Men of Valor and Prayer:
A Case Study in Men's Ministry

A Man in the Mirror interview with Jeff Kisiah, Men’s Ministry Coach at Harvest Community Church, Charlotte, NC.

Describe how the ministry to men got started at Harvest Community Church (HCC) 11 years ago (Give us a starting point).

HCC was launched in February of 1996 with five "seed" families and a vision "to develop people into followers of Jesus Christ with a passion to worship God well and communicate His love to others: 'God arranged for me to join this effort in June of 1996. Shortly thereafter, we began to help develop the men of Harvest into fully-devoted followers of Christ.

How did things go in the early years of men's ministry at HCC?

God provided me with a vision for ministry to men at my first Promise Keepers Conference in August of 1995. Upon our move to Charlotte, we continued going to PK stadiums and arenas with Men of Harvest. While we were spiritually energized, it became obvious it takes more to fully disciple men. As a men's ministry leader, I would often ponder, "What about the other 51 weeks of the year???" God answered that question in January of 2004 at Dr. Patrick Morley's workshop on "How to Develop a Sustainable Ministry to Men: 'The Create/Capture/Sustain’ principle took me from the "vision" stage (seeing the need) to the "burden" stage (meeting the need) of ministry to men.

Describe some of the initiatives that met your men's needs.

During Man in the Mirror's National Leadership Summit in August of 2005, God prompted a whole new paradigm. To complement our 1-1 encouragement sessions and existing co-ed groups, we launched our first men's only groups. Following our Men's Fall Summit on Labor Day weekend, we launched a men's small group. Amazingly, we saw 40% of the Men of Harvest participate at some level during our 2005-2006 "season" (Labor Day until Memorial Day). After observing God's marvelous work in changing lives, we introduced the M.V.P.(Men of Valor& Prayer) logo to the Men of Harvest for our 2006-2007 season.

Can you share about a time when you faced discouragement about your men's ministry? How were you carried through that time?

After taking strong delegations of Men of Harvest to Promise Keepers from 1996-2001, we saw only a handful choose to attend from 2002-2004. While some guys were still interested, others took more of a "been there/done that" attitude. I began to wonder about the long-range effectiveness of our attempts to minister to men.

Can you share a story of one man and the impact your men's ministry has

had on his life?

Here's a portion of an encouraging note I received from one of our men...

Dear Coach "K,"

After you invited a delegation of us to attend the MIM 20th Anniversary last year; I

"get" the big picture of what we need to accomplish at Harvest.

As the ministry grows, it's exciting to see so many different guys from different backgrounds and walks of life get involved. Also, there are so many different activities now that no man has the excuse "I don't think I'm ready for that" or "that's not really my thing':

I don't bond too well with people. But the Men's Ministry has been a great place to meet other guys and get to know them. The fellowship is vital. In that fellowship is also accountability. Meeting with the guys motivates me to do the right thing. I've really appreciated the time at our "Barnabas Luncheons'; whether talking about personal issues, family issues or ministry concerns. I also appreciate the fact that you share some of what's happening in your life. You're not a pastor who works only at the church and is seen on Sundays. That's encouraging.

Did you have a "giant leap forward" time in the ministry? If so, when did it begin? How long did it last and did it revolve around any particular event or program?

I realized I needed additional training to become more effective. With the release of No Man Left Behind, a disciple-making" play book" was provided! We read, studied, and applied the principles we learned, then we got more training at the Leadership Training Center in February of 2007.

What encouragement can you give to other men's ministry leaders?

It is very rewarding to observe God at work in men's lives at HCC. I attribute this growth to:

Sovereign Orchestrations-He is answering the prayers of faithful intercessors.

Spirit Prompting-The Men of Harvest are "answering the bell:” yielding more and

more to the Holy Spirit.

Strategic Training-Man in the Mirror's staff has been very instrumental as I answer the call of God to "coach" men in the "game of life:'

I would urge men's leaders to...

1.    Pray fervently.

2.    Receive training.

3. Crawl in the foxhole with their men, urging yieldedness to the Spirit's power.

Jeff Kisiah (Coach "K") is the Associate Pastor and Men's Ministry Coach at Harvest Community Church in his hometown of Charlotte, NC. He has been happily married to his wife, Candie, for 27 years, and they have been blessed with two children (Kristi and Brooks).