This week, we are spotlighting a church in Maine that is passionate about discipling men. From skepticism to culture shift, Men of Faith is seeing how one simple idea is transforming a church!
By the Man in the Mirror Team
Faith Church is passionate about discipleship, and Jeff Dionne, their local Area Director, has been working with them closely to disciple men.
Leadership with Jeff (back row, second from right) and retreat speaker.
Back in 2015, they kicked off a new strategy using the Journey to Biblical Manhood, a multi-year ministry plan we offer that utilizes our events and studies to inspire engagement and then get men connected to God and to each other.
With a foundation based on our No Man Left Behind training for leaders, Faith Church used resources like the Rewired and Success That Matters men’s events, books such as Man Alive and How God Makes Men, our video Bible study, and more to help their men grow in knowledge, but also in their understanding of how to apply it to their daily lives.
Soon after, they also launched a new initiative called Advance Sunday. Once a month, men were encouraged to hang back in the sanctuary after service for a short time to gather with other men and receive a specific application challenge.
The format proved engaging and fun, so much so that one wife jokingly dubbed it “Secret Handshake Sunday.” (The women have since started their own version!)
Then, a couple of years in, Jeff had an idea for their Advance Sunday that triggered a ripple effect of brotherhood.
Forging Friendships
2021 Annual Men of Faith Retreat
After they discussed how a common thread throughout the Journey had been relationships, men were issued a big challenge: to find a man in the room whom they didn’t know and schedule a time in the next week to meet and swap stories, along with requests for prayer.
The men accepted and—while it felt uncomfortable at first—amazing stories began to pour in about the initial meetings. One man, Skip, shared, “I was skeptical, being fairly new to Faith. WOW, what a great idea and a wonderful experience! I met Jim for coffee and had a great time. I can’t wait to do this again.”
[click_to_tweet tweet=”It has truly become part of the ethos of the church, leading to ongoing heart transformation as men genuinely care for one another.” quote=”It has truly become part of the ethos of the church, leading to ongoing heart transformation as men genuinely care for one another.”]
Leadership participated as well. One of the pastors, Ben, said, “I met up with a man named Andrew, whom I had never seen before. We had a fantastic hour together getting to know each other. Yesterday I was thinking, This is what we’re supposed to be doing! I’m really glad Jeff challenged us.”
Men have continued to participate through multiple rounds of this, and leadership incorporated it into the annual Men of Faith retreat this year, too.
It has truly become part of the ethos of the church, leading to ongoing heart transformation as men genuinely care for one another.
Writing a New, Better Story
Pastor Brent, the lead pastor, reflected to Jeff last month, “My mom visited and said how amazing it was to see so many men hugging each other and hanging out before and after the service.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Our men have strengthened the character and direction of our church.”” quote=”“Our men have strengthened the character and direction of our church.””]
“As an outsider, her perspective was that the men of this church are tightly knit. I would have to agree! It just goes to show how huge of a culture shift we’ve experienced.”
Today, the church website states: “Faith is proud to have such a strong foundation of male leadership and support. Our men have stepped up to form a band of brothers that has strengthened the character and direction of our church like never before.”
THE BIG IDEA: Helping men forge genuine brotherhood transforms the church.
As men continue to build intentional, spiritual friendships and share their stories with each other, we can’t wait to see how God continues to write His story in this community through Men of Faith.
DISCIPLESHIP CHANGES EVERYTHING.