Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…
Hebrews 10:23-25a
Today promises to be extra busy, so I only have time for a short post this morning. So let’s start exactly where I did, at 7:30, with a group of 19 men meeting for fellowship and Bible study as they do every Tuesday.
There is a lot about this church that gives me encouragement. But the strength and commitment of the men’s group speaks to something that is at the core of my definition of a healthy congregation.
Strength for your congregation:
If you look at church statistics, a handful of key numbers tend to be singled out for reporting. Membership, average attendance, Sunday school enrollment, and financial giving. In my opinion, “Commitment to Men’s Ministry” should stand as a key metric equally worthy of note.
Pick any church you know; and whatever else is going on, if even a small group of men meet together for the expressed purpose of Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement as disciples, then odds are it is going to be a strong church.
Not an occasional bull session anchored by a plate of donuts and a devotional, but a weekly commitment to read God’s word, open up about deep matters of faith, pray for one another, and – as Hebrews 10:24 puts it – “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
Do this:
So here is my challenge, no matter the size or denomination of your congregation: Invite two or three other men to join you, and begin meeting weekly to “spur one another on” as followers of the Way of Jesus. Before long people will notice. As that group grows in faith and commitment and vitality, so will the church that you love.
In the New Year I plan to talk with some of the younger men here, and share with them about the “Fathers who aren’t in heaven” ministry. Stay tuned.
In love, and because it is love and reconciliation that will save this world – DEREK