Intersected

Presented by David Michael, Pastor for Parenting and Family Discipleship at Bethlehem Baptist Church, at the 2009 Children Desiring God conference as posted by Jared Kennedy at SojournKids.com, the blog of the children’s ministry at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.

Bethlehem Baptist statistics:

Our congregation is 30% male and 60% female.  Our nursery has 18% male workers.  Our kindergarten—2nd grade group has 34% male workers.  By 5th grade, our classes are approximately 50/50.  43% of our teachers are male.  23% of our team leaders are male.  This is more of an administrative role, and men seem to be less detail oriented.  Of our male staff, 19% are single, 69% are married, and 57% have children of their own.

Why mobilize men?

1. Because men need to obey the Word as much as women do.
2. Because our sons and daughters need the benefit of seeing biblical masculinity up close.
   Our boys are missing the incentives that they once had to rise up and be like men.
   Our boys are missing training. Our men do not fully understand what it means to be a biblical man and pass this on to their children.
   Our boys are missing a biblical vision of true masculinity. “As young men, sometimes all we need is a picture of what we could become”—Eric Ludy
   Effective ministry to children and youth is effective ministry to men.
3. Because our children need to understand that Christian affection is for men as well as women.
   This is why we encourage our men to bring their children into our adult services… so that they will see men embracing God with affection.  Young boys need to see that they can do this.  Young girls need to desire men who engage with God.
4. Men are called to be spiritual leaders in the home and in the church. 
   Boys and girls need to witness men leading in the home and in the church.  Men who are effective in the home will be effective in our Sunday Schools.  Men who learn to be effective in the Sunday Schools will be encouraged and equipped to lead in their homes.

Why are men reluctant?

1. Stereotypes
   Over time, the cultural assumption has been that men are not equipped for early childhood work and ministry.
2. Lack of Confidence
    Men feel spiritually incompetent to teach their children, much less lead others’ children.  Men feel less confident in their faith, and they feel less able to teach the next generation.
3. Dominant Female Presence in the Leadership of the Ministry
4. Time
5. Trust
   Administrators see a legal liability with men, and there is higher parental concern that their children will be abused.  Men feel this to some degree.
6. Low Status
   This doesn’t seem like leadership.

How do we mobilize men?

1. Pray
   Secure the aid of Omnipotence.  “Your business is to train mortals for earth, and immortal beings for God, heaven and eternity…  By believing prayer, secure the aid of Omnipotence”—John Angell James.  Isaiah 31:1; Psalm 116:2
2. Call men to pursue a great challenge.
   “Many men respond to big hairy audacious goals.  I don’t know what that would be, but many men like a good challenge.”—Bethlehem Baptist volunteers
3. Call men to pursue a great cause
   Join us to raise a generation of boys that will act like men and not a generation that will be wimps and barbarians.  Call them to be strong and courageous Ephesians 6 men.  Men and boys will respond when we call them to take up their cross.
4. Impress on men their unique qualifications
   Men have something to give that women cannot, namely their manhood.  See John Angel James’ Addresses to Young Men.
5. Invite them
6. Invest in male leadership
   Bethlehem invested in a pastoral position.
   “Men need other men to inspire them, motivate them, and hold them accountable.  There are just some issues that only a group of good men can defeat.  Just like there are some things you don’t do alone in life such as swim in the ocean or climb a mountain, men should not go through life alone either.  Men need other men.”—Rich Johnson
7. Feed them! 
   Both physically (have donuts) and satisfy their hunger to learn and to benefit from ministry, that is, satisfy their Godly desires.

“This might seem like a strange ‘encouragement’, but I would tell them that it is HARD.  This takes time, effort, and energy.  You WILL become a stronger believer through this.  Your faith WILL grow.”  “I love that I benefit as much as the kids.  If you want to learn something, teach it.”—Bethlehem volunteers

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 at 6:43 am and is filed under Faith, Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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