Article
6 Reasons to Start a Men’s Ministry
When the men of a church are healthy spiritually and relationally, it’s very likely the church will be too.
In a church plant, it is hard to know what to emphasize, what to pour your energy into. There are the non-negotiables like preaching, member care, and evangelism (although how you go about evangelism is a whole other pile of questions). Then there are so many potential right answers and worthwhile ventures: community outreach and partnerships, campus connections, and on and on. So why, with all these possibilities and demands, is it worthwhile to put your efforts into starting a men’s ministry? Let me make the case with six reasons.
1. Men are already being discipled . . . by whom?
The men on your launch team, the men in your neighborhood, the men on campus nearby, the men you want to reach–all of them–are being discipled already. They are being discipled by social media, by podcasts, by pornography, by rhetoric. They are being formed into . . . something. Likely something harsh or hateful or self-centered or self-loathing. But nothing out there will form men into what God has in store for them: the glorious reality of a God-fearing, God-honoring, God-enjoying, gentle, humble, strong, convicted, assured image bearer. They can only find that in the gospel, and that is your business, church planter.
You are in the business of gospel proclamation and formation. So make a space and make a plan to invite the men in your sphere into the dignity, strength, and gladness God has for them in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. Men need a context to feel at home in church.
Recent research shows that men are coming back to church after decades of being outpaced by women in church attendance. This is certainly encouraging. And don’t you want it to be a sea change rather than merely a trend? What is it that will keep these men committed to the body of Christ? It’s not techniques or gimmicks. It is finding their place in the body of Christ, finding a place to call home, and one of the ways churches can offer this is to have a rich, substantial, honest, transparent men’s ministry.
It doesn’t need to be polished or flashy (in fact, these things might even work against you in the long run) but rather marked by genuineness, depth, boldness, and humility. It doesn’t need to be stereotypically manly with all that brashness and camo and red meat. But it needs to be manly as Christ was, and is, manly: unapologetic about the gospel, welcoming to the weak and worn out, patient with the struggling, and confrontational to those who adulterate the gospel. If men find this kind of environment in a church, they have found a context they can call home.
3. Men’s ministry is evangelistic and member care.
Every church plant worth its salt wants to reach the unreached and to see people come to know Jesus. And every faithful pastor wants to care deeply for those in his flock; we are shepherds after all. A healthy, Jesus-centric men’s ministry is a means of doing both.
It is often easier for men to invite friends to a midweek gathering of other men exploring Scripture, praying together, and being honest about life and struggles. It has a lower barrier to entry and often feels more comfortable for men who have had negative experiences at church in the past. And in that same environment, the men of the church are being poured into, cared for, and prayed for. They have an opportunity to be open about hardships in life and soul. And you, the pastor, have a means of taking the pulse of things and having a regular shepherding touchpoint.
4. Men’s ministry reaches all generations.
When a visitor walks into a church on Sunday morning, they are likely thinking, “Do I belong here?” One of the ways they are gauging this is whether there are others there who look like they do. Are there other gray heads? Are there other college students? Are there other dads of young kids? It is hard to be the oddity in a congregation.
In a men’s ministry, this is easier to overcome because the generations can be set up to honor and value one another more directly and easily. The gray heads have so much to offer the younger men. The younger men have so much energy, passion, and curiosity to enliven everyone. And the tired dads have others who understand them and a place to step outside the context of diapers and carpools and be spiritually refreshed. An invested men’s ministry makes it easier for men to feel like they belong in the church and, in that way, benefits the whole church.
5. Men are called to lead in the home and the church.
Very few churches (especially church plants) are overflowing with healthy, humble, Christ-like leaders. Most churches (especially church plants) are constantly on the hunt for elders and ministry leaders. Throughout Scripture, men are called to lead in our homes and in the church. We are called to lead with the love of Jesus, to lead sacrificially, to lead with boldness, and to lead with integrity. An invested men’s ministry is a context for fostering just this kind of leader.
At the very foundation, men’s ministry pours the truths of the gospel and the emphasis on Jesus into men. But men’s ministry is also a context where leaders can stand out. Who is faithful? Who is wise? Who humbly volunteers? Who builds others up? Who is insightful about Scripture? This is a leadership incubator where future elders and ministry leaders can be identified and invested in.
6. Healthy men make the church a better place for everyone.
When the men of a church are healthy spiritually and relationally, it’s very likely the church will be too. When the men are deeply rooted in Jesus, the environment of the church will resemble Jesus. When the men are humble and courageous and loving and gentle and strong, everyone else in the church will thrive because of their service and care. When the men are healthy in Jesus, they lift everyone else, they care for the hurting, they protect the vulnerable, and they clearly proclaim and exemplify Jesus.
Church planter, pastor, I know you have a hundred things on your plate and a hundred more vying for your attention–all of them worthwhile. But might it be worth considering starting a men’s ministry? Might it be trajectory-setting in the long-term health of your church to invest weekly in men with the gospel? Might the fruits of such an effort reverberate through your church and community for years to come?
