publishers, Chicago: 2006)
- Sonderman, Steve, How to Build Life Changing Men’s Ministry: Bringing the Fire Home to Your Church, Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996.
- Swaim, Jeff and Delp, David, Blueprint: A Strategy for Ministering to Men, Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2007.
Q. Does the C&MA produce men’s small group study materials?
A. No. There is a wealth of study-group material available from other sources.
Q. What study materials does C&MA Men’s Ministry recommend?
A. Men’s groups are free to use any material that meets their needs. There is a wealth of material available. You can check out the following for starters:
Q. The men in our church are so busy it is hard to find a time to get a group together for a Bible study and prayer. What can we do?
A. Try one-on-one discipling. This can take two forms. One is an iron-sharpening-iron approach where the pair enjoy somewhat equal spiritual maturity. The other is a mentor-disciple relationship aimed at encouraging spiritual growth on the part of the disciple. With your pastor, identify men in the church who are mature in their walk and men who need a closer walk . Ask the more mature men if they would be willing to be involved in one-on-one discipling. Together, pair disciplers with disciples. (see One-on-One Discipling )
Q. There are men in our church who do not participate in men’s activities or are nominally involved in our church ministries, How can we encourage these men to move to the next level in their walk with the Lord?
A. As you know, we can encourage and even exhort our men to deeper involvement. However, it is the Holy Spirit that motivates. Therefore, the need is to get the men to tune in to the Holy Spirit’s frequency. A starting point is building one-on-one relationships. Start this with a meal to lay a foundation. Then move on to weekly “how-is-it-going” phone calls, followed by doing things together. As the relationship develops, ask “How can I pray for you?” Eventually, you will be able to gently move the relationship toward a spiritual footing. As this happens, suggest studying a book together and discuss the content and its impact.
Q. Does discipling work when there is a gap between levels of commitment (community, crowd, congregation, committed, and core)?
A. First, discipling within a circle of influence is “iron-sharpening iron.”
When you look at the definitions in the Blueprint Manual, the further a man is from the Core and Committed the less likely he will be committed to discipleship. Does that mean that it will not take place? No! The key to effective discipling is building relationships.
It is important to note that during the first half of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he focused his attention on building relationships with his disciples while involved in public ministry. During the last half of his earthly ministry he reversed his focus. He taught his disciples and spent less time in public ministry.
So it is with discipling today. Building relationships with one another is a crucial first step whether one is working within or across levels of commitment. This requires time and intentionality. Most men are not naturally relational. At some point a man in a discipling relationship, who is in one of the outer circles of involvement, will begin to think, perhaps not consciously, “I want what Joe has!”
Obviously, small groups can move that process forward more rapidly. There is safety in numbers. Trust begins to build and sharing becomes more open and honest. However, building relationships in the group is the first step.
Don’t see your question here? Send it to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
