A total of 55 men from the New York metropolitan area, including men from Connecticut and Rhode Island, were treated to both the insight and humor of Leonard Albert during the Discipling Strong Men Seminar held at Solid Rock on Saturday, October 10.
Leonard Albert is the International Director of Church of God Laity Ministries. He is an enthusiastic motivational speaker specializing in training and equipping people to reach their full potential in ministry. Leonard Albert is a firm believer that you can’t share the gospel or your faith with others unless you have been taught on how to do so. So what does that mean exactly? Well for starters, telling someone that they must “turn or burn” or “sanctify or fry” is not an effective way to reach others for Christ.
So how did Christ impact so many? During his time on earth, Christ used stories (parables) to explain spiritual principles in a way they could be understood. He also established relationships to build disciples. “Discipleship is not just Christian education, Saturday morning breakfasts at the church, or memorizing scripture,” Leonard explained, “Discipleship is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), it is multiplication through reproduction (2 Timothy 2:2), and apprenticeship (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
The goals of this seminar were clear: Learn a strategy, leave with a plan of action, and acquire resources. Leonard shared statistics on men in the church and why it is hard to keep them engaged. For the most part, understanding the needs of men and what they are looking for is key to maintaining or establishing a successful men’s ministry. Leonard shared several examples, acquired during his travels, of different creative methods that churches are using to reach men. “There is no one way that works for every church. You have to get to know the needs and types of the men in your community before you can be effective.” However, regardless of the method, he emphasized that we must identify a strategy that best fits their needs, create a plan of action to execute it, and acquire the resources to keep the momentum going.
In keeping with the strategy for Discipling Strong Men, seven more men just completed the “LifeBuilders Essentials” study with Don Stedge. Jose Pena, Terrance White, Ray Gonzalez, Leland Parkinson, Wilson Ortiz, Rick White and Sheldon Scott-Bonnick received their certificates of completion after finishing the 12 week study. This makes a total of 38 men from Solid Rock who have taken this first step to becoming a disciple.
Currently, Bim Nathaniel is leading another four men through the Kingdom Calling study and Mike Anson, Sr. is beginning the “10 Questions That Trouble Every Thinking Man” small group starting this Tuesday. As you can see, Armorbearers Men’s Ministry is on the forefront of “Discipling Strong Men”!
If you would like to hear this entire seminar for yourself, the Solid Rock Bookstore is selling a 4 CD set recorded live on October 10 for $10.
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