Reaching Men

One of the greatest resources for developing a healthy and vibrant church plant are men. The challenge is you have to reach them before you get them. One of the greatest ways to reach men are to give them an opportunity to get their hands dirty (with a tool), get them outdoors (with a gun or a rod), or get them involved in some type of sports activity. As we enter the fall season you might want to creatively think about ways that you can reach out to men in your area. Here are some suggestions:

1. Wild Game Dinner. Have some guys you know bring in what they've caught or killed and host a dinner inviting men to come and taste the catch these men provided. You can invite some type of expert (gun, archery, fishing) to come and share with the men some innovative tactics that will make them a better sportsman. Stores like Cabela's, Gander Mountain, and Bass Pro can provide you with some local names to contact. Outdoor Ministry Network is also a good resource for this type of an event.

2. A Sportsman Conference. There is one coming up in September in Butler, PA. See http://www.outdoorministrynetwork.com/ for details.

3. Football parties with free food and several large screen TV's.

4. Community projects that require men using their tools (toys). Cutting down tree's, replacing roofs, fixing houses that our in desperate need of repair (note: men will do work for people who are in need, but not for people who are lazy; so line up your project wisely).

5. Golf outings that have prizes or raise money for some particular need.

6. Get some 4 wheelers together and plan an outing in the mountains.

You get the idea. Men like to put their hands on things, they like to get dirty, make noise, see someone else get dirty and make noise. Think creatively! Ask some guys you know what they would like to do to help reach out to other men. And, when you do any of this, seize the moment and tell your story how Christ has changed your life.

One final thought: A recent study by George Barna indicated that if a man is reached for Christ you have a 93% chance of reaching the whole family for Christ. I don't know about you, but I know where I go hunting when looking for people to start and plant a church. To me, the great outdoors isn't a bad place to hunt and fish for men.