Engage

Vision for Ministry to Men and Through Men

By Ron Fraser

I want to start this chapter by asking, "Where are the men?" Where are the men who are spiritually alive-who have a fire in their bellies, a passion to grow toward God, a passion to grow as men, and a passion to grow toward other men? Where are the men who are willing to take bold risks in their faith, who will live out their faith through active involvement in the Christian community and active outreach to those outside the church community? Despite the fact that men dominate the pastoral staffs of most churches, a masculine vacuum exists within the church today. Men may attend services but tend to stay on the periphery, not really having the heart and passion for actively ministering to others. Lacking a feeling of connection to God and their church, most men feel inadequate to be the spiritual leaders they know they should be. Many men would rather abandon the church, either physically or emotionally, than deal with these feelings of inadequacy.

The Bible tells us that as Christian men and the spiritual heads of our homes we are called to do the following:

• Honor Jesus Christ through prayer, worship, and obedience to his word through the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Practice spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity.
• Build strong marriages and families through love, protection, and Biblical values.
• Influence our world by being obedient to the great commandment in Mark 12:30-31 which commands us to love God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls, and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We as men are also called to fulfill the great commission. It is important to understand that we cannot do one without the other.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, "How can we keep these commitments?" The answer is that we must totally surrender our lives to Christ as our Savior, develop a servant's attitude modeled after that of Jesus Christ, and be a reader, hearer, and doer of God's Word. For a man to keep the commitments listed above, he must pursue vital, trusting relationships with other Christian men, understanding that we need brothers to help us keep our Christian commitments. He must also participate in a Christ-centered, disciple-making ministry to men in his church. Although each and every point I have mentioned is important, allow me to focus and expand on the last one.

I am sure some of you are asking why a man must be involved in a ministry to men and why do you not call it men's ministry?

The answer is that "men's ministry" refers to and involves being in some type of program which is provided for a man's involvement, whereas a "ministry to men" refers to our ability to impact the lives of men as a natural consequence of our walk with God. Therefore, I think it is important that we clarify what is meant by the word "ministry," as it relates to men.

We must recognize how the world has negatively impacted and influenced most men and to understand our unique Biblical role as godly men in an ungodly world. We must know what God's Word says about who we are, what we are to become, and what we are to do.

In recent years, many men have seemingly lost interest in church. These men are not necessarily opposed to going to church; they just do not see the church as being "male friendly" and relevant to them and their needs. Because of this, most men in our communities are spiritually detached. With no spiritual compass, they are in bondage to debt, trapped by pornography, and caught up in numerous addictions and sinful lifestyles. Men are confused about masculinity and are disillusioned by the false promises of wealth and power. Many men have rejected their marriage commitment, and as a result, families are fragmented and falling apart.

Although called by God to be the spiritual leaders, most men are spiritually adrift. Fortunately, a number of pastors and men's ministry leaders see this as a major crisis and are recognizing the great need for their churches to reach out to men. However, most do not know how.

In this chapter, we will try to help you understand what ministry to men and through men looks like, both visible and invisible, and how it must be done in a masculine context that men can relate to and understand.

Ministry to Men and Through Men

I want to begin by explaining what it means to have a vision for ministry to men and through men, and why we need to have such a ministry.

Benjamin Franklin made this statement: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." A similar statement is made in Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) which says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." To successfully minister to men, a church must have a clear focus on their goals for ministry or the men will be confused about what they are working toward. One way a clear focus can be developed and maintained is with a clear vision statement or purpose statement. Remember, a vision statement will allow you to develop a well-balanced ministry that includes a system of checks and balances that will tell you how well you are doing in reaching the men of your church and community. One of the toughest jobs leaders face is communicating their vision to their men. Communication needs to be a repetitive process when it comes to men. Consistency, simplicity, and repetition are all very important when you're trying to communicate your vision.

Why Ministry to Men?

So why have a specific ministry to men? To answer this question, we must understand some important needs men have.

First of all, men want their lives to be productive and to have meaning. Men want to be successful and feel significant. Men want to be good husbands, good fathers, and the spiritual leaders of their families. The problem is that many of them do not know how to accomplish these goals.

Many Christian men are not satisfied with their marriage and family lives. They experience stress on the job, they struggle with sexual matters, and they lack relationships with other men with whom they can be open and honest.

The bad news is that the programs the church has used to reach lost men and meet the needs of redeemed men are not sufficient. The good news is that a properly run, properly focused men's ministry can provide the spiritual direction men need to join God's work in every area of their lives. Let me remind you again that a ministry to men that will draw men to Christ, mobilizing them for ministry, must be based on a thorough knowledge of a man's specific needs and characteristics.

Secondly, men represent a tremendous, untapped resource that can have a great impact in changing and influencing our world for Christ.

Despite the very troubling times we are experiencing all around us, there is still a great spiritual hunger that exists in our world today. Over the course of history, we have seen and witnessed various significant life-changing movements in and through men. It might be more correct to say, rather than a movement of men, it is a movement of God's Spirit in and through the hearts of men. The movement, or working of God's Spirit, has little to do with any given men's ministry and has everything to do with God's Sovereignty. This work points to a deep spiritual hunger. Men are discovering that they have a tremendous God-shaped void in their lives that only He can fill. Again, they want their lives to count for something that really will make a difference. Men want their lives to be productive, meaningful and have a genuine purpose.

While doing ministry, if we recognize that God has given men a tremendous, untapped resource that can have a great impact in changing and influencing our world, cities, workplaces, families, neighborhoods, and relationships for Christ, then we will also understand the importance of having an intentional, focused ministry to men.

Henry Varley wrote, "The world has yet to see what God can do with, and for, and through, and in a man who was fully and wholly consecrated to Him."

Thirdly, the reason we have a ministry to men is the fact that men are strategic. I am reminded of something Steve Sonderman said: "If ever there was a time in history when local churches needed to build men individually and corporately, it is now." This is especially true as our world deteriorates. Men desperately need and are looking for, a ministry uniquely designed to reach them as men and help them to be the men and leaders God designed them to be. They need a ministry that is focused on the issues they deal with in their everyday lives that impact their walk with God.

It is a given fact that if you reach the men, you will reach the families. Numerous statistics show the importance of churches becoming more intentional in their development of a ministry to men that will attract and grow men for Christ. But, to reach the men, you have to understand their condition and their issues, intentionally enter into their world and specifically address their needs.

The Needs of Men Today

So, what are the needs of men today and where has the church dropped the ball when it comes to ministering to men?

One thing they have failed to recognize is that having a focused and intentional ministry to men helps to reach men who have been unreached through the church's other ministries. Men who have rejected traditional ministries and ministry approaches may be more willing to become involved in an athletic program, a "men-only" ministry project, or a...