Starting a Men’s Ministry in Your Church
February 20, 2017
You are not ready to begin a men’s ministry in your church until God has placed a desire in the heart of at least one layman to reach and develop men for Christ. This is the real starting point – one man’s passion and availability to be used by God. At that point, there are several key practical steps that should be taken.
- Share your vision for men’s ministry with the church staff, and ask the pastor and other staff members to join you and other men in an informal prayer meeting. Pray for God to meet the needs of men, and resist the temptation to talk about programs. This will establish the ministry as one that is focused on God and people, rather than on a program. Continue meeting together for prayer on a weekly basis.
- Assess the needs of the men in your church. With the support of your church staff, develop and administer a “needs survey.”
- Form a diverse men’s group to evaluate the surveys and develop a written purpose statement for your men’s ministry. Before drafting the purpose statement, review the characteristics of effective men’s ministries.
- Develop a timeline for beginning a ministry that will address the needs of men. Refuse to start too much too fast. Devote time and energy in establishing leadership requirements and a leader training process.
Keep in mind that building a Christ-honoring men’s ministry takes time. Some have suggested that it takes as much as three years to develop a balanced men’s ministry. Wait on God, and do not begin a new ministry or group without having prepared leaders in place.
