Men’s ministry is about discipleship; therefore it is about relationship. It is first about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The first disciples spent time with Jesus, learning from him about the kingdom of God. He called a small group to learn to follow him. Therefore, discipleship is about our relationship with each other. One of the primary goals for men’s ministry should be deepening our relationship with Jesus and each other. The strategies we employ need to deepen these relationships.
Secondly discipleship is a learned skill. We need to learn how to follow Jesus. The first disciples spent three years full time learning from the Master. They quit their jobs in order to be disciples. We today don’t have Jesus in the flesh to disciple us but he does disciple us through the power of his Spirit and through time tested practices. After spending time with the men’s ministry a man should know how to be a disciple and how to disciple another man. I propose that we adopt a basic curriculum to facilitate this process. For that I recommend the Apprentice Series. It is probably the best place to start. The website is http://www.apprenticeofjesus.org/
So for me I think that every man should go through Alpha and then follow up with the Apprentice Series, specifically in a small group. This can be done after a bike ride, a round of golf, trap shooting or any other activity.
Evangelistic. We need to prayerfully explore the opportunities to reach the unreached and think about how our activities can facilitate building relationships with the unchurched.
Once a man has been through basic training: Alpha, Apprentice Series, Spiritual Gift Inventory then we can go more deeply into certain aspects of the spiritual life and help deepen our understanding of the nature and character of spiritual formation into Christlikeness. For this Renovare has the best stuff.
When we meet again I want to know who and how we will put this overall vision into practice. I would like to see a clear strategy with accountability to help us move forward and battle the devil as we seek the kingdom of God. I am thankful for all of you.
In Peace and Love,
Jon
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