The elders of Newton Bible Church desire to equip and encourage the men of the church family to fulfill the roles designed for them by God in the home, the church and society. We are convinced that when men fulfill their God given roles well, then each of these areas of life are blessed by God and bring honor to God. With that in mind we commit to the following principles, purposes, and patterns for how we as a church will seek to equip and encourage our men.
Core Principles
- God has designed for men to be servant leaders who love others through sacrificially laying down their lives for others. (Mk. 10:42-45)
- God has called men to be growing in godliness as they mature in Christ. (2 Pt. 3:18)
- God has given His Son as the perfect Man, and each man who is in Christ needs to be progressively conformed to His image. (Rom. 8:28-30)
- God has given His all-sufficient Word to teach us all that we need to be mature in Him. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
- God has called men to be defenders of the truth and so Satan seeks to constantly attack and divide men from other godly men so as to weaken the defense of the truth in the Church. (Acts 20:28-32)
Core Purposes
- Biblically equip men with truth that particularly pertains to their roles as men.
- Theologically train men to be knowers and defenders of the truth in their lives, families, and church.
- Provide opportunity for mutual encouragement and accountability from other men who know the same challenges of being godly men.
- Challenge men to be servant leaders who are always growing in their maturity in Christ.
Core Patterns
- As elders we see this ministry as one of the key ways to grow the church in godliness and grace. We also know how busy men are and how challenging it is to have them serve in yet another capacity. Therefore, we as elders will serve as the Men’s Ministry Committee with the staff elders serving as the point persons of this ministry.
- As elders we see that one of the most effective ways we can encourage the men of our church in godliness is to meet with them for study of the Word, mutual encouragement, and prayer. Each elder will seek these types of relationships as he is able, but the following ways will be pursued corporately to develop a church culture in which men study the Word together:
- Provide weekly opportunities for men to meet together to study the Word, pray, & encourage one another. Our desire is to offer at least one weekly study at all times. These studies will be for 3 or 4 months at a time, and will be offered at different times of the week and day so as to make these studies available to the most amount of men.
- These studies will be led by the pastor’s to start, but can be expanded as other leaders/teachers become available and interested.
- These studies can be a study of a book of the Bible, a study of systematic theology, or a study pertaining to being a godly man.
- These studies will be publicized and open to any who want to come.
- Provide bi-monthly studies throughout the year which equip men in their unique roles (husbands, fathers, servants, etc.), and address topics which particularly pertain to men (self-control, purity, leadership, etc.). The pastors will work on organizing speakers for these events. This time will likely be paired with food at either a breakfast or dinner event, but the main focus will be time in the Word together and small group discussion/prayer.
- Provide weekly opportunities for men to meet together to study the Word, pray, & encourage one another. Our desire is to offer at least one weekly study at all times. These studies will be for 3 or 4 months at a time, and will be offered at different times of the week and day so as to make these studies available to the most amount of men.
- As elders we also desire to encourage and edify men who can’t participate in a weekly study, but who would be available for one-time events. With this in mind, we will seek to provide 3-4 events a year in which men can gather to enjoy an activity together, be challenged from the Word, and be encouraged by fellowship with one another. This will include things like a Men’s retreat, a shooting event, a service event, Ironmen Summit, etc.
- As elders we desire to help all the men of our church family lead well within our church. We also desire to train the next generation of servant leaders for our church family. With that in mind we will seek to host a Leadership Retreat once a year in which we invite all of the men who are members to attend and join the conversation about ministry objectives for the next year. The elders will intentionally prepare for this time so that we lead the conversations well, but we also desire to give opportunity for the men to genuinely be heard as they bear the weight of leadership in their roles and share ideas about ministry.
Core Plea
- May God use our meager efforts to strengthen men in their faith in the Lord and in their godly leadership in the Body of Christ at Newton Bible Church!