“In most of His workings throughout history and Scripture, God starts with men. Get that? Men are God’s starting place…The shaping of a man is foundational to anything God sets out to do.” ~Jack Hayford
As I pulled into the dirt parking lot of Mattoon, Illinois, Family Worship Center, I wondered how an out of the way country church could average nearly 400 worshippers every Sunday. The preaching pastor, a layman and electrician by trade, boasted, “In most churches the majority of attenders are women, and the women do most of the work, but not here. You’ll see.”
With a reclaimed wood stage, lights dimmed, heat set a cooler-than-normal temperature, choir and full band, I soon discovered why. Even their Men’s Restroom was strategically designed with masculine wall décor: decoys, antlers, fishing rods, arrows, gun cases and a church bulletin at eye level above the urinal!
Women love this church almost more than the men who are hungry for God, and happy to be there.
Baptist Press surveyed (1997) that, “If the mother is the first to become a Christian in a household, there’s a 17% probability that the household will follow. But if the father is the first to become a Christian, there’s a 93% probability that the household will follow.”
With a reclaimed wood stage, lights dimmed, heat set a cooler-than-normal temperature, choir and full band, I soon discovered why. Even their Men’s Restroom was strategically designed with masculine wall décor: decoys, antlers, fishing rods, arrows, gun cases and a church bulletin at eye level above the urinal!
Women love this church almost more than the men who are hungry for God, and happy to be there.
Baptist Press surveyed (1997) that, “If the mother is the first to become a Christian in a household, there’s a 17% probability that the household will follow. But if the father is the first to become a Christian, there’s a 93% probability that the household will follow.”
If so, then why do so few churches target men the way God does in the Bible? Why have church leaders veered so far from the biblical prerequisite of ministry? Did you know that almost every time God set out to do a new Kingdom work, He started with men?
The human race started with a man—Adam
The covenant of the testaments was given to a man—Abraham
The 12 tribes of the nation Israel began with a man. —Jacob (Israel)
The redemption of Israel was given through a man—Moses
The conquering of Promised Land was led by a man—Joshua
The royal prototype of Messiah was a man—David
The Savior of the World came as a man—Jesus
Jesus began his ministry with 12 men—The Disciples
The leader of the first church was a man—Peter
The apostle to the non-Jewish world was a man—Paul
Except for Jesus, these men were significantly flawed, yet God used them mightily even in spite of themselves. Admittedly, men are the problem with most of what’s wrong today. But instead of vilifying them maybe we should band together to inspire, encourage, and equip men. If men are the problem, then men are also the solution. As the President Emeritus of Compassion International, Wess Stafford, says often, “If you can fix the men, you will fix 80 percent of the world’s problems.”
In the founding of the Church in the book of Acts, it was true with Cornelius (11:14), the Jailer (16:31-34), Crispus (18:18), and it’s still true today. Then why do so few churches reflect the biblical model in their ministry budgets? Why has the church sold out to cultural norms, megachurch recipes, and the vilification of men?
A prominent Northwest Christian leader recently shared, “Your organization (Men in the Arena), is the only Christian organization for men I know of in the Northwest. After two decades of ministry here I’m convinced that it is impossible to have a successful men’s ministry.”
Impossible? Is your blood pumping right now? Has something stirred deep within you? Has everything you’ve just read been a lie? Is your church really neglecting a Scriptural prerequisite for ministry?
Put what you’ve read to the test. Get a copy of your Church’s annual budget and look at the “Men’s Ministry” line item. Your church might not even have it. The line item for “Men’s Ministry” will be less than half of 1% of the total annual budget. You didn’t read that wrong. For example: half of 1% for a church with a one million dollar budget is $5,000—less than half of 1%.
What will you do about it? When you realize that when a man gets it—everyone wins, everything about how you view church will change.
The human race started with a man—Adam
The covenant of the testaments was given to a man—Abraham
The 12 tribes of the nation Israel began with a man. —Jacob (Israel)
The redemption of Israel was given through a man—Moses
The conquering of Promised Land was led by a man—Joshua
The royal prototype of Messiah was a man—David
The Savior of the World came as a man—Jesus
Jesus began his ministry with 12 men—The Disciples
The leader of the first church was a man—Peter
The apostle to the non-Jewish world was a man—Paul
Except for Jesus, these men were significantly flawed, yet God used them mightily even in spite of themselves. Admittedly, men are the problem with most of what’s wrong today. But instead of vilifying them maybe we should band together to inspire, encourage, and equip men. If men are the problem, then men are also the solution. As the President Emeritus of Compassion International, Wess Stafford, says often, “If you can fix the men, you will fix 80 percent of the world’s problems.”
In the founding of the Church in the book of Acts, it was true with Cornelius (11:14), the Jailer (16:31-34), Crispus (18:18), and it’s still true today. Then why do so few churches reflect the biblical model in their ministry budgets? Why has the church sold out to cultural norms, megachurch recipes, and the vilification of men?
A prominent Northwest Christian leader recently shared, “Your organization (Men in the Arena), is the only Christian organization for men I know of in the Northwest. After two decades of ministry here I’m convinced that it is impossible to have a successful men’s ministry.”
Impossible? Is your blood pumping right now? Has something stirred deep within you? Has everything you’ve just read been a lie? Is your church really neglecting a Scriptural prerequisite for ministry?
Put what you’ve read to the test. Get a copy of your Church’s annual budget and look at the “Men’s Ministry” line item. Your church might not even have it. The line item for “Men’s Ministry” will be less than half of 1% of the total annual budget. You didn’t read that wrong. For example: half of 1% for a church with a one million dollar budget is $5,000—less than half of 1%.
What will you do about it? When you realize that when a man gets it—everyone wins, everything about how you view church will change.
