Building Blocks of an Effective Ministry to Men

Start with Leadership Find a Leader Key Point: Nothing gets done in the Kingdom of God without leadership.

Build a Leadership Team “It is high time we recognize the fact that in all but a very few cases, one is too small a number to produce greatness.” --Warren Benis

Recruiting Men to Your Leadership Team Pray them out Develop relationships Meet them one-on-one Share a job description Ask for a commitment Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” --Matthew 37-38

Criteria for Choosing Leaders Character Competency Chemistry But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” --1 Samuel 16:7

Become to one another what you want the men in your church to be.

Remember Your Purpose Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. -- Matthew 28:19-20  One Command… To make Disciples To make Disciples  Three Participles… Go, Baptize, and Teach Go, Baptize, and Teach “ The goal is to make disciples, who will make disciples, who will make disciples.” --Dan Spader, Director of SonLife Ministries

Building the Ministry Prayer Petition the Lord - Colossians 1:9-11 Evangelism Win the Lost – Acts 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Establishing Build the Believer– Colossians 2:6-7 Equipping Equip the Worker – Ephesians 4:11-16; Matthew 9:37 Empower Empower the Leader – 2 Timothy 2:2 SEND Extension

Prayer…Petitioning the Lord Every leader a pray-er Every Men’s Ministry has a Prayer Team “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” --Luke 5:16

People matter to God Evangelism is relationship-building, not religious activity Train your men in how to share their faith Supplement their personal evangelistic efforts Evangelism…Winning the Lost “But the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” -Luke 19:10

Preaching builds the church, but discipleship builds men Three aspects to spiritual formation Small groups is the optimal place for growth Keep the Word central Establishment – Building the Believer “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” --Colossians 2:6

A commitment to the priesthood of all believers Workers are built in relationships Practical training Develop a plan Equipping – Equip the Worker “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up….” --Ephesians 4:11-12

Developing leaders is the most important thing you do The Leadership Pipeline Coach them Empower – Multiply the Leader “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to each others.” --2 Timothy 2:2

Evaluation of Foundational Blocks for a Healthy Ministry PrioritiesRateHow Can We Better Balance These? Prayer Evangelism Establishment Equipping Empower Leaders

Your men’s ministry will only move forward if it is moving forward on its knees. “You can do more than pray after you have prayed. But you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. Prayer is striking the winning blow at the concealed enemy, service is gather up the results of that blow among the men and women we see and touch.” --S.D. Gordon, Quiet Talks on Prayer Building Your Prayer Team

Personalize Your Ministry Survey the men of your church individually Survey the men of your church corporately

Establishing Your Mission Statement Guidelines for a good mission statement No more than a single sentence long Easily understood by a 12 year old Recited by memory at gunpoint Reflect a balanced biblical ministry Developing a Vision Document

Examples of a Mission Statement To help men be a disciple and to make disciples. To empower men to know Christ and to make Him known. To build men into fully devoted followers of Christ. Assist men to be Great Commission and Great Commandment men To build men into contagious followers of Christ who live distinctly, love dynamically, and whose lives make a difference. To empower men to build authentic relationships in Jesus Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit to become godly influences in their world.

Organize Your Ministry 1.Clearly define areas of responsibility 2.Clearly define areas of care 3.Evaluate whether your structure accelerates or hinders ministry 4.Develop a model that works for you 5.Organize around weakness 6.Meet regularly 7.Budget it out

Principles for Ministry to Men 1.Walk with them, listen to them, love them, pray for them, and encourage them. 2.The Kingdom of God is changed one man at a time! 3.The Kingdom of God is built through the development of men, not the recruiting of men. Incarnational Ministry - John 1:14; I Thessalonians 2:8-9

What it is all about… Building Relationships! “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” --John 1:14 “ You can impress people at a distance, you can impact them up close. The general principle is: the closer the personal relationship—the greater the potential for impact.” --Howard Hendricks, Leadership Journal, Summer 1980

Principles for Developing a Balanced Program Principle One A healthy ministry will have activities targeted to the various levels of spiritual growth. A healthy disciple- making ministry is one that meets the needs of people at various stages of growth and development. Outreach Programs Growth Level Programs Ministry Training Programs

Principles for Developing A Balanced Program Program Structure Ministry Training Equipping Others Growth Helping to Grow Outreach Reaching New Individuals Individuals Commitment Ministry Oriented (workers) Come & Learn to minister Come & Grow Come & Listen Growing Christians Seekers Curious

Principle Two Everything we do in the ministry is done with a purpose. Not having a clear purpose does the following. Can’t do a realistic evaluation Program elements become fuzzy Those attending are confused on what to do, who to invite, or what his expectations are A tendency to try to do everything in a single program Tend to program for the existing members and not the larger target audience Principles for Developing A Balanced Program

Principle Three Go slow. Ministry is not 100-yard dash. It is a marathon. Think in terms of four to five years to build your ministry. Principles for Developing A Balanced Program

Principle Four Start small. Remember that numbers are not important. Principles for Developing A Balanced Program

Principle Five Ministry is a process. Men’s ministry is not an isolated event, but an intentional series of steps that help men become fully devoted followers of Christ. Principles for Developing A Balanced Program

Building Bridges to the Next Level Special Event Golf Outing Retreat Men’s Breakfast Introductory Bible Study

Principle Six Provide a Variety of Open Doors to the Ministry Principles for Developing A Balanced Program Family Finances Work Spirituality

Schedule It 1. Offer men’s activities on non-family time 2. Schedule around the church’s schedule 3. Assign tasks 4. Publish your schedule

Small Group Discussion What was most helpful to you from this session? What is the first step you need to take to get started?