Sally could not wait to tell her girlfriends about the awesome date that she had with her husband Rick. Things had taken a significantly awesome turn for the best. She had her man back. He was connecting with her on levels she had longed to have for some time now.
It’s not that she wanted to be critical of her man, she wanted to motivate him to get back on his A-game. The man had been such a winner all his life. Now, he just had settled.
Sally had prayed for a solution for quite some time. She tried to encourage, she tried lecturing, she tried teasing, she tried everything. Still, the man just wanted to sit behind the television and watch SportsCenter after work then study before sleep. When could they ever bond or discuss their hopes and dreams/
Recently, Rick surprised her. Not only did he bring flowers out of the blue but he had announced that he made special arrangements for them to have a night out and about. While Sally had her serious doubts about the follow-thru, Rick had delivered well beyond her expectations.
The trickiest bit, Rick and Sally had taken custody of a young child while the parents were on mission work. Sally did not want to leave her responsibilities for one second. She had tried to do it all alone, but she needed help. She couldn’t risk trusting this young child with anyone.
Rick had figured how to handle all of that. Who knew!?! Through very trusted close friends, Rick had arranged an evening’s play-date for the child and an exciting evening for the two of them.
Way to level up Rick!
Sally asked no questions, she just enjoyed herself. Now she was eager to tell all her friends about this radical positive change she was experiencing. Her prayers were getting answered.
Little did she know that the mechanism of the answers came from the men’s club that Rick had recently joined. After all, their church never really had a solid Men’s Ministry anyway… or so she thought…
Leveling up your network
Network of Friends
Everyone is influenced by someone just as much as they influence someone else. We’ve already covered that you’re the average of the five closest to you. We’ve touched on how the Men’s Ministry has diverse talents in each of its members.
The more connected you are, the more resources you have available to you. Each person knows roughly 150 people. A team of 10 men in one ministry has access to 1500 other people. All it takes is an introduction. People rather trust a recommendation from a friend than a cold reference from a t.v. ad. let’s not forget how many more connections social media often allows
This leverage of connections works not just for evangelism and solving problems, but creating healthier communities and domestic relationships. It is that network that allows more mobility to do what you want to do.
One example often sited, quality childcare is very touch to set up due to cost. In a church setting, through use of a network, how awesome is the notion of family sponsored child care for date nights: knowing your child is safe with friends who know and trust each other so that couples who rarely date can now have a date night… and rotate that about the network so everyone gets a date night. The cost savings alone…the trust… the play-dates… the friendships… the team building of the network… the list of benefits goes on and on.
Network of churches
We all know that the church is a network of families. The above example clearly illustrates one aspect of this. However, many know that members are not just friends with people inside the same church. The network of friends from other churches can not be neglected.
Instead of churches competing with each other for attention on special event days, how about using the network to support growth across borders of churches. The mission is to reach the community. If several churches got together to put a special Men’s Health day, the sharing or resources means not one church feels the load alone, but every one benefits from the joint effort.
Not to mention that the leveraging of many more talents means a higher chance of greater success for the event.
A reading club from one church teams up with a babysitting club of another church working with the advertising club of another church while getting supported by the social media club of another sister church…
Imagine the impact that one event has when all those resources come together to put an educational spiritual program. purposely left out the praise teams, music department, and outreach teams in this example to illustrate the creativity that comes from trying outside of the box thinking
Network of professionals
It stands to reason that if each person knows 150 other people, many of them have professions and connections in those professions. Finding jobs for men in need of jobs should not be left to the prayer warriors of the church alone. The Men’s Ministry can utilize the networks within the group/club as well as within the church. However, do not forget the network of other churches and the employers of the members of these churches.
The value add for giving people what they need is priceless. Thinking outside the traditional box is critical. People are tired of great words. They want practical solutions and actions. This is the power and value of the Men’s Ministry in action when you tap into the professional as well as personal networks within your network.
The church can play a critical role of connecting the community with each other and with the church.
Without those professional connections, whenever the church throws a summer block party, the community will be frustrated that traffic is backed up.
But if there are relations in place, the local municipality can make arrangements, people can prepare, and then, the community can participate. Everyone wins instead of everyone feeling frustrated by and at the church.
Leadership, vision, direction, and purpose are baked into the core of the Men’s Ministry. Question is, are you helping this become a reality? What can you do to add value to the purpose of your local Men’s Ministry Department?
the main page where the series lives is at A Tribe of Men
Here different view of the list of posts associated with this series:
A Tribe of Men Introduction
The question has often been heard in some dating circles, where do I find a good man… the same can be heard on the other side of the proverbial aisle too. Yet, the way television, social media memes, and movies portray men, you’d think that they’re just overgrown children in constant need of supervision. The […]
A Tribe of Men: Emotional Safe Zones
Rick was tired. He had had very rough day. Things could have been a bit nicer when he arrived home, but unlike the home of his buddies, his was of great tempest. Sally was always moody. Never a dull or quiet moment. He definitely missed the girlfriend he once had. But, she blossomed into this […]
A Tribe of Men: Learning Through Teaching
Rick signed up to the series at his local church a bit too embarrassed to mention this to his friends or his wife Sally. As far as he could figure, it was going to be a bunch of lectures where he sat around and shared feelings. The very same thing he hated doing at home […]
A Tribe of Men: Network of Networks
Sally could not wait to tell her girlfriends about the awesome date that she had with her husband Rick. Things had taken a significantly awesome turn for the best. She had her man back. He was connecting with her on levels she had longed to have for some time now. It’s not that she wanted […]
