How many meetings do you have at work? The average employee participates in at least eight meetings per week, according to a study by Zippia. Have you ever sat in a meeting at work and asked yourself, “what is the point of this?” Few things in life are more frustrating (or tedious) than sitting in a meeting with no purpose. Your men’s ministry activities need a clear purpose, or they will gain the same reputation as those meetings at work that even you don’t want to be part of. The only difference is that you’re getting paid to attend that meeting at work.
The challenge of having a clear purpose for your activities is more than avoiding boredom for those attending. The task of every leader is to move people in a particular direction. God has placed you in the role you are in, and Jesus has given you the assignment to make disciples. Leadership in ministry is not planning the logistics of your next event – it’s clarifying what you are trying to accomplish to move men ahead as disciples of Jesus. Here are some keys to creating a ministry with purpose:
What part of a man’s life are you going to invest in?
You need a clear focus on how you hope this activity will make a difference in a man’s life. There is no shortage of areas where men need help – identity, work, marriage, fatherhood, time, money, emotions, walking with Jesus, worship, mission, and so much more.
Yes, it may mean some men feel like they don’t belong in that activity. For example, not all men are fathers, but that does not mean you should avoid equipping men as fathers. It is about being intentional to disciple men, not to get every man to every activity.
At times it can feel overwhelming because there are so many needs. Pray and ask God to show you what He wants you to invest in. The powerful truth about discipleship is that God is the one doing the work of shaping all of us into the image of Jesus. Discipleship is us partnering with God in what He is already doing. You don’t need to fix everything – you only need to focus on what God asks you to focus on.
What part of a man are you going to invest in?
Jesus told us that the greatest command is to love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Notice the three parts of life that must be formed in every believer: heart and soul, mind, and strength. Speaking to a man’s heart is different than giving him information that sharpens his mind. But knowing what to do in your mind is also very different than putting what you have learned into practice and using your strength to live it out.
If we are going to shape men as Jesus’ disciples, we need to balance all three of these in our planning.
What are a man’s next steps?
Everything you do should have some next step to it. Those next steps should be a way for a man to apply what they have learned or access further assistance to help them continue to grow.
Putting it all together
Your answer to each of these questions begins to form a plan. Here is an example of what that looks like.
- What part of a man’s life do I want to invest in: I want to help dads become more intentional to disciple their children.
- What part of a man am I going to invest in: I want their hearts to see how God the Father loves them – I want to equip their minds by giving them practical steps to pass this on to their children.
- What are a man’s next steps? I will help them develop a personal plan to work towards over the next month and check in to see how they are doing and if they need more help.
Now you have a meeting with a purpose!
Communication is Key
If there is one word every man would use to describe themselves; it is this: busy. When communicating your next men’s activity, you must do more than say: “Men’s event on Saturday at 9.”
There are many factors to consider when it comes to communicating and promoting your ministry. Here is one example of how you might do it using the example above:
I know you want to be a great dad, and we want to help you. The best way to be a great dad is to learn from the best Father what we should do. At our next men’s event, we will be equipping dads to make a real difference in our kids’ lives – no matter what age they are. Join us on Saturday at 9 am.
Men who feel your event has a purpose are likelier to show up. Try this for your next activity and see what a difference it makes for you and the men you serve.
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