Transformed Men Transform the Church

By the Man in the Mirror Team

Jim Jeffery, discipleship pastor at Chapel Pointe, read The Man in the Mirror book by Patrick Morley when it first came out in print, but he’d been unaware of the development of the ministry until his local Man in the Mirror Area Director came by one day to introduce himself.

Jim recalled, “His servant spirit, relational bent, and heart for ministry to men made an instant connection with me. He was more interested in our church’s ministry to men than just promoting a program and material. Our friendship deepened and our partnership in ministry expanded with regular times of sharing together.”

As they assessed the state of their ministry to men, one main need bubbled to the surface related to what we call the “Wide-Deep Continuum.” What is that exactly?

Making disciples is all about taking men who don’t know Christ and helping them become mature, passionate followers of Jesus. This journey can be represented by a path, or continuum: from men who don’t yet know Christ (WIDE) all the way to mature disciples who are discipling others (DEEP).

Chapel Pointe was ahead of the game with a desire to disciple men firmly established. As a result, they already had a good group of men engaged on the deep end (Biblical Christians and leaders) of the continuum.

They also had some level of participation on the wide end (seekers and Cultural Christians). What Pastor Jim was looking for were proven ways to move those men from wide to deep—in effect, ways to help them begin—and continue—growing as disciples.

Our Area Director recommended a Man in the Mirror event, which is designed to do just that by presenting the gospel, addressing practical needs, and then getting attendees into small groups.

For the next three years, Chapel Pointe used our event materials for their spring men’s conference as a catalyst to create and capture momentum and spur on long-term growth.

“The events and process have been outstanding,” Pastor Jim said. “We found Success that Matters, Rock Solid Men, and The Playbook to all be biblically rooted with practical application to men. The discussion questions helped our mentors at each table create conversations that were life changing. The follow-up materials helped our guys gather together to build community and apply the practical insights to their lives.”

Today, the lead pastor has developed an annual class, Men of Impact, that challenges men to become spiritual leaders. They continue to offer their annual men’s conference each spring with mentors inviting other men to join them in table groups. Throughout the year, their men meet in small groups, do service projects, and challenge each other to take their next steps following Christ.

“The number of men whose transformed lives are making a difference for Christ in their homes, workplaces, and our community is astounding,” Jim shared. “Marriages have been rescued. Wives of our men have asked for classes and groups where they can be impacted the way their husbands have been transformed.

“Men are stepping up to lead in our church. They are sharing the gospel with other men. The spiritual momentum is impacting the life of our church, which has nearly tripled in size in the last five years.”

Jim’s vision goes far beyond the walls of Chapel Pointe. “We want to be a catalyst for spiritual awakening in a dry culture. In partnership with other churches, we’re impacting our region for Christ.”

Discipleship changes everything.

THE BIG IDEA: Building an intentional ministry strategy that helps a man who doesn’t yet know Christ become a mature disciple will radically change your church.

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