Vince Lombardi said, “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price”.  I think that is important for us as Christians to think about. Greg Arnold,  NOW! Pass It On. talked about the importance to let people know about the web site LiveBold.org so that we might reach more men and make a difference in their thought process.  That is Greg’s mission – to provide a new way of thinking about men and their lives and about Jesus Christ.

Men are an important outreach for the growing church.  In this country there are vast differences within the United States with respect to a belief in God. Only 59% of Americans living in Western states confess a belief in God, yet in the South in the Bible Belt, the figure is as high as 86%.  Men make up far less than half of that statistic.  “I guess you might say that men hide behind the apron strings of their wives spirituality,” To quote a radio preacher. 

Many U.S. adult citizens identify themselves as Christians (76.5 – 78.5%). A 2001 survey found 15% of the adult population to have no religious affiliation, still significantly less than in other postindustrial countries such as UK (44%) and Sweden (69%). According to ARIS and other studies, non-Christian religions (including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and others) collectively make up about 5.5% of the adult population. According to a 2005 poll 51% of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form, the same poll indicated that 30% of Americans believe that Humans evolved but God “guided the process” an additional 15% believe that Humans evolved on their own without God.  Wikipedia® 

I just read that more and more people are going to church today because of the economic crisis.  It is like after 9:11 the churches were filled.  We need God when there is crisis and only then, wrong.  We need God and Christ all of the time as men – the leader of our family. 

Did you know that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow?   We have seen that at our church because of MYF.  If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow. But if the father is first, there is a 93 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow.  So do you think we have a mission? Sid Woodriff  http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=15630

“If you reach the men, you reach the families,”said Sid Woodruff of First Baptist of Hendersonville, Tenn.. “But to reach the men, you have to enter into their world.” Of about 94 million men in the United States, Woodruff said, 68 million don’t attend any church, but 85 percent of those say they did grow up with some sort of church background. These men aren’t necessarily opposed to going to church, Woodruff said. They just don’t see churches as being “male-friendly.”

“Churches by and large are doing a great job in women’s ministries,” Woodruff said. “In some ways, it’s easier to arrange than men’s ministries. Women, by nature, tend to enjoy getting together and talking to each other. Men don’t necessarily think about doing that. In fact, men tend to isolate themselves. We need to find ways to get men talking to each other and forming relationships around topics and activities that interest them.”

One way that we as men can start to reach men is to set up groups that support each other.  There has to be a genuine commitment or bond formed so that men feel apart of a small group.  Men seem to want to do projects more than to sit around and talk about feelings.  They want to be in a natural environment whereby they can display their feelings through accomplishments.  I do feel that there needs to be a place that a new person coming into the local church can plug into a group.  “We need to help guys plug into a group where they will feel comfortable.” If there are 94 million men in the United States, we need to reach the 68 million that are not connected. 

The only way we can expect this number to grow is through hard work and a sincere love for men, the un-churched, un-saved.  We need to keep on chipping away at our mission to minister to men. The Devil is chipping away at every thing else. “Who is your faith role model? Who will lead the way for our men ministry?  Greg is on the right path…  I am reminded in Luke 11 that if you keep on keeping on it will happen. 

  Luke 11:8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

 Then and only then will success happen to our men’s program though love and hard work.  Men, Ministry, Mission, is where Greg has placed his heart so it is our mission to act with boldness. Then we can reach out and support men through this mission.

-Steve RUSK

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