How No Man Left Behind is Changing How We Do Church

We hear stories from churches all over about how the No Man Left Behind Model is changing the way they do ministry! Here is how one church has taken the components of the “All-Inclusive Ministry” mindset and the “Wide-Deep Continuum” and applied them to their unique church to impact more people for Christ.

First, here are the Model components defined…

All-Inclusive Ministry to Men: Retire the phrase “men’s ministry.” It’s not just about what happens when men are off by themselves. Instead, disciple your men right where they are—in co-ed Bible studies, on the worship team, coaching kid’s basketball, etc. Every interaction your church has with any man is ministry to men. Make all of them an intentional part of your discipleship process.

The Wide-Deep Continuum: Build a process to reach men where they’re at spiritually. Cast a wide net for men early; then seamlessly lead them deep. Engage the five types of men: men who need to know Christ, cultural Christians, biblical Christians, leaders, and hurting men (see 1 Corinthians 9:22–23).

Here is their story…

Previously, we had given a name to our Men’s Ministry of EveryMan and had promoted all of our events, classes, and ministries as being sponsored by EveryMan. But what we found was that our aggressive promotion of EveryMan was creating a situation in the congregation where men who were not actively involved with everything we were doing began to feel alienated or detached. 

We are now using the All-Inclusive Ministry mindset. We initiated our Matthew 28 Ministry. The idea is to recognize where our people are already coming in contact with “church” and discipling them there. For example, we are currently conducting a Christian parenting class; the combined men’s and women’s ministry teams will be hosting our “Mingling of Souls” marriage conference in February; the discipleship team hosted a War Room movie night at a local theater and followed up by creating 15 War Room small group Bible studies; and the 2016 “Read Through the Bible in a Year Challenge” is designed to engage every member of the congregation. All of our teachers, partners, coaches, and leaders have been instructed to use what they do as an opportunity to grow the people in their group, but also as a way to help the individuals in their group reach out to others.    

Man in the Mirror conducted the follow-up “Reaching Men on the Fringe” seminar here last summer and through it, we were made very much aware that we were not providing enough “on ramp” opportunities for men on the wide side of the continuum (those needing to know Christ and Cultural Christians) to get engaged in discipleship. Therefore, in 2016 we’re hosting a family bowling night, training at an adventure camp, a sports challenge against the pastors, ballroom dancing lessons, a Detroit Tigers game, fly fishing outings with lessons, and more! At every opportunity, we ALWAYS attempt to capture the momentum by providing a next step for the attendees, such as giving out handouts about upcoming classes and events. Our leadership men are working hard at offering events and opportunities for men, couples, and families—people who range from those who still need to accept Christ to mature leaders are finding opportunities to worship, grow, and serve. – Pastor Jim, Fellowship Reformed Church

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