Yes, It Is Different

The focus today is on the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day) Southwest District, GC COG7 SWD, Men’s Ministry.  Sergio Alfaro is a licensed minister serving as Co-Pastor of his Local Church and as the Director for the SWD Men’s Ministry.  He has developed a team of Ministry Partners throughout the states comprising the SWD GC COG7.  He leads a Team of leaders who are actively engaged in seeking teams of Ministry Partners in each area reaching into the Local Churches.  Therefore, if you are being called to work in Men’s Ministry, you may want to contact a SWD Area Director or me about getting in contact with Bro. Sergio Alfaro.

While serving as a Local Church Pastor in Wister, Oklahoma with then first elder and now Pastor Lamar Ford, we saw the need for a strong men’s ministry in the Church, especially for the Wister, OK COG7.  We engaged the men of the Local Church and set about developing a Local Church Men’s Ministry.  Promise Keepers had been a phenomenal but passing success in drawing men’s attention to the need for the male gender to return or build a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  So, we tried that twice in the local church.  It sprang up with great hope, settled down and died about as quickly as it started both times.  We tried two other approaches that had some success but failed to thrive for the long term.  

It was at that point, in considering what our fifth attempt should be, Lamar, who had now become my co-pastor, and I made a Local Church administrative decision.  We decided if we were to lead a successful Local Church Men’s Ministry, we needed to get some training and coaching.  We traveled to Littleton, Colorado and seated ourselves under the tutelage of Dan Schaffer, a former Promise Keepers Team Member and current founder and operator of Building Brothers who focused on becoming Spiritual Fathers for Building Brothers.  Upon our return to the big city of Wister, Oklahoma, a bustling city of almost 1,000 people, we put the training to use.  The ministry rooted, grew, and changed the Local Church and entire community forever.  It remains a phenomenal experience that has shaped my attitude towards men’s ministry to this day.  

You can connect with Dan Schaffer using the following link.  https://buildingbrothers.org/straight-talk.  Dan was kind enough to mention us in the testimonials of his book, and to work with us in building the ministry.  That was around 2005 or 2006.  He is releasing another book later this year or early next year containing the important parts of his first book plus a key section he discovered was missing in his first effort.

From my time in Local Church Men’s Ministry, three Bible texts that shaped my thoughts on the role of men in the Church are found in 1 Corinthians, 1 John and Proverbs.  There are other texts scattered through out the scriptures as well, of course.  

Looking at the one in 1 Corinthians first, it provides the call for men to behave as God intended man to do, reflecting God’s confidence and strength, always mindful of the circumstances wherein he and those he serves are experiencing.

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV 

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  

The KJV translates that single Greek word as “quit you like men”, meaning an individual man should “act manly,” not as a foolish man but as a godly man.  And don’t forget those times the Apostle Paul said, “by a follower of me like I am of Jesus Christ.”

In the Apostle John’s letter, the point is so important he quotes himself immediately with the same message for emphasis.

1 John 2:12-14 NIV

12. I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 
14. I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 

Proverbs 27:17 ESV

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

The gender role of a man is key in God’s design, and hence, it is key or should be key in our ministry.

With men we need warnings.  It is always important to remind them of the Lord Jesus Christ’s words.  Jesus shared the following when the men he was leading were getting off-course in their ministry.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee along with their mother, had decided they would arrange it so one would sit on the right and the other on the left of the King of heaven in his new Kingdom.  Of course, the “holy” disciples let human emotion ruin their moment and got angry over the matter.  So, Jesus uses the strongest negative language in condemning what was happening.

Matthew 20:24-28, NIV

24. When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 
25. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 
26. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 
27. and whoever wants to be first must be your slave– 
28. just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Adam Clarke writes in his New Testament Commentary, “It shall not be so among you – Every kind of lordship and spiritual domination over the Church of Christ, like that exercised by the Church of Rome, is destructive and anti-Christian.”

The amazing thing is how men thrive when they understand their role clearly as prisoners and slaves of Jesus Christ.  They readily accept their commission to serve those entrusted to them by the King of heaven once they understand the principle and dynamic of their Lord’s design.

While surfing the Internet, I ran across a post by “All About GOD Ministries, Inc.”, a .com company promoting Christian values and resources.  The following excerpt echoes my understanding and feelings about Men’s Ministry.

“Men’s Ministry – A Definition and Commission
One might wonder how men’s ministry is any different from a woman’s ministry or for that matter, any kind of ministry. After all, it would seem that ministry, if done in service for the Lord, is all the same regardless of the gender, age, or race of the individual serving.

Men’s Ministry is the active pursuit of men in order to connect them to God, His Word, and other men for the purpose of winning, growing, and training God’s man in Christ.

We know one thing for sure — God will use the heart and life of anyone who chooses to make himself available to Him. The Bible says, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is the great commission spoken by Jesus Himself. In other words, Jesus Christ is commissioning His followers to go into the entire world and reproduce believers. This is a big calling.

This raises a question. How do we reproduce believers? Can a men’s ministry enable a man to better understand his calling in life and how to achieve it? Can a men’s ministry challenge a man to grow deeper in intellect, emotion, and spirit? Can a men’s ministry teach men how to stay sexually pure? The answer to this question is a resounding yes! 

Men’s Ministry – Begin the Process
The first step in forming a vital men’s ministry in your local church or small-group community is to decide what you want to see happen in a man’s life. Once this is determined, you will need to raise up leaders who will catch the vision and help you lead a potential army of men into a deep relationship with the Lord. 

Men’s Ministry – Non-negotiables
In order to have a strong and balanced Christian men’s ministry, you will have to build a framework of non-negotiables. Here are eight biblically-balanced benchmarks for a healthy ministry to men. 

• FILLING – God’s man is a self-feeder. Consistently studying and applying God’s Word independent of the church or small group is essential. To do this, a man must be taught how to study the Bible. We suggest building your frame work to support a weekly meeting with the pastor or small-group leader to teach Bible interpretation skills (1 Peter 2:1-3; Psalm 1:1-3).
• TRAINING – God’s man receives regular/weekly biblical instruction (1 Thessalonians 2:13). This can be achieved through a weekly small-group Bible study or large-group study with small-group discussion.
• PRACTICING – God’s man learns how to apply God’s Word to all areas of life. It is essential to allowing room for accountability within the men’s ministry for the purpose of consistency and obedience to God’s Word (James 1:22-25; Ezekiel 33:30-32).
• UNITING – God’s man makes it a priority to connect with other men at least two times a month for the purpose of community, accountability, confession, and prayer (Galatians 6:1-3; James 5:16; Hebrews 10:23-24).
• SURVIVING – God’s man learns to address major life temptations and/or crises according to his need and life-stage. Support and encouragement from the ministry leader and small group is essential (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
• REACHING – God’s man gets involved in some form of men’s ministry based on his gifts and talents. God has called each of us to pour out to others what He has poured into us (1 Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:11-13) 
• IMPACTING – God’s man invests time and resources into the lives of other men. We suggest one-on-one connection through shared activities, spiritual mentoring, and modeling (2 Tim 2:22; Proverbs 27:17; Mark 3:13-14).
• SHARING – God’s man learns to actively share his faith in order to lead others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15; Matthew 28:18-20).

Men’s Ministry – A Challenge

• Get connected at the local church into a men’s ministry. Start with an interactive men’s Bible study where men can grow and encourage one another.
• Get help. There are many great resources to help you succeed in men’s ministry. A great source is Every Man Ministries. They are very approachable and offer practical and effective advice, conferences, resources, and training.”

You can read their entire post at the following link.  https://www.allaboutgod.com/mens-ministry.htm#

Where is God gifting you to serve?  What equipping do you need to become successful?  How will you decide what you should be doing in the Kingdom of heaven in this age and place?  Why do you suppose God has called you, or is calling you, to grow into relationship with him?  When will you choose to respond?

In the SWD GC COG7 our recruiting doors are open for Ministry Partners whom God is calling to join us in ministry.  You can go to SWD Media, https://swd.cog7.org/mediaministry/, make contact with us and someone will be in touch with you.  Or, you can go to the GC COG7 website, https://cog7.org/, and request contact from there.

If you desire to read anything on the Blog Posts: From The Superintendent’s Desk, you can find it with this link.  https://swd.cog7.org/?s=   It has posts on leadership, SWD Ministries, general encouragements and exhortations.  It has been my effort to post daily to this blog since the imposed social distancing and assembly restrictions.  As we scroll through the calendar pages the articles are piling higher and higher.  I hope it has something that might be of value for you and your ministry in the service of our King.

The LORD bless you and keep you,

The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you,

The LORD lift his countenance upon you and give you peace.