Every church has unspoken codes, whether it is about behavior, dress, or even a financial one, if you go long enough you’ll figure it out. No one has to tell you that at so-and-so church you have to wear a suit and tie, or doctors and lawyers are welcome, but plumbers should find another place to worship. All of us have experienced those unwelcoming codes before. Some churches have positive unspoken codes. The question is not does a church have an unspoken code; but does it say something uplifting or condeming to men.
The Experience strives to make sure everyone we have contact with feels welcomed and that no unspoken “code” turns any man away. The only way to do that is to ask questions. I want to discover our unspoken ‘Man Code’ and I need your help to do so. If a new man comes to our church 3 or 4 times, what impression would he have of what it means to be a man at The Experience? What is your impression of what it means? Share your thoughts with me at mensministry@livetheexperience.org.
In The Battle For Men’s Hearts,
TJ
I must admit that I have struggled with the term men’s ministry and I’ve had a hard time pinpointing exactly why… until now. The formula seems to go like this; take a special group or activity, add the word ministry and you have the church’s equivalent of a college fraternity. As men, we have our groups, go to breakfast, or put on an activity and some how that means we have arrived in some way. Now, I know that may sound offensive to some but, the truth is there are a lot of ministries out there that are not doing a lot of ministering. If at one time the goal was to actually minister, it becomes lost in the gathering of those within the ministry. Just because you have the word men in front of the word ministry doesn’t mean you’re actually ministering to men.
Since the beginning I’ve felt and look at what God has called me to do is lead the ministering of men not to lead a men’s ministry. While the men are called upon to use their skills and gifts for the betterment of the church there is generally very little ministering to men for the betterment of men themselves. Men can work. They were created by God to “get the job done”, yet so are horses and pack mules. The problem is we would more readily take care of our work animals than build up men. Men need more than to be told to work, get the job done or perform. They need to be ministered to.
So what do you need? What’s the best way to minister to you? I’d love to hear from you.
Posted by TJ on
Sunday, February 17th, 2008 · Filed in Men's Ministry ·
Boot Camp… what do you think of when you hear that? When most people hear the words boot camp they think of a military boot camp. Images of grueling physical exercise, little sleep, and people yelling at you to, “Move it! Move it!” When I went through Basic Training or “Boot Camp” that’s how it went. They had a short time to prepare you to be prepared for role in the military. That’s what it’s about… getting you ready to do the real training. Military boot camps are designed as a foundation to everything else you will learn in your military service.
So what is this Boot Camp that the Knights for Christ men’s ministry is inviting you to? First off we are not going to make you do push-ups and sit-ups or make you run the mile in under 5 minutes with a full pack. What is Boot Camp… it’s pretty simple actually… it’s the Gospel. Based on the writings of John Eldredge and in particular the book Wild at Heart, the message is focused on God’s fierce pursuit of each man – to set him free and give him life… life to the fullest. The life God intended for every man: a life of battle, adventure, and beauty. The impact or result of the message is that men get their masculine heart back, find heir place in the battle God has for them, and learn how to fight.
It is our desire that Boot Camp will prepare you for battle… to fight for your heat and the heart of others around you.
Posted by TJ on
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 · Filed in Men's Ministry ·
Coming April 10-13, The Experience men’s ministry, Knights for Christ, will be presenting the first annual Boot Camp based on the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.
The hearts of men are being taken out at an alarming rate. Men, as God intended them to be, are needed more today than any other time in history. There is a battle for the hearts of men and the stakes are very high:
- There are 113,000,000 men in America over the age of 15
- 69,000,000 of these men make no profession of faith in Christ
- Only 1 out of every 18 men in America are involved in active discipleship
- 33% of the 72 million children in America will go to bed tonight without their biological father in the home
- Fatherless children are 5 times as likely to live in poverty, repeat a grade, and have emotional problems
- 4 Out of 5 students in evangelical churches will drop out of church by their senior year in high school
- As many as 70% of men have actively sought out pornography last year
- 93% of all people incarcerated are men and 85% of them have no father figure
- As many Christians will divorce as non-Christians (34% vs. 33% according to Barna)
- Most men only know enough about God to be disappointed with Him
The evidence is clear the world needs men and men need to regain their hearts. The only way to get your heart back is to go to the one who created it to begin with… men need God. Boot Camp is designed to invite men on the journey to discover the secret of a man’s heart by coming into an encounter with God.
Posted by TJ on
Thursday, January 10th, 2008 · Filed in Men's Ministry ·
What is a man? If you ask that question of 10 people you will get a variety of answers, but they would fall into one of three categories. A physical definition, a responsibility definition, and God’s definition. Unfortunately, for most of us men, we get our definition from one of or a combination of the first two. In Genesis 1:26-27 God said, “Let us make man in our image…” so the Trinity made man, “male and female He created them”. Being a man must be something deeper than our physical exterior and more noble than a list of things we do, for some men are physically scared and none of us do the same things.
The truth is, God meant something specific when He said “male and female,” and it goes far beyond the physical differences. God divided His personality and character into two distinct parts, giving one to Adam and the other to Eve… we have come to call it masculinity and femininity. Since that time, the devil has done many things to destroy the uniqueness of God found in men and women. He enticed men to treat women little better than animals and not as an equal to men or as the “help mate” God created them to be. In turn, the devil used the assault on femininity to crush true masculinity, as revealed in God through the person of Jesus Christ.
If we are to be real men, men as God intended, we must get back the heart God placed in Adam before sin poisoned it and darkened the masculine nature of God. There is One who knows the way. Jesus came to “seek that which was lost”. What was lost was His image as reflected in masculinity and femininity. Through His death He brought us forgiveness. By His resurrection He presents to us the restoration of our hearts so we may once again be the image bearers of God.
Posted by TJ on
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 · Filed in Men's Ministry ·