Once again the men of the Church of God in Florida will be gathering in Clermont on April 16-17, 2010 for the Florida LifeBuilders meeting.
Watch the video to see what this exciting meeting will be all about.
Some of our featured resources for laity and men’s ministry can be found on amazon.com. They are as follows:
David C. Nitz, State Evangelism Director
After the General Assembly of 2008 Florida (Tampa) made an aggressive effort to change the face of men’s ministries in our state. Feeling that the men/lay ministries in the state needed to be charged with new life and a more relevant strategy we decided to take a different approach and face the challenge of reaching and ministering to men. We felt we needed to ask ourselves tough questions and respond with a plan that would at least begin to address the pressing needs of today’s men.
The first and obvious question is “why?” Why make changes to the existing program? I think the revelation came when I hosted my first layman’s board meeting. Several of the men who served on the board did not even show up for the meeting. That was my first “heads up” that this ministry was in need of revitalization. There seemed to be a lack of passion. As the meeting progressed I personally did not feel it addressed any of the pressing needs in the lives of men. While the work being done was good work, it seemed stagnate. No one was really to be blamed, it just seemed it was time to do something new.
The name “Layman’s Board” itself seemed to conjure up ideas that were outdated or irrelevant. Since LifeBuilder’s was on our radar and I had started preliminary planning for a state event, it seemed that this board would be better called “LifeBuilder’s Board”. And rather than just laymen, why not include men who hold other offices in the church? Which leads to the second question.
“Who?” Who should we include on this board? We felt diversity was important in making this new board more effective. State Bishop Martin Taylor and I sat down and discussed the possibilities concerning this board. Since we were changing the name this opened the door to include more than just laymen. Since pastors are vital to the success of any ministry in the local church it was an obvious choice. We began looking not just for laymen, but for men who had expressed interest in men’s ministry and who had a passion to work. We also looked for men who were leaders If this team was going to change the face of men’s ministry in our state we felt they needed to be able to help lead this change.
What then would be the role of the men on this team? What is their function? First, it would be to be passionate. We wanted men who were willing to work. The LifeBuilder’s event we were planning was going to be different than anything we had ever done in Florida. I was confidant I would need their help to pull it off. I want these men to be creative. I had put together a plan, but when these men got in the same room the creative juices started flowing. These men are also promoters; part of their job to help us get the word out. I want them to make a lot of noise about the changes we we’re making.
Since our LifeBuilder’s Team is still new we are learning. I want the men’s ministry of our state to be life-giving. Our first team meeting consisted mostly of asking what could we do and how could we do it? Every man was given an assignment and then sent out to gather their team and do their part. I want it to be more than just guys sitting around talking. That’s why I chose the theme for our first LifeBuilder’s event to be “Let The Adventure Begin.” It had the feel we were doing something, going somewhere.
Since the changes we have made are still in their infancy we have yet to see the what will come of all this. However, since LifeBuilder’s 09 we have seen a definite surge in men’s ministries around the state. New men’s groups have been initiated and existing groups have been revived. This is a new venture with a new vision. So far it seems we are on the right path.
By Leonard C. Albert
My friend of many years, Pat Morley, says “Give men what they want in the context of what they need.” Our minds immediately ask two questions: (1) “what do men want?” and (2) “what do men need?” Men want adventure—they want a challenge. They need a structure, a system to make number one work. John Eldredge in his now famous book titled Wild at Heart says it this way, “Life is not a problem to be solved, it is an adventure to be lived. A man just won’t be happy until he’s got adventure in his work, in his love and in his spiritual life.” Where can a man find this “adventure” in his spiritual life? Most of the time in church, he is required to just come and sit and listen to teachings or sermons. What men really want is a church that will call them to action and they are attracted to churches that offer opportunities to really make a difference in this life.
What is “Matthew 25 Men?”
The LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry discipleship model has three elements:
Matthew 25 Men speaks to this third area: work for Christ. This is a “servant” type ministry that helps people in the church family, the community and beyond. It involves Church Projects such as “Workday at Church” where men volunteer for repair, painting, and maintenance work at the church. The men of the church can meet periodically on a Saturday to trim shrubs, pull vines, spread pine straw or mulch, paint, make repairs, and do whatever else needs attention. These church projects can include reaching out to the less fortunate of the church family by doing small repair work on homes like adding a wheel chair ramp, or repairing the steps, etc. It involves Ministry Projects such as visiting shut-ins, people in hospitals, nursing homes, jails and prisons. It involves being salt and light by sharing the gospel through personal testimony and showing kindness. It involves doing good deeds both inside and outside the church such as snow removal, leaf raking or lawn mowing. It involves Community Service Projects such as “Car Care Saturday” to help widows and single moms. It could be a project like installing smoke detectors in low-income homes, or washing cars for free, or giving away coffee and water at a sporting event. Your local chapter of LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry can plan a monthly service project lasting a half or a full day for most months of the year.
Matthew 25 Men is the outreach that helps a man find the adventure he is looking for, and at the same time reach out to hurting people in the church and community. Matthew 25 Men challenges men to become active in a “feel good about helping others” outreach. Our goal for men is to help them grow in Christ by moving toward the center of God’s will. We do not aim to change a man’s behavior—we want God to change the core affections of his heart. When a man works for Christ he discovers his own personal ministry using his unique spiritual giftedness. Usually three things will happen. (1) He will serve others in need in the church and community through special projects, (2) He will help family and friends grow in Christ and (3) He will win the lost to Christ.
As I travel and speak to thousands of men I feel they are sick and tired of not being challenged and offered some type of ministry adventure. They are weary of just talking about sports, the weather, and the stock market. This exciting outreach ministry of LifeBuilders helps fuel their competitive drive. It helps them find adventure, change, competition, and expansion—all within the mission of Jesus to seek and save the lost. Once a man has been in the real presence of Jesus, he will never be happy until he finds a way to express his gratitude through love and good deeds. We believe that men have a passion in their lives that will make a difference in the world. This ministry helps them find that passion.
Who are the men of Matthew 25 Men?
Matthew 25 Men are men who are being discipled in their local churches. They work out of the existing men’s ministry group as this effort is always under the sponsorship of the local chapter of men’s ministries. Matthew 25 Men are men who take seriously the challenge to us in Matthew 25: 35-36 where Jesus said, For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. We need more men in local churches to reach out to others with a servant’s heart. Church of God LifeBuilders has thousands of men who are ready to put their skills and personal ministry to work in the local church and beyond. It can be a great adventure to feed the hungry, give to the thirsty, help the stranger, clothe the needy, visit the sick and reach men in prison.
Steve Sonderman is a great men’s leader. His book on How To Build a Life-Changing Men’s Ministry is sold here in our bookstore. Here’s what he says about challenging men:
Men want to be involved in a cause greater than themselves. If I have learned one thing during my years of ministry to men, it’s that men want to be involved in something driven by a compelling vision. They want to be involved in something bigger and grander than themselves. Men want to know what hill the church is climbing, where we are going, what we are about. Men are not going to give you their time, money, and energy to move papers around and attend committee meetings. They want to be about the work of Kingdom Expansion. They want to see a discernible difference in the world in which they live?
We believe Matthew 25 Men can make that difference in a man’s life. Why not get started today?!
A total of 55 men from the New York metropolitan area, including men from Connecticut and Rhode Island, were treated to both the insight and humor of Leonard Albert during the Discipling Strong Men Seminar held at Solid Rock on Saturday, October 10.
Leonard Albert is the International Director of Church of God Laity Ministries. He is an enthusiastic motivational speaker specializing in training and equipping people to reach their full potential in ministry. Leonard Albert is a firm believer that you can’t share the gospel or your faith with others unless you have been taught on how to do so. So what does that mean exactly? Well for starters, telling someone that they must “turn or burn” or “sanctify or fry” is not an effective way to reach others for Christ.
So how did Christ impact so many? During his time on earth, Christ used stories (parables) to explain spiritual principles in a way they could be understood. He also established relationships to build disciples. “Discipleship is not just Christian education, Saturday morning breakfasts at the church, or memorizing scripture,” Leonard explained, “Discipleship is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), it is multiplication through reproduction (2 Timothy 2:2), and apprenticeship (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
The goals of this seminar were clear: Learn a strategy, leave with a plan of action, and acquire resources. Leonard shared statistics on men in the church and why it is hard to keep them engaged. For the most part, understanding the needs of men and what they are looking for is key to maintaining or establishing a successful men’s ministry. Leonard shared several examples, acquired during his travels, of different creative methods that churches are using to reach men. “There is no one way that works for every church. You have to get to know the needs and types of the men in your community before you can be effective.” However, regardless of the method, he emphasized that we must identify a strategy that best fits their needs, create a plan of action to execute it, and acquire the resources to keep the momentum going.
In keeping with the strategy for Discipling Strong Men, seven more men just completed the “LifeBuilders Essentials” study with Don Stedge. Jose Pena, Terrance White, Ray Gonzalez, Leland Parkinson, Wilson Ortiz, Rick White and Sheldon Scott-Bonnick received their certificates of completion after finishing the 12 week study. This makes a total of 38 men from Solid Rock who have taken this first step to becoming a disciple.
Currently, Bim Nathaniel is leading another four men through the Kingdom Calling study and Mike Anson, Sr. is beginning the “10 Questions That Trouble Every Thinking Man” small group starting this Tuesday. As you can see, Armorbearers Men’s Ministry is on the forefront of “Discipling Strong Men”!
If you would like to hear this entire seminar for yourself, the Solid Rock Bookstore is selling a 4 CD set recorded live on October 10 for $10.
By Jason D. Althoff
When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ met with the disciples just prior to his ascension to his current position at the right hand of the Father, these were his parting words:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
This, our Great Commission, provides us with the ultimate measuring stick as to the effectiveness of our ministry efforts, and for the sake of our focus, men’s ministry efforts.
So, how are we doing?
According to Patrick Morley and Man in the Mirror Ministries, only 1 out of 12 men in America are actually “discipled”. When I saw this statistic, I realized the flipside to this coin was blatantly obvious: an alarming 11 out of 12 men are “not discipled”. It seems as though even in our own nation, something is missing from the philosophy of ministry in the vast majority of our churches.
In October 2008, as the newly installed director of LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry at the Terre Haute Church of God, I began to investigate how to run an effective men’s ministry. In this time, I was devoted to getting as much knowledge and reviewing as many statistics as possible. Alongside this I continued praying that the Lord would give me vision for the men. It was during a Sunday celebration service in worship that the Lord spoke one word to me: “EQUIPMENT”. At first, I did not fully grasp what the Lord was trying to say, and as I asked him to show me, it was as if the word broke up into parts in my vision. I began to see “EQUIP-MEN-T”, and then I realized the “T” meant ” †”. Upon saying it out loud to myself for my hearing, I realized what the Lord was telling me: “Equip Men With The Cross”.
It became immediately apparent to me that if the Lord’s direction was to equip men with the cross, then it is obvious that he feels that men are not currently equipped with the cross, or are not adequately “discipled”. What then, does it mean exactly to be adequately discipled? Well, thankfully, the Lord Jesus Christ gave us some words to consider, a few of those words are presented here:
In meditating on these verses and in the context of the chapters they reside in, one will find a common theme that cannot be missed. The subject of all these verses is YOU. Jesus continually repeats this so that he is not misunderstood. Jesus’ words are speaking to us right now concerning our statistical analysis of the men of our churches.
The reality looks like this (for 11 out of 12 men):
The result of all this is exactly what we have, a shortage of discipled men. The men must not only be taught the basics of the Christian faith and subsequently walk through a basic discipleship course, but they must be equipped with the cross in such a way that will bring them into the knowledge that they are responsible for their own personal discipleship on a daily basis.
When we see the numbers and realize there must be lack of commitment to discipleship as a priority of church ministry, we also realize that a very important facet of the purpose of the church is being missed – evangelism. Now this does not mean that churches do not have outreach programs or do not go on mission trips, etc. Certainly, many great things get accomplished through these ventures. Former Church of God General Overseer Dr. Paul Walker said, “Evangelism should be the central thrust of the local church.” Further, he stated that a church has to make a choice whether they are going to be “satisfied” or “sending.” The satisfied church maintains the status quo. They have a maintenance mentality and are program-prioritized, working very hard to keep all the programs going and operating just like they should. In contrast, the sending church has a transformation thrust. They are centered on Christ and are characterized by discipleship in outreach. Disciples make disciples–they reproduce. Therefore, you have a body of believers that are “independently equipped” to impact the community instead of a body of believers that are mostly dependent on a few folks who set up programs that get them involved in the community once or twice a year.
To the question of why I disciple men, I respond out of sincere and humble experience – I used to be that guy. You know the one. The guy sitting in your church, who isn’t reading his Word, letting others carry his cross, loving some and hating others, bearing out more flesh than fruit and the one feeling that he has all the answers, and for that matter, has more revelation than your pastor does, or you do – I was the guy who wasn’t discipled. I was truly and blindly “satisfied” in my approach to church as usual. This continued until the Lord broke me and I got a revelation that the burden of my personal growth lies in my own hands. And once I began to get real with myself, to go deeper in the Lord and to engage in personal discipleship, I began to see the Lord move in my life. I had a hunger and desire to serve with passion because of the discipline that was taking place in my personal walk with the Lord. It was only after this transformation that fruit began to manifest in my life and the Lord began to bring other spiritual responsibilities my way. I believe the Lord took me down this path because he wanted to give me something experientially, to produce within me a passion for men in the church today. He has equipped me to be an agent of spiritual change and I am responding to the call. How about you? Have you taken a personal inventory to consider whether you are, in fact, currently equipped and adequately discipled according to the words of Jesus? Or is the Lord calling you to get passionate about the state of the men in our churches today? If he is, how do we react to all the statistics and work to get men from the pews to the altars to the streets…?
We equip them with the cross – “Go therefore and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19)
This title causes most of us to recall a scene of discipline or correction, and yes, we are on the receiving end of that correction. Because of that flashback or recollection, the image is not usually one of our most treasured memories. In contrast, however, when speaking with a new Christian it is imperative that eye contact be made. It is important for new Christians to hear in our words, as well as see in our eyes, a genuine concern for their understanding of the issue being addressed. In many cases, I believe the eyes are as good a tool of communication, if not better, than the words we speak.
Studies have shown that we give 25 times more attention to what we see than what we hear. Why is this so important, you ask? Sometimes, I think we are caught up in the world’s standard of success, where numbers or volume are the important measures of our labor. We live in a secular world of sales quotas, monthly goals and increased production. More is always better and quality may have to take a back seat to quantity. We can get by with that standard if it is limited to things, but it falls woefully short when applied to new Christians. Leading them to the point of praying the salvation prayer and then letting them find their own nurturing will not measure up to God’s will for their efforts.
A salvation message tells them how important they are. Discipling proves it. The new Christian does not care about being one of the many hands that were raised. They do care deeply that someone cares enough to spend whatever time it takes to bring them to a point of assurance and understanding. This has been done with some success in Newcomer classes, but the strongest soulwinners are those who have had a one-on-one mentoring experience. They realize that help and support are always there for them as they labor in the harvest field. If we are to build strong relevant churches, we need to assume the responsibility and blessings that accompany the one-on-one mentoring.
Looking back on my years as a Christian, I recall the many opportunities I have had to testify to the power of the gospel, and the decisions that were made as God blessed my testimony. It was only after a closer look that I realized there were only a few of those converts active in sharing their story. My experience had become just that—my experience. Not only was it no longer as rewarding as it had been, but it was not Scriptural, and also not very smart. A scripture I had read many times jumped out at me again: “two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work” (Ecclesiastes 4:9).
I immediately set out to attempt to reproduce a soulwinner. This effort came about the same time the Promise Keepers held their mega event at the Minneapolis Metrodome. I took a longtime friend and athlete to this event, and he gave his heart to the Lord. We started the process of small-group (two) ministry stressing personal accountability. For one year, we have been meeting on Wednesdays at 6 a.m.
On November 17, 1996, our church, in conjunction with the National Lay Witness Week, had an Outreach Sunday stressing salvation, and I was able to share my testimony. My friend was responsible for five of the many first-time visitors in attendance who heard the gospel. Two made decisions for Christ that day. Why? Because “two are better than one.” Currently, three mornings a week are set aside for one-on-one sessions with other men. Why? Because maybe four are better than two!
I must share with you that this desire did not just appear at that large gathering of men. For years, through many presentations of the Department of Lay Ministries, I knew this was how God wanted men to get active for Him and involved with other men. I put off this call because the Holy Spirit seemed to be saying to me, “Before you enter into this activity, I want you to look at Me when I’m talking to you.” I was expecting the stern correction I had experienced as a youth when encountering that phrase.
When I finally did seek direction in this outreach attempt, I did not see or experience the correction I had anticipated. What I saw was the compassion God has for all of us, and the support and guidance available whenever it is needed. Men, go ahead and “look at Him when He’s talking to you.” It will change your life!
From Jason Althoff in Terre Haute, Indiana, following the 2009 LifeBuilders Indiana State Conference:
FYI, an amazing testimony of the work of the Lord in our church and specifically our men: By the Holy Ghost, Pastor Sanders called an altar call on Sunday night after worship for men and over 25 men, I lost count, came up for ministry and 2 were filled will the Holy Ghost with manifestation of speaking in tongues for the first time! Not to mention the Essentials class on Sunday (prior to this altar call) we were in Lesson 4 on the “Holy Ghost/Walking in the Spirit” and we had a guest speaker who gave multiple words of knowledge relating to our lesson, specifically Acts 1:8 and how we “don’t use the gift of the Holy Ghost for its intended purpose, soul-winning, witnessing and testifying of Jesus Christ outside the 4 walls of the church”….WOW, CONFIRMATION!!!! Praise God! He is a wonderful and marvelous God!!! Our discipleship class has entered into strategic prayer for the men of the State of Indiana as well…
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