All-Inclusive Ministry to Men
What size is the Ministry to Men in your church? Is it a portion of the men who attend your church? Or do you include ALL the men in your church? Do you only count MEN’s-only events? Or do you count all the activities & events in the church that men are involved?
At Man in the Mirror we use this definition for an All-Inclusive Ministry to Men: An All-Inclusive Ministry to Men maximizes the Kingdom potential of every interaction your church has with every man. Using this definition, the size of your ministry to men is equal to the number of men in your church. It can also expand to the men that your church has any contact with on any given day (husbands/brothers/fathers of wives/sisters/daughters who don’t attend; fathers of children who attend the Daycare; the UPS/FedEx delivery men; etc.).
This also means that you not only include men’s-only activities, but also every activity that men are involved. Are there men involved with ushering, playing in the Praise Band, singing in the choir, or worshiping on Sunday morning and doing nothing else? Then those activities are part of the Ministry to Men.
This mindset solves a number of problems:
- The “US” vs. “THEM” mentality: If everyone is in the men’s ministry, then no one can be considered an “outsider.”
- Turf Battles: Everyone is on the same team and there is no perception that anyone is attempting to “steal” men from another group.
- On the Pastor’s Team: This shows the Pastor that you are not trying to set up a separate ministry for men, exclusive of everything else going on around the church. It will be a relief for your Pastor knowing that you don’t have to invent a whole new set of programs to have a ministry to men.
- Takes the Pressure Off: No one person or group is responsible for all growth opportunities for men. Your Leadership Team can focus on filling in the gaps for the men of your church.
An All-Inclusive mindset helps every man in the church feel like he is part of something bigger than himself. It allows each man to be involved in your church wherever he feels God is calling him to participate.
