It's difficult to know where to start when considering the value men's ministry has for a church because the impact and benefits of a Christ-centered men's ministry extend far beyond the local church. In addition to personal growth in faith and commitment to serving Jesus, the benefits are seen in marriages, families, workplaces, communities, and of course, the church. Ephesians 4:11-13, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work".
Paul makes clear in these scriptures that Christ paid a great price so that we might grow in faith and knowledge, taking on the very image of Christ, anchored in our faith, so we might stand firm, ministering in love, against the doubt, dissension, unbelief, and confusion of this world.
We as Christians have to present a better way, and we can't do that if we do not take our faith seriously and actively pursue spiritual maturity through the word of God.
That's where we'll start in discussing the benefits of a men's ministry. When men come together with open hearts, honestly seeking to grow in their faith, pursuing the will of God for their lives, glory comes down. Men are encouraged when they see other men hungry to understand better God's word, longing for a more personal relationship with Christ and meaningful Christian fellowship with other men.
We soon realize we are all the same when we gather in this environment. None of us have all the answers. We are all works in progress in the hands of a loving and patient Heavenly Father. As we build this community of fellowship with one another, we begin to see what it looks like for the body of Christ to come together in loving acceptance, no judgment, no rejection, and openness without the need for a facade behind which we hide our fears, our doubts, and perceived shortcomings.
There is a freedom that comes from an environment of honest transparency that allows us to share the love of Jesus in a more personal and effective manner.
I read an article by Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, which posed one of, if not the most important question, each of us should take very seriously, "Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness, or do we seek our own advantage?"
Barron continues with more provocative questions in this article; "What kind of soul will you have? What kind of person will you be? Will you do whatever it takes to get what you want? Or, will you accept even great suffering to do what is right?"
Most of us will not face answering these questions under the threat of martyrdom. Still, we will, in effect, answer these questions when sitting in a lonely hotel room when no one is watching when faced with lying rather than facing the shame of our mistake or failure, when asked to give when it means forgoing something we have been looking forward to, or even when filling out our income tax return, which may present a sizable challenge to our commitment to honesty.
Personal story. I was riding in a cab in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It's a city in which, a few years earlier, Muslim extremists, in a coordinated attack, blew up the US Embassy there and the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killing 224 people. While stopped on a dirt road in the middle of what looked like a war zone, the cab driver looked me in the eye and asked, "Are you a Christian?"
I have to admit some of the questions above ran through my mind. I answered, "Yes, I am a Christian." I didn't know what might follow, but wasn't ready for his follow-up question; "What kind of Christian are you?" This question gave me more of a challenge than his first because it gets to the heart of the matter. After some thought, I looked him in the eye and said, "I'm the kind of Christian who believes that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior." I was a little anxious to see his response. After a very dramatic pause, he broke into a big grin and said, with much enthusiasm, "I'm a Christian too, Assemblies of God!" We went on to have a wonderful conversation about the goodness of God and what a joy it is to be in fellowship with like-minded believers, no matter where you meet them.
Getting back to Barron's questions, the Bible would put them in the form of, Whom, or What do you worship? What do you value most? Again, everything in your life will flow out of the answers to those questions.
There is a longing in our hearts that gets us out of bed every morning. A desire or belief in some value ultimately motivates our actions and decisions. It might be a desire for material possessions, fame, family, bodily pleasure, country, or perhaps just survival.
A Christ-centered Men's Ministry presents an opportunity for men to walk together with like-minded brothers in pursuit of answers to life's most meaningful questions, growing together in knowledge and understanding of God's word, encouraging one another in discipleship.
It will be a time when men can enjoy Christian fellowship and be challenged to grow and develop into the disciples Christ wants each of us to become. A strong men's ministry will lead to a stronger church. A church that is looking to meet the community's needs by bringing people into a saving relationship with Jesus and helping them in the material world as well.
A strong men's ministry will strengthen marriages and families. As men become more Christ-like, their wives and children will benefit from having a man of God in the home who will lead them and love them in wonderful ways. A strong men's ministry will produce leaders in the community who will bring strong, moral character into their workplace.
Allow me to close with Paul's instructions to the Christians in Rome as presented in Romans 12:1-2,
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God---this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you can test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
Men's ministry provides men with a safe place to work together in this transformation process. A place where we can be accepted, encouraged, loved but also be tested as we strive together to attain God's good, pleasing, and perfect will for our lives.