Vision

We have cheated men by obscuring the incredible adventure of changing the world through Christ behind programs and activities. (No Man Left Behind)

Do the men attending your church have a sense as to why they are there? Have you set a direction/purpose before the men of your church?

Too often men go to church without any real sense of purpose. They participate in activities because they are supposed to, or because someone asks them to, but they don’t really know why they are involved. Most of them have never been given a compelling reason why the church should be a priority in their lives. They have never heard that joining Christ in transforming the world is the adventure their hearts have always longed for.

Many men in churches are doing things with no idea why. They may continue to be engaged for a while, but eventually they’ll get tired, bored, and discouraged. And then their hearts will begin to grow cold, wither, and die.

The first step in building the right strategy of discipling men is to formulate your vision. God desires for the church to reach men with the gospel of Christ and help them grow to maturity. Leaders are called to disciple and equip people so they can do the actual work of the ministry and mature to become all God is calling them to be.

Vision is more than just a purpose/mission statement. It’s a mindset, it’s a communication tool. Provided below is one way to help develop this mindset and tool.

A Process for developing your vision

Step 1: An Internal Purpose Statement for Your Men’s Ministry

• This should be used mainly with your leadership team as an aid in prayer and strategic planning.
• You may want to have biblical themes and phrases in the statement (consider: Proverbs 27:17; Matthew 28:18-20; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:28-29; II Timothy 2:2)
• Remember, this statement will tell you what you will do and how you will do it.

Step 2: An External Slogan to Challenge Your Men

• It is helpful to have a “call” or “slogan” that resonates with the men in your church.
• Develop a resonant phrase or slogan that lets your men know you are playing for keeps. Call men to join a great vision of what God could do in your midst. Inspire them to join a cause that literally means the difference between eternal life and death for hundreds and thousands of men and their families.

Step 3: Your Elevator Speech

• Train your leaders to share their passion for your men’s ministry with other men.
• Help them develop a four or five sentence explanation about why they are excited about what God is doing through the men of your church.

It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of developing and sharing the vision for your men. It is the single most important ingredient for creating the kind of atmosphere God uses to change men’s hearts.