Men are basically loners.
Whereas, women naturally
network with other women, men tend to be islands unto themselves.
They may have one or two good friends and numerous aquaintences, but few
ever experience the kind of compradery with another man that allows them
the freedom to truly express matters of the heart and soul. Our society
seems to be geared in such a way that males have some kind of macho reputation
to uphold. Many men go their entire lives without any way to cross
reference the many internal issues that are a part of every day life.
Thus, they go it alone.
One of the great benefits
of Christian fellowship, under the auspices of a good strong church, is
that of providing men with a network of other men. There are few
organizations where men meet with one another that allows them to open
up and be transparent. The mutually shared truth of any group of
believers is their own sin natures. Therefore, a gathering of the
guys in a Christian setting provides a natural atmosphere where they can
finally share their innermost selves and be of encouragement to each other.
Here are some ideas for developing
an active and effective men's ministry...
A Men's Work Day:
Men bond while working together. It is the nature of men to be useful
while demonstrating to each other their ability to make things work and
look better. Even large churches who can afford to hire out some
of the work around their facilities or pay a custodian to do the work would
do well to reserve a day ever three months or so to get the guys out for
a work day.
Men's Retreats: Renting a facility
out in the country that is a decent drive away and providing a Friday evening
and Saturday of good Bible study and fellowship is a terrific way for guys
to get to know each other. However, don't fill it up with one meeting
after another. Let the guys have time to sit down, talk to each other,
and become friends. Furthermore, the wives will be happy to get rid
of them for half of a weekend.
Interest Based Men's Groups: Is
there a needy family in the church who depends upon a car that keeps breaking
down? Get the guys who love working on cars together to take care
of the need and include a time of prayer together. Is Super Bowl
Sunday coming up? Schedule a get-together with the guys around a
wide screen television so that they can enjoy some fellowship together.
Is there a group of men in the church who have hobbies that are similar.
Get them together to form a club where other men can be invited and exposed
to the Gospel. Guys enjoy getting together with other guys who share
the same interests.
A Men's Prayer Breaksfast: A nice
breakfast once a month followed by a time of taking prayer requests and
then praying together can be used to bring men together. Guys love
food. Furthermore, this is a great idea for giving the men an opportunity
to invite unchurched men to a church function.
A Workout Group for Men: Setting
up some workout equipment in one of the rooms at the church where men get
together at specific times is another great way to get the guys together.
Not only that, but this ministry motivates the fellows to take better care
of their bodies--the temples of the Holy Spirit.
Workshops for Men: A quarterly Saturday
workshop that helps men with issues they face every day can be a great
way to bring men together. What wife would not love a church who
hosts a relationships based seminar for the guys? What son or daughter
wouldn't be thankful that their dad attended a family workshop at the church?
What employer wouldn't appreciate a church that brings men together to
show them what the Bible says about being a testimony in the work place?
It takes a little more effort
and work to get men to take part in fellowship but the result is priceless.
A church that majors on developing men to be strong and stable Christian
husbands, fathers, leaders, employees, and witnesses for Jesus Christ is
a church that will continue to prosper for generations to come. |
