April 2007
Men’s Ministry Best Practices: Avoiding Common Failures
Integrate Your Vision
Foundational to our approach with churches is the use of the Four Pillars of Success for Men's Ministry. Pillar 1 looks at God’s Will and Vision for the church, given to the senior pastor. If you want to avoid one of the common men’s ministry failures at this stage, make sure you integrate the pastor’s vision for the church into your men’s ministry.
Whether you are the senior pastor wanting to get a men’s ministry going, or the lay leader appointed to spearhead your church’s men’s ministry effort, it is important that the overall mission and vision of your church be clearly understood by the men’s ministry leadership team and incorporated into these efforts.
For example, if the church’s mission is to create a safe place for people to encounter Christ and grow in their relationship with Him, your men’s ministry must have that same emphasis. You want your ministry pulling in the same direction as your pastor. It will be difficult to sustain your pastor’s support if he senses the men’s ministry heading in a contrary direction.
An organized ministry to men can be a key component to accomplishing specific overall church goals at any given point in the church’s life. If, for example, a church is launching a building campaign, communicating that vision with the men’s ministry team early in the process can create excellent momentum. Or, if the church is preparing to launch a major overseas missions initiative, building grass roots support in the men’s ministry will bring greater strength to the effort.
Don’t let your men’s ministry become an island unto itself – keep connected to your pastor’s vision and mission for your church, and you will experience a more dynamic ministry to men for years to come!
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