By Leonard C. Albert
My friend of many years, Pat Morley, says “Give men what they want in the context of what they need.” Our minds immediately ask two questions: (1) “what do men want?” and (2) “what do men need?” Men want adventure—they want a challenge. They need a structure, a system to make number one work. John Eldredge in his now famous book titled Wild at Heart says it this way, “Life is not a problem to be solved, it is an adventure to be lived. A man just won’t be happy until he’s got adventure in his work, in his love and in his spiritual life.” Where can a man find this “adventure” in his spiritual life? Most of the time in church, he is required to just come and sit and listen to teachings or sermons. What men really want is a church that will call them to action and they are attracted to churches that offer opportunities to really make a difference in this life.
What is “Matthew 25 Men?”
The LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry discipleship model has three elements:
- Walk with Christ (know Him as Savior);
- Live like Christ (know Him as Lord and Master;) and
- Work for Christ (find a personal ministry).
Matthew 25 Men speaks to this third area: work for Christ. This is a “servant” type ministry that helps people in the church family, the community and beyond. It involves Church Projects such as “Workday at Church” where men volunteer for repair, painting, and maintenance work at the church. The men of the church can meet periodically on a Saturday to trim shrubs, pull vines, spread pine straw or mulch, paint, make repairs, and do whatever else needs attention. These church projects can include reaching out to the less fortunate of the church family by doing small repair work on homes like adding a wheel chair ramp, or repairing the steps, etc. It involves Ministry Projects such as visiting shut-ins, people in hospitals, nursing homes, jails and prisons. It involves being salt and light by sharing the gospel through personal testimony and showing kindness. It involves doing good deeds both inside and outside the church such as snow removal, leaf raking or lawn mowing. It involves Community Service Projects such as “Car Care Saturday” to help widows and single moms. It could be a project like installing smoke detectors in low-income homes, or washing cars for free, or giving away coffee and water at a sporting event. Your local chapter of LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry can plan a monthly service project lasting a half or a full day for most months of the year.
Matthew 25 Men is the outreach that helps a man find the adventure he is looking for, and at the same time reach out to hurting people in the church and community. Matthew 25 Men challenges men to become active in a “feel good about helping others” outreach. Our goal for men is to help them grow in Christ by moving toward the center of God’s will. We do not aim to change a man’s behavior—we want God to change the core affections of his heart. When a man works for Christ he discovers his own personal ministry using his unique spiritual giftedness. Usually three things will happen. (1) He will serve others in need in the church and community through special projects, (2) He will help family and friends grow in Christ and (3) He will win the lost to Christ.
As I travel and speak to thousands of men I feel they are sick and tired of not being challenged and offered some type of ministry adventure. They are weary of just talking about sports, the weather, and the stock market. This exciting outreach ministry of LifeBuilders helps fuel their competitive drive. It helps them find adventure, change, competition, and expansion—all within the mission of Jesus to seek and save the lost. Once a man has been in the real presence of Jesus, he will never be happy until he finds a way to express his gratitude through love and good deeds. We believe that men have a passion in their lives that will make a difference in the world. This ministry helps them find that passion.
Who are the men of Matthew 25 Men?
Matthew 25 Men are men who are being discipled in their local churches. They work out of the existing men’s ministry group as this effort is always under the sponsorship of the local chapter of men’s ministries. Matthew 25 Men are men who take seriously the challenge to us in Matthew 25: 35-36 where Jesus said, For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. We need more men in local churches to reach out to others with a servant’s heart. Church of God LifeBuilders has thousands of men who are ready to put their skills and personal ministry to work in the local church and beyond. It can be a great adventure to feed the hungry, give to the thirsty, help the stranger, clothe the needy, visit the sick and reach men in prison.
Steve Sonderman is a great men’s leader. His book on How To Build a Life-Changing Men’s Ministry is sold here in our bookstore. Here’s what he says about challenging men:
Men want to be involved in a cause greater than themselves. If I have learned one thing during my years of ministry to men, it’s that men want to be involved in something driven by a compelling vision. They want to be involved in something bigger and grander than themselves. Men want to know what hill the church is climbing, where we are going, what we are about. Men are not going to give you their time, money, and energy to move papers around and attend committee meetings. They want to be about the work of Kingdom Expansion. They want to see a discernible difference in the world in which they live?
We believe Matthew 25 Men can make that difference in a man’s life. Why not get started today?!
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