PART 1 – ADVENT MEN ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK  (VISION 2020)

I.  HOW WE SEE OURSELVES:

What is VISION 2020?

Vision 2020 is a strategic 10 year plan for building a strong men’s ministry in the Southern Union.

CLICK HERE for more details

What is Advent Men?

Advent Men is a Christ-centered, relationship-based, network of men’s ministry leaders that seek to educate, equip, and empower other men to succeed and lead in all areas of life.  Advent Men are designed and powered by God!

Who are Advent Men?

ADVENT means the arrival or appearance of a much anticipated person, thing, or event.  So, Advent Men are simply ordinary men who are totally committed to an intentional journey to becoming extraordinary men of God.  To be an Advent Man you must be “ALL IN”!

II.  HOW WE IDENTIFY MEN: 

SPIRITUAL – The Stages in a Man’s Discipleship Journey

  • Drifting
    • Social Media and Online Assessments
    • Recovery Groups
  • Casual
    • “Taste & See… Come & See”
    • Attending Large Momentum Events
  • Invested
    • “Follow Me”
    • Involved in Discipleship Groups
  • Committed
    • “Abide and Be Fruitful in Me”
    • Guide/Mentor/Coach… Discipling Other Men

CHRONOLOGICAL – The Stages in a Man’s Life Journey 

  • Cornerstone (12-24)
    • Chief Characteristic – Identity
    • Season of Life – Spring
  • Bondstone (25-44)
    • Chief Characteristic – Strength
    • Season of Life – Summer
  • Keystone (45-64)
    • Chief Characteristic – Influence
    • Season of Life – Fall
  • CAPSTONE (65+)
    • Chief Characteristic – Wisdom
    • Season of Life – Winter

RELATIONAL – The Relationships in a Man’s Life Journey 

  • Marriage – Prepare-Enrich, Symbis, Marriage Retreats
  • Fatherhood – Rite of Passage + Father’s Blessing (to be developed)
III.  HOW WE REACH OUT TO MEN:

With Online Assessments (Under Development by Blueprint for Men)

  • Filters for age, marital status, family situation, etc.
  • Will help men move from the valley (world of mediocrity) to the start of the climb
  • Cohorts that meet weekly for 1.5 hours – fee required
  • Seasoned leaders needed for each cohort
  • App (in development) to support cohorts and leadership teams

With Social Media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.to get our message out to the larger audience

With Personal Invitations to events, small groups, mentoring

With Strategic Events such as

  • Annual Men’s Conventions/Retreats – full weekends
  • Regional Rallies – Sabbath afternoon/evening events engaging many churches
  • Regional Leadership Training/Certification – full weekends or stretched out
  • NAD Men’s Ministry Day of Prayer – 1st Sabbath of September
  • Father’s Day – Sabbath service to acknowledge and challenge dads
  • S.U. or NAD Men’s Conventions every 5 years starting in 2021
IV.  HOW WE BUILD MEN:

With Online Resources

With Age & Stage Specific Training 

  • Childhood (1-11)  – Adventurer Honor + Pathfinder Honor (to be developed)
  • Adolescence (12-17)  – Rite of Passage + Father’s Blessing (to be developed)
  • Young Adult (18-25) – Manhood University (to be developed)
  • Marriage – Prepare-Enrich, Symbis, Marriage Retreats
  • Fatherhood – Rite of Passage + Father’s Blessing (to be developed)
V.  HOW WE REBUILD MEN:
VI.  HOW WE BUILD LEADERS:
  • NAD Men’s Ministry Leadership Certification – cruise, weekend immersion, or webinar
  • Leadership Academy – Weekend immersion or video conferencing for local church men’s ministry leaders
  • Regional Leadership Council – Monthly video conferencing + quarterly gatherings
  • Conference Leadership Council – Monthly video conferencing + annual gathering
  • Individual Leadership Coaching – face-to-face or video conferencing as needed
  • Southern Union Leadership Council – Monthly video conferencing + annual gatherings

VII.  HOW WE CONNECT :

  • The Advent Men website serves as a landing page that serves
    • serves to promote our message, events, training, resources
    • serves as a directory of conference and regional leaders
    • serves to communicate with videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.
  • Virtual Leadership Groups that meet via video conferencing
  • Emails that are sent out weekly to update progress

PART 2 – STEPS TO BUILDING A MOVEMENT OF GODLY MEN

STEP #1 – BE AWARE OF OUR MEN’S MINISTRY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS:

Men’s Ministry Challenges

  • Vision             No long-range plan
  • Church           Weak pastoral support and conference leadership
  • Focus             Mostly limited to large events with next steps missing
  • Finances        Severely underfunded
  • Leaders          Unsupported and untrained
  • Resources      Very limited through our denomination
  • Networking      Disconnected and isolated
  • Event               No Southern Union Convention

Men’s Ministry Solutions:

  • Vision              VISION 2020 – A 10-year Plan
  • Church            Parachurch ministry (Blueprint for Men) to provide leadership to fill the current void
  • Focus              Wide spectrum of events, small groups, and individual
  • Finances         Blueprint for Men (a nonprofit Foundation) to spearhead funding
  • Leaders           Empowered, trained, and networked
  • Resources      Continual adoption and development of high quality resources
  • Networking      Regular communication and engagement
  • Event               Southern Union Convention
STEP #2 – BECOME A STUDENT OF MEN’S MINISTRY AND MEN:

Before you get off and running I strongly recommend that you get some education. Starting a men’s ministry and leading other men is something that takes personal equipping so start reading, listening, and watching. Build a library for men!

STEP #3 –  GET TO KNOW YOUR SOUTHERN UNION MEN’S MINISTRY TEAM:
  • START HERE.  Schedule a 15-minute call with Marty Miller to join a focus group that fits your schedule, experience, and interests.

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A CALL

  • NEXT CONNECT.  Join a men’s ministry focus group that meets regularly via video or audio conference calls so that we can make progress

STEP #4 – BECOME PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN MEN’S DISCIPLESHIP:
  • Everyone to lead at least one small group
  • Everyone to intentionally mentor at least one man
  • This is essential to men’s ministry leadership development
  • LET’S ALL COMMIT TO THIS!
STEP #5 – GET CERTIFIED AS A MEN’S MINISTRY LEADER:
STEP #6 – PROMOTING MEN’S MINISTRY THROUGH:
  • Gain Official Southern Union Recognition: Melvin Preston to schedule a meeting with Ron Smith, Southern Union President and Marty Miller
  • Articles and advertising in the Southern Tidings and conference publications & websites
  • Flyers and posters for all churches
  • Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.
  • Regular emails using Active Campaign
  • Advent Men/Blueprint for Men website with blogs, devotionals, videos, etc.
  • Conference level annual conventions and retreats
  • The NAD Men’s Ministry Day of Prayer – 1st Sabbath of September
  • COMMITTEE & LEADER NEEDED TO SPEARHEAD THIS!
STEP #7 – PLANNING THE SOUTHERN UNION MEN’S MINISTRY CONVENTION IN 2021:
  • COMMITTEE NEEDED TO SPEARHEAD THIS!
  • Dan Schiffbauer has agreed to lead our committee
STEP #8 – IMPLEMENT A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO HELP REALIZE THIS VISION: 
  • COMMITTEE & LEADER NEEDED TO SPEARHEAD THIS!