Last week we had our mens bible study like we do every month. Though the group was the same 3 or 4 guys it is every month, this time the tone and tenor were different. Honestly, I was feeling uninspired the days leading into the meeting. It felt like I was pouring time and energy into something that didn’t matter.
But then I listened to a recent episode on the This is Foster podcast which led me to rethinking the entirety of how we do Men’s Ministry at Calvary. As I thought more about it, I realized part of the struggle is that men’s ministry often gets stuck in one of two ditches.
The first is the duplication of women’s ministry. This is the model I have seen the most in my experience. Forcing a women’s ministry model onto men ignores how men actually operate. Women often thrive face-to-face in circles of deep sharing, prayer, and encouragement. That is good and godly.
But men are wired differently. They tend to open up best shoulder-to-shoulder—when working, driving, or striving toward a shared goal. When men’s ministry assumes men are like women, men stop showing up.
If one ditch assumes men are like women, the other ditch swings the opposite way—into brotherhood without a backbone. It's the idea of brotherhood apart from a deep devotion to the scriptures or maturation. This will often look like mens outings at the shooting range, fishing tournaments, hunting adventures, or just getting together for a bonfire.
While these are good and well, they can’t be the backbone of a flourishing men’s ministry because it lacks a proper destination. What is that ministry aiming for? What’s the mission? If you can gather a bunch of men together but fail to aim them at the right thing what have you actually accomplished?
So if both of these approaches fall short, why bother with men’s ministry at all?
Why does Men’s Ministry Matter?
Because men matter—and the stakes couldn’t be higher. God has uniquely called men to lead, to protect, to build, and to sacrifice (more on these in future articles). And when men fail to step into that calling, families suffer, churches suffer, and whole communities suffer.
Our culture is actively discipling men every day — telling them what to love, what to chase, and how to live. If the church doesn’t disciple men, the world will.
That’s why men’s ministry matters. It’s not about creating another program. It’s about raising up men who bear the weight of responsibility with joy, who reflect Christ in their homes, workplaces, and church. Men who finish well and pass the baton to the next generation.
How We’re Changing at Calvary
If this is what’s at stake, then we can’t settle for shallow answers. So how should we do men’s ministry differently?
At Calvary, here’s the vision we’ve committed to:
That’s the framework—character, fathering, multiplication. But it won’t mean anything unless you step into it. So here’s your invitation.
We aren’t looking for a crowd, we are looking for brothers who want to join together in brotherhood to be forged into Godly men. Brothers who will carry the weight of responsibility with joy, invest in other men, and leave a legacy that outlives them.
What are you waiting for?
But then I listened to a recent episode on the This is Foster podcast which led me to rethinking the entirety of how we do Men’s Ministry at Calvary. As I thought more about it, I realized part of the struggle is that men’s ministry often gets stuck in one of two ditches.
The first is the duplication of women’s ministry. This is the model I have seen the most in my experience. Forcing a women’s ministry model onto men ignores how men actually operate. Women often thrive face-to-face in circles of deep sharing, prayer, and encouragement. That is good and godly.
But men are wired differently. They tend to open up best shoulder-to-shoulder—when working, driving, or striving toward a shared goal. When men’s ministry assumes men are like women, men stop showing up.
If one ditch assumes men are like women, the other ditch swings the opposite way—into brotherhood without a backbone. It's the idea of brotherhood apart from a deep devotion to the scriptures or maturation. This will often look like mens outings at the shooting range, fishing tournaments, hunting adventures, or just getting together for a bonfire.
While these are good and well, they can’t be the backbone of a flourishing men’s ministry because it lacks a proper destination. What is that ministry aiming for? What’s the mission? If you can gather a bunch of men together but fail to aim them at the right thing what have you actually accomplished?
So if both of these approaches fall short, why bother with men’s ministry at all?
Why does Men’s Ministry Matter?
Because men matter—and the stakes couldn’t be higher. God has uniquely called men to lead, to protect, to build, and to sacrifice (more on these in future articles). And when men fail to step into that calling, families suffer, churches suffer, and whole communities suffer.
Our culture is actively discipling men every day — telling them what to love, what to chase, and how to live. If the church doesn’t disciple men, the world will.
That’s why men’s ministry matters. It’s not about creating another program. It’s about raising up men who bear the weight of responsibility with joy, who reflect Christ in their homes, workplaces, and church. Men who finish well and pass the baton to the next generation.
How We’re Changing at Calvary
If this is what’s at stake, then we can’t settle for shallow answers. So how should we do men’s ministry differently?
At Calvary, here’s the vision we’ve committed to:
- Biblical Character as the Foundation."Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness." Titus 2:2The scriptures give us the blueprint for the kind of men we should be becoming.
- Sober-minded — clear-headed, not ruled by impulse or distraction.
- Dignified — carrying yourself with the weight of character.
- Self-controlled — not letting your passions or habits rule you.
- Sound in faith — healthy, grounded in truth.
- Sound in love — committed to people, not just principles.
- Sound in steadfastness — not quitting when it gets hard.
- Spiritual Fathering is the Method"Urge the younger men to be self-controlled." Titus 2:6The idea that growing into manhood is caught and not taught is evident in the scriptures. This is why Paul urges Titus that the older men should teach the younger men.Timothy had Paul. Elisha had Elijah. Joshua had Moses. The disciples had Jesus.This means that our men’s ministry must be highly relational and not just informational. Discipleship is not a class that you take but a path that you walk, should-to-shoulder, with other men. This is the call to all the men of Calvary, both old and young. The brothers need you.
- Multiplication is the Goal."What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2.If one man invests in another, and that man invests in another, the influence multiplies far beyond one gathering, one ministry, even one lifetime. The goal is not to have another program on the calendar for men, but to raise up generations of husbands, fathers, workers, and leaders who reflect Jesus.
That’s the framework—character, fathering, multiplication. But it won’t mean anything unless you step into it. So here’s your invitation.
We aren’t looking for a crowd, we are looking for brothers who want to join together in brotherhood to be forged into Godly men. Brothers who will carry the weight of responsibility with joy, invest in other men, and leave a legacy that outlives them.
What are you waiting for?
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